Press Release
Date: Wednesday 5 April 2000 (NR/100/00)
CCEA SUPPORTS SCHOOLS IN DELIVERING KEY SKILLS
"The essential skills for adult and working life" is how CCEA’s Head of Education Services, Alastair Walker describes the new Key Skills qualification. He was speaking today as Northern Ireland’s exams body, CCEA, launched its programme of support and guidance to help local schools and colleges deliver the new Key Skills qualification.
The Key Skills qualification is an integral part of Government’s plans for the education and training of 16–19 year olds. It will be on offer to schools and colleges from this September. It covers the areas of Communication, Information Technology and Application of Number and can be assessed through a combination of evidence gathered from student’s A Level or GNVQ courses as well as external assessment. The Key Skills qualification is not compulsory but will help those entering third level education by providing UCAS points.
Commenting further on the introduction of the Key Skills qualification, Alastair Walker said:
The business community and politicians have rightly said that our students should leave school equipped for adult and working life. I believe Key Skills will play an important part in achieving that goal. Our role at CCEA is not only to help government develop plans for Key Skills, but also to help teachers in an already busy environment. Starting today with this conference CCEA will provide, free of charge, all the resources and support needed to successfully introduce and carry through this new qualification.
CCEA is in the process of becoming accredited as an awarding body for the new Key Skills qualification and hopes to make its first Key Skills awards in 2001.
Key Facts on Key Skills
Key skills are the skills needed to succeed in work, education and everyday life. The six key skills are listed below, the first three of which make up the new Key Skills qualification:
- Communication;
- Application of Number;
- Information Technology;
- Working with Others;
- Improving Own Learning and Performance;
- Problem Solving.
Key skills were developed in the late 1980s in consultation with employers
and representatives from higher education.
In his 1996 review of qualifications for 16 to 19-year-olds, Sir Ron Dearing
recommended that, in addition to forming part of other qualifications and
grouped awards, the key skills of application of number, communication and
IT should be available as a single, ‘stand-alone’ qualification.
This new Key Skills Qualification will be available for A Level, NVQ and
GNVQ students from September 2000.
Media enquiries to Ruth Maguire on (028) 9026 1216, Mobile 07796947993. E mail rhmaguire@ccea.org.uk
ENDS
Note to Editors
CCEA is the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.
CCEA places learners and those who have a concern for their educational and personal development at the forefront of its thinking. CCEA's mission is:
"To enable the full potential of all learners to be achieved and recognised"
What we do
CCEA is a unique educational body in the UK , bringing together the three areas of curriculum, examinations and assessment.
Advising Government – on what should be taught in Northern Ireland ’s schools and colleges.
Monitoring Standards – ensuring that the qualifications and examinations offered by awarding bodies in Northern Ireland are of an appropriate quality and standard.
Awarding Qualifications
– as Northern Ireland’s leading awarding body we offer a diverse range of qualifications, such as GCSEs, including the new GCSE Double Award specifications in vocational subjects, GCE A and AS levels, Entry Level Qualifications, and Graded Objectives in Modern Languages.
- CCEA also offers a range of Awards and Certificates in Education, Training and Skills (ACETS) targeted at learners who want to get
the knowledge, understanding and skills needed
to hit the ground running in the world of work.
