Your Skills, Your Future!
At Coleg Gwent, all full time learners benefit from an enrichment programme to support the development of employability skills. The programme, which forms part of your course, includes activities such as work experience, volunteering and involvement in clubs and societies; these develop the skills that employers and universities look for.
Feedback from employers tells us that good exam results and qualifications are important, but experience and employability skills are also key. By developing your employability skills, you’ll improve your chances of getting a job and thriving in your career.
For learners studying a one-year programme, these skills will be developed through a series of activities that are relevant to the main subject. Completion of the activities may be recognised by an Agored qualification.
For learners studying a two-year Level 3 programme, these skills will be developed through the WJEC Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.
This Advanced level qualification is widely accepted by UK universities as an entry qualification and is worth 120 UCAS points – the equivalent of grade A at A Level. More information about the new Skills Challenge Certificate from WJEC.
Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate
The Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales (Level 3) is an innovative qualification that promotes learning inside and outside of the classroom, providing you with opportunities to select your own areas of study whilst advancing your skills in planning and organisation; critical thinking and problem solving; creativity and innovation; and personal effectiveness (the ‘Integral Skills’). Building on their achievements at level 2, the qualification helps learners develop complex skills, attributes and behaviours and provides experiences which enable them to be better prepared for their future destination, whether higher education, apprenticeships, training or employment.
The Welsh Baccalaureate qualification is awarded as a pass grade and demonstrates both academic ability and competence in skills highly valued and sought after by employers.
The Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales (Level 3) qualification is made up of three units referred to as Projects. The weightings noted below are expressed in terms of the full qualification
- Non-exam Assessment (NEA)
- 25% of qualification
- Learners will demonstrate application of the Integral Skills whilst considering complex global issues and participating in local community action (at least 15 hours) to promote citizenship in a sustainable world and Wales.
- Non-exam assessment (NEA)
- 25% of qualification
- Learners will demonstrate application of the Integral Skills whilst exploring future destination goals for life, employability, and citizenship in a sustainable world and Wales.
- Non-exam assessment (NEA)
- 50% of qualification
- Learners will demonstrate application of the Integral Skills whilst planning, managing, and conducting an independent research project (extended written project or artefact).
The following employability skills will be developed through a series of practical challenges.
The Literacy skills are those specified for and assessed through GCSE English Language and/or Welsh Language and should also be developed through the Individual Project and the Challenges.
The Numeracy skills are those specified for and assessed through GCSE Mathematics – Numeracy and should also be developed through the Individual Project and the Challenges.
- Understand and respond appropriately to risks and problems in order to communicate safely in a digital world
- Use social media safely and effectively
- Understand and manage your own digital footprint
- Use, manipulate or create data and information and present it digitally for different audiences
- Be able to find, organise, store, manage, share and protect digital information
- Evaluate the reliability of information sources
- Use digital techniques and methods for a range of activities including: collaboration, team working, creativity, problem solving and learning.
- Understand and apply decision-making and problem-solving approaches and techniques
- Identify and analyse problems or issues
- Identify potential solutions or responses and reasons for different views
- Be able to justify decisions
- Identify and develop arguments
- Critically assess the strength of options and arguments, taking into account opposing views or alternative ideas, validity and reliability
- Demonstrate resilience and perseverance
- Reflect on approaches and techniques for critical thinking, decision making and problem solving and your own proficiency in them
- Understand the importance of clear aims and objectives
- Be able to develop and agree aims and objectives and set targets or milestones
- Demonstrate responsibility and reliability
- Be able to produce a plan, identify and manage resources, timescales, activities and allocate responsibilities
- Select, organise and evaluate information relevant to the objective or plan
- Implement the plan
- Monitor and evaluate the plan, modifying it as needed and adapting to change
- Identify and respond to risks
- Reflect on and evaluate the planning process and its outcomes
- Understand how to and be able to generate ideas as well as identifying and making the most of opportunities
- Demonstrate original thinking and an ability to identify and challenge assumptions
- Be able to combine or develop ideas
- Assess and evaluate ideas, choosing and implementing options
- Demonstrate imagination and initiative
- Reflect on the process and identify how it could be improved
- Understand, manage and improve behaviour and performance
- Demonstrate initiative and independence
- Evaluate own personal effectiveness
- Manage time effectively
- Be able to respond appropriately to conflict
- Understand roles and teams
- Work effectively within a team
- Respect and respond to the values and opinions of others, presenting own views effectively