Level Crossing: Progression from Skills for Life to key skills

Introduction

This publication aims to provide advice and guidance to practitioners supporting key skills learners through the transition from Entry levels 2 and 3 (Skills for Life) to Level 1 key skills. Experienced practitioners working with the Key Skills Support Programme (KSSP) have identified this transition as particularly difficult.

This guide has been designed within the wider context of skills development summarised below.

Skills, now and in the future

Government policy for skills, as defined through the Skills White Paper (February 2005) and the 14–19 Education and Skills White Paper (March 2005), has highlighted the need to develop functional skills that will equip young people and adults with the skills required for employability and citizenship in the 21st century. The three areas of functional skills as defined in the White Papers are Functional English, Functional Maths and Functional ICT.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has refocused the work originally planned for the convergence of basic and key skills qualifications into one set of qualifications to progress its remit to define functional skills. Skills for Life and key skills will inform the development of the functional skills, alongside recommendations from the post-14 Maths Inquiry (Professor Adrian Smith’s 2004 inquiry into enabling students to acquire mathematical knowledge and skills necessary to meet the requirements of employers and of further and higher education) and English 21 (the 2005 initiative from QCA designed to stimulate discussion about the future direction of English in the 21st century). Functional skills will become an essential and integral element of education and training programmes.

The drivers

Government targets for Level 2 achievement, which are then reflected in Learning and Skills Council targets for Skills for Life and key skills, will require learners to move successfully from Entry level skills to Level 1 skills. Inspectors expect all teachers and trainers to support and develop the appropriate literacy, numeracy and ICT skills of their learners to ensure that individuals succeed on their main programme of learning.

The reality

Many learners do not have the skills required for their main programme of learning or training.

Many learners come with 'spiky' profiles and require more imput or support in one area than in another.

Many apprentices are unable to achieve their full framework because they lack 'basic' skills and so are unable to engage in learning readily.

The national targets cannot be achieved unless learners make the transition from Entry level skills to key skills.

How to use this resource

This is a resource for teachers, tutors and trainers to use when they are looking for ways to develop the underpinning skills of their learners as they move from Entry level Skills for Life to Level 1 key skills in the three main key skill areas. It is built around the common challenges that learners at Entry levels 2 and 3 need to overcome if they are to progress and achieve in key skills and contains approaches and activities to support skills development.

The processes and approaches to aid skills development are designed to be as accessible as possible and can be adapted and refined to meet the needs of learners in the broad post-16 context of further education, schools, specialist units, training providers and prisons. The writers do not intend their activities and approaches be followed slavishly. Each user should focus on the process suggested and adapt the source materials to suit their own learners’ interests and contexts.

The methodologies described focus on groups of learners but many could be adapted to meet the needs of individual learners, including those in the workplace working one to one with a key skills trainer. Many of the processes and approaches used to develop skills and knowledge in one key skill could also be used in other key skill areas.

Practitioners have made every attempt to ensure that resource requirements, such as specialist equipment, will not result in unnecessary barriers to access.

Users must note that this is not a scheme of work for each of the main key skills and it is not designed to produce work for assessment purposes.

Cross-cutting themes and common challenges

Summary of this section

Challenges and appendices
This page contains resources to help learners with the common challenges faced by learners at Entry levels 2 and 3 Skills for Life as they progress to key skills Application of Number Level 1’.
Challenges and appendices
This page contains resources to help learners with the common challenges faced by learners at Entry levels 2 and 3 Skills for Life as they progress to key skills Application of Number Level 1.
Challenges and appendices
This page contains resources to help learners with the common challenges faced by learners at Entry levels 2 and 3 Skills for Life as they progress to key skills ICT Level 1.