Introduction

Following the 14-19 Education and skills White Paper (February 2005) and the Skills White Paper (March 2005), the DfES gave QCA a remit to develop functional skills in English, ICT and mathematics.

Functional skills will be developed in ways that will ensure that young people and adults can engage purposefully as citizens and in employment. They should be suitable, therefore, for a wide range of candidates, from young people involved in GCSEs in schools to adults involved in learning programmes to prepare them for work.

QCA are working in partnership with several other organisations, and have consulted widely on this work. Further stages in the development over the next year will include approaches to assessment, and approaches to packaging the functional skills. Functional skills will be a set of qualifications in their own right, but will also support other qualifications such as GCSEs.

Development

There are several stages within the development of functional skills. At each stage decisions will be reviewed. For example, an initial view on ‘size’ (ie the number of guided learning hours) is obviously necessary but the process of developing the final scope and content (standards) may require that view to be revisited.

Stakeholder consultation events took place in November and December 2005 to discuss the technical aspects of functional skills. Further events took place in February and March to look at the content of the standards. Over this period, work on assessment approaches as well as innovative tests continued. The online questionnaire has now closed but you are still able to submit your views by emailing functionalskills@qca.org.uk.

Standards (ie scope and content) represent those aspects of the skill and subject that can be taught and learned as measured and assessable outcomes. Achievement of these outcomes will enable each candidate of whatever age and in whatever setting to be awarded a functional skills qualification.

Standards should not be confused with qualification specifications, as used by deliverers on the ground. Standards will be unpacked into programmes of study with detailed content coverage for deliverers. Delivery guidance will also be drafted.