What does it really mean to be ready for work?
For many young people, preparing for employment can mean thinking about further education or developing technical skills for a particular career. These things matter, but being ready for the world of work is about more than what can be listed on a CV.
It is also about confidence, communication, problem-solving, managing relationships, making decisions, understanding responsibilities and being able to apply skills in different situations.
This wider understanding of work readiness is increasingly reflected in the direction of education and skills policy. Recent government proposals place greater emphasis on practical and technical education, work experience and stronger connections between education, employers and local economies. The plans aim to give young people clearer routes from education into employment, while recognising that different learners need different opportunities to develop their skills and experience.
For ASDAN, this is a familiar principle. Preparing learners for working life has always been part of our approach: helping learners develop the skills, confidence and independence they need to participate fully in their communities and their future.
Work readiness starts with the whole learner
While the term ‘soft skills’ is still widely used, it is increasingly recognised as inadequate for describing the importance of personal and social skills, fundamental for the world of work.
Learning, communicating, decision making, thinking, team working and self-awareness all influence how someone navigates a workplace, builds relationships and responds to new situations. They are also skills that can be developed over time, through meaningful learning experiences that connect with learners’ lives.
ASDAN’s updated Personal and Social Development (PSD) qualifications have been designed with this in mind.
Available across five levels, from Entry 1 to Level 2, the qualifications embrace personal, social, health, citizenship and digital education, while supporting learners to develop skills for independence and working life.
The updated suite includes a clear focus on preparing for work, with Preparation for work units available across the levels. Other units develop skills that have an important role in workplace readiness, including Communication, Working as part of a group, Tackling problems and Using digital technology.
This creates opportunities for learners to develop skills in context, rather than treating work readiness as something that only begins when they are looking for a job.
Listening to the people who deliver learning
A primary driver the updates was gathering insight and feedback from educators delivering the qualifications. As Angharad Crane, ASDAN Development Manager, explains: “Our members are the experts on what’s relevant for their learners.”
The review was informed by government initiatives such as the Personal, Social and Employability Qualifications (PSEQ) National Standards Framework. ASDAN education development partners and external quality assurers also contributed, drawing on their experience of supporting members, delivering training and quality assuring ASDAN qualifications.
The result is a genuinely collaborative process: frameworks and national expectations informing the development, alongside the practical experience of the people who know learners and classrooms best.
Giving every learner the opportunity to develop work-ready skills
One of the most significant developments is the expansion of opportunities at Entry 1.
The updated suite includes a larger choice of units at this level, responding directly to feedback from centres. A new Communication unit has also been introduced at Entry 1, while digital technology has been brought more clearly into the suite. The aim is to ensure learners can develop an understanding and experience of digital technology before entering the workplace.
As Angharad puts it, the development is about “giving all learners an equitable opportunity across the levels to develop these skills”.
Connecting learning with life beyond the classroom
The growing focus on practical, applied learning also reinforces the value of making learning meaningful.
The government’s recent education reforms are putting technical and academic education on a more equal footing, with new technical pathways planned from age 14. From Year 10, young people will be able to combine core academic subjects with technical education linked to local employment opportunities, alongside greater access to work experience, employer connections and practical projects.
For ASDAN, that connection does not have to mean choosing between academic learning and practical learning. It means recognising that learners need opportunities to apply what they know, developing the skills, experience and confidence employers need.
The updated PSD qualifications support this through flexible unit choices and learning that can take place in different contexts. The specification explicitly recognises progression into work placements, employment and apprenticeships, while the qualifications map to the Gatsby Benchmarks, including individual learner needs and experiences of workplaces.
This makes careers education and work readiness part of a wider journey: one that begins with knowing yourself, developing relationships and making choices, and can lead towards greater independence, participation and employment.
Work readiness is about opportunity
Being work-ready is not about expecting every learner to follow the same path or arrive at the same destination. It is about giving them the skills, experiences and confidence to make informed choices about what comes next.
That is why this update was about more than refreshing content. It was ensuring an established suite of qualifications continues to reflect learners’ lives, the changing world around them and the skills they need for the future.
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Interested in delivering ASDAN’s PSD qualifications? Speak to one of our curriculum experts to find out how they could work for your learners and setting.