Key skills in further education

As an increasing number of further education institutions seek to address key skill requirements, this document examines what constitutes good practice in the teaching, learning and management of key skills. Drawn from investigations of the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) inspectorate, the checklist includes: a college policy on key skills which applies to all programs and all students; key skills teaching which is closely linked to students' main programs; regular monitoring and review of students' progress; appropriate accreditation; and opportunities for staff development. The document goes on to examine the three mandatory key skills for those undertaking general national vocational qualification (GNVQ) programs, which are communication, application of number and information technology, and finds that, of these, communication has generally been the most successfully taught and application of number the most problematic. Findings also indicate that formal recognition of key skills through accreditation has helped to enhance their importance for students, and that key skills teaching is most successful when students see its relevance to their own learning.

As an increasing number of further education institutions seek to address key skill requirements, this document examines what constitutes good practice in the teaching, learning and management of key skills. Drawn from investigations of the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) inspectorate, the checklist includes: a college policy on key skills which applies to all programs and all students; key skills teaching which is closely linked to students' main programs; regular monitoring and review of students' progress; appropriate accreditation; and opportunities for staff ...  [+] Show more