An innovative new approach to building the employability skills of young people at Level 3
Most young people will find the thought of their first day at work daunting. What will people think about me? Will I fit in? Can I really do the job?
And there is good reason for concern - a recent survey by CIMA revealed the worrying finding that as many as 8 out of 10 school leavers require significant support with basic people and business skills immediately on entering the workplace.
Recognising these challenges, ASDAN commissioned education and skills specialists Carina Consulting to help them develop and roll out a brand new approach to employability at Level 3 for 16-18 year olds. The aim is to equip young people with the skills needed to make their transition into work a success.
For nearly 30 years, leading curriculum provider and awarding organisation ASDAN has been developing courses that help young people develop their personal, social and work-related abilities. Martina Veale, ASDAN’s Director of Education, said “One of the best ways for young people to understand and develop the skills needed by employers is by undertaking relevant work experience. According to the CBI, 74% of employers say that work experience is significant or critical when it comes to recruiting young people. However schools, colleges and employers alike are facing real difficulties putting in place high quality work experience for our young people.”
ASDAN’s innovative approach to this qualification provides young people with a practical solution to help support this transition into work. Learners enroll on the ASDAN Level 3 Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), and receive business skills tutoring in the classroom. They are then encouraged to build their extended project around a work placement that is conducted during their 2 year study programme.
Carina Consulting’s MD, Andrew Pember, commented “We know from our work with the sector that there is real concern about the availability and quality of work experience, particularly with enhanced requirements of the forthcoming T Levels. We believe this new offer from ASDAN represents a unique and genuinely exciting option that could make a real difference for learners. It will give them the edge over their competition, whatever educational route they are taking into work”.
ASDAN’S new approach delivers significant benefits:
For learners:
● Better preparation for work experience
● Undertaking a meaningful project that can help them demonstrate relevant skills and knowledge to future employers and also to universities
● Obtaining a nationally recognised Level 3 qualification that carries up to 28 UCAS points
For schools and colleges:
● Strengthening the institution’s work experience proposition by supporting the development of stronger links with local employers
● Improving the line of sight to work for learners by giving them direct experience of employers and real-life projects
● Offering a qualification that counts towards DfE performance measures and supports progression both to university and employment
For employers
● Benefiting from projects that are tailored to the needs of their organisation
● Young people undertaking work experience do so with an enhanced level of support from their school or college
● Ability to spot potential new recruits
Next Steps
Five schools and colleges have signed up to test the new approach, and the first cohort of learners will complete their programmes in the summer/autumn of 2019.
Carina Consulting’s Role
ASDAN commissioned Carina Consulting to fully support the development of the ASDAN EPQ. We created the qualification specification and a comprehensive range of support materials for learners, teachers/tutors and employers. We will continue to provide support over the next two years through monitoring, evaluation and further development of materials.
Martina Veale said "The Carina Consulting team are great to work with - they understood our requirements and have delivered a complex project on time and to budget. They are always responsive when we need support."
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