Skilled for Life is designed to be the UK’s fi rst comprehensive solution for educators designing and delivering programmes intended to prepare learners for work. Off ered as a toolkit, it includes everything you need from diagnostic tools to learning units to delivery resources.

Flexibility is at the heart of Skilled for Life. It will allow you to create personalised programmes based on your learners’ individual needs, ambitions and interests. Because of its fl exibility, Skilled for Life is suitable for a wide range of learners from a variety of backgrounds, age groups and ability ranges.

Introducing Skilled for Life…

Employability is about having and applying a set of knowledge and skills. We’ve sat down with experts from education and industry to work out what really makes someone employable, and it’s around these 5 areas of learning that we’ve built the Skilled for Life toolkit:

1. English, Maths and ICT2. Industry Knowledge3. Skills for Work, such as CV writing and

interview techniques4. Work Experience5. Social and Personal Skills, such as

team-work, confi dence and self-effi cacy.

Based around these fi ve areas of learning, the toolkit is made up of: • 400 Edexcel learning units at Entry Level 3 and Level 1• 3 diagnostic tools covering: • behaviours and attitudes • English (coming soon) • maths (coming soon)• substantial teaching and learning

resources including a comprehensive delivery guide.

What is Skilled for Life?

How doesit work?

We know that, regardless of the sector in which they work, all educators are concerned by how well their programmes prepare learners for the world of work. With this in mind, we’ve built Skilled for Life to be so fl exible that it meets the needs of anyone who’s teaching the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the workplace.

Who is it for?

Skilled for Life uses a credit-based model. Centres register learners for a specifi c number of credits. They then select and deliver the learning units that meet each individual’s needs.

There are no rules of combination or mandatory units – each learner only studies what they need to.

This credit-based model means programmes can be scaled to the needs of each individual learner and to fi t around your existing curriculum. You only pay for what you use and what your learner needs.

The English and maths diagnostics and extensive teaching resources are included with the cost. A small, optional charge is applied for the behavioural diagnostic.

“With Skilled for Life we are looking beyond the traditional qualifi cations model at a more fl exible and responsive approach, tailored around the needs and ambitions of individual learners. All of this is backed-up by the quality, standards and assessment expertise you would associate with Pearson and Edexcel.”

Rod Bristow, President, Pearson UK

The Skilled for Life toolkit has 3 components – learning units, diagnostic tools and teaching resources. These components are structured around 5 areas of learning that develop the skills and knowledge we believe everyone needs to secure lasting employment.

What is in Skilled for Life?

English, Maths and ICT

Skills for WorkIndustry

Knowledge

WorkExperience

Employability

Social and Personal

Skills

English, Maths and ICTThese bite-sized, 1-3 credit units focus on the basic maths, English and ICT skills essential for working life. They include ‘communicating solutions to others’ and ‘summarising documents’, as well as generic literacy and numeracy skills.We’ve also included units on using the internet and emailing.

Social and Personal SkillsThese units explore the attitudes and behaviours needed to have professional and eff ective interactions at work. We’ve included new units on self-effi cacy, as well as citizenship, personal identity and relationships.

Skills for WorkThese units are designed to teach the skills needed to secure a job, such as writing a CV or interview preparation. They also develop the practical skills needed once at work, such as setting targets, teamwork and leadership.

Industry KnowledgeThese sector-specifi c units range from 1 to 6 credits in size and cover a wide range of industries including care, hospitality, sport, construction and retail. Each unit introduces learners to one aspect of the sector.

Work ExperienceThese units help learners prepare for work placements and then get the most out of them, through structured content that reinforces what they’ve learnt. They also look at alternatives to paid work, such as volunteering.

SelfSmart We’ve teamed-up with Clearaims to off er you SelfSmart – an online profi ling tool that identifi es any behavioural barriers to employment. SelfSmart provides you with detailed individual profi les and targeted activities to address any weaknesses. Areas covered include coping with stress, self awareness, confi dence, motivations and interactions with others.

English and Maths (coming soon)Our English and maths diagnostic tools will help assess learners’ basic literacy and numeracy skills, indicating their current ability levels and areas they need to work on.

Diagnostic toolsThe toolkit includes diagnostic tools to assess learners’ basic skills and attitudes. These allow you to create personalised learning plans around individuals’ skills gaps and barriers to employment.

Learning unitsWithin each area sits an array of QCF learning units, in a range of sizes and levels, from Entry Level 3 to Level 1. We’ve included brand new units developed specifi cally for Skilled for Life as well as popular units from existing Edexcel and BTEC qualifi cations.

Teaching support resourcesWe’ve included a comprehensive delivery guide which will help you make the most of Skilled for Life. It’s been designed to guide you through building eff ective programmes for your learners.

We’re also developing a series of resource sheets, covering over 40 units. These pre-prepared activities will help you with delivery and save planning time. We’ve focused on writing these for industry knowledge units where vacancies are currently found, including care, hospitality, construction and retail.

Why Skilled for Life?

True personalisation You can pick and choose as many or as few units

as you need for each learner. For those who are unsure of their career options, our

introductory industry units can help them decide which path to

pursue. All these choices can be informed by the

diagnostic tools available in the

toolkit.

Step-by-step achievement The unitised approach means learners can study at

their own pace, and have their achievements recognised and certifi cated in small steps.

This can be a great way to keep learners motivated, especially for those who

may have low self-esteem or who struggle to achieve

a full qualifi cation in one go.

Complete fl exibility

With over 400 units and more being added all the time, Skilled for Life covers a breadth of sectors, skills

and knowledge that means you can cater to all your learners’ needs. Without the rules of

combination or mandatory units found within qualifi cations, Skilled for

Life also means you can focus your eff orts exclusively on

what works for your learners.

A one-stop shop Our employability toolkit off ers advanced

diagnostics, a comprehensive range of learning units and extensive support

resources in one complete package. Skilled for Life aims

to provide all you need to deliver employability

that works.

Verifi ed by industry Skilled for Life has been developed in

partnership with employers, colleges and training providers so we can

be assured that it meets your delivery needs

and addresses the real barriers to

employment.

Plentiful funding opportunities Skilled for Life has been developed with the

current funding environment in mind. We’ve made it possible for you to deliver

learning through a wide range of diff erent funding streams, from

the Work Programme to Skills Funding Agency

Adult Funding.

Learn more at www.edexcel.com/skilledforlife

Learn more about Skilled for Life at www.edexcel.com/skilledforlife

Email us with any queries or sign-up for updates at skilledforlife@pearson.com

Publication code: Z033527