Employability Skills Development
About this course
What is it?
The Employability Skills Development course takes an activity-based approach to raising learners’ awareness about employer expectations and the working environment. Developed in response to an increasing national focus on work-related learning, it will meet the needs of providers looking for a programme of activities to support learners in preparation for vocational training, for achieving an employability qualification, or for getting a job.
The Employability Skills Development resources support teaching and learning; they aim to improve learners’ knowledge and understanding of the workplace.
You do not need an ASDAN membership to deliver Employability Skills Development. It’s easy to set up and administrate, simply register as a non-member and purchase resources below to get started.
| Learner age | 14+, 14–16, 14–25, 16+, 16–19, 19+, Adults |
| Level | Entry 3 – Level 1 (indicative), Level 1 – Level 2 (indicative) |
| Key Stage | Key Stage 4, Key Stage 5 |
| Education setting | Mainstream school, Justice system (including youth offending), Further education, Community Education, EOTAS, PRU, Academy / Multi-academy trust, Training provider, Adult education, Independent school, Secondary |
| Guided learning hours | 10–20 hours, 20–60 hours |
| Regulated | Non-regulated course |
| Certification | Internally certificated, hard-copy (additional fee) |
| Location | England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, International (including Channel Islands and Ireland) |
| UCAS points | No UCAS points available |
| Available on Equitas | No |
| Pathway | Independent Living |
Who is it for?
The Employability Skills Development course may be used by learners aged 14+ in school or college settings, or by learners participating in work-related programmes in a variety of other contexts. The activities are generic and can therefore be adapted to reflect the vocational interests of a range of users.
Facts and figures
- Work-related activities to prepare learners aged 14+ for the workplace
- Available to registered and non-registered centres
- Certificates of achievement can be awarded at the discretion of the tutor
The Employability Skills Development book
The Employability Skills Development book contains activities designed to develop learners' skills in 12 areas: self-management; team working; business and enterprise; customer awareness; problem solving; communication; working with numbers; IT in the workplace; applying for a job; exploring job opportunities; rights and responsibilities at work; and health and safety in the workplace.
The activities:
- are flexible and can meet the needs of different learners
- support personalised learning
- can be used in a range of contexts and for different programmes of learning
- encourage a ‘pick and mix’ approach, allowing learning opportunities to be chosen for varying time frames
- are generic and can be adapted to suit any vocational interest
After completing an initial self-assessment, learners choose appropriate activities to develop their employability skills. At the end of the course learners complete a self-assessment review to reflect on their progress and development.
View sample pages from the Employability Skills Development book.
Resources
A free Employability Skills Development Tutor Guidance is available to support tutors.
All orders for Employability Skills Development books will include one printed copy of this guidance.
Certification
Tutors can reward learners' achievements using internally-awarded certificates. A suggested 20 hours of learning, or at least one challenge from each section, should be completed before certificates are awarded.
Certificates are available to purchase in packs of 20 and can be awarded at the discretion of the tutor.
Become a member
Create a cohort
Once you are approved as an ASDAN member and have approval to deliver this course, you can create a cohort of learners in the members’ area. Specify a course coordinator, the expected completion date and the number of learners taking the course. Learners should be registered within 60 days of starting any ASDAN course and before any assessment takes place.
Resources
ASDAN provides a wide range of supporting resources, including course standards with guidance and assessment materials. All resources related to your course can be found on the course webpage.
Assessment
All ASDAN courses are assessed through portfolios or projects, instead of exams. Appropriate internal quality assurance (IQA) and external quality assurance (EQA) will take place according to the course and you will be guided on this by our team.
Professional development opportunities
Continued professional development (CPD) training opportunities are available for all ASDAN courses to support assessment and internal quality assurance (IQA).
Training is delivered by ASDAN experts, supporting your centre to run our courses successfully and develop and sustain expertise across your team. They provide an introduction to the course, along with guidance on processes, course delivery and moderation.
As an ASDAN member, you can also take part in ASDAN’s special interest groups. These are termly online sessions focusing on specific areas of practice, providing space for discussion, collaboration and networking between ASDAN members.
Costs
All costs shown below are per candidate, unless otherwise stated. Each learner will need their own copy of the student book.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Employability Skills Development student book (one per learner) | £12 |
| Employability Skills Development certificates (optional, pack of 20) | £13.50 +VAT |
Products can be purchased below.
Products
Course resources
Employability Skills: self-assessment and review
These templates have been taken from the Employability Skills Development Course. Learners complete a self-assessment of their employability skills at the start of their course or programme and then review their progress at the end of the course to see how they have developed and improved their skills.
Scheme of work template
This template can be used to plan and create a scheme of work for any ASDAN programme or qualification. Also included is a completed example showing a scheme of work for Module 3 of the Personal Development Programmes.