Advice for teachers - History

Employability Skills​

The VCE History study provides students with the opportunity to engage in a range of learning activities. In addition to demonstrating their understanding and mastery of the content and skills specific to the study, students may also develop employability skills through their learning activities.

The nationally agreed employability skills* are: Communication; Planning and organising; Teamwork; Problem solving; Self-management; Initiative and enterprise; Technology; and Learning.

The table links those facets that may be understood and applied in a school or non-employment related setting to the types of assessment commonly undertaken within the VCE study.

Assessment taskEmployability skills selected facets

A historical inquiry

Initiative and enterprise (generating a range of options; being creative)
Planning and organising (planning the use of resources including time management; collecting, analysing and organising information)
Problem solving (developing practical solutions; testing assumptions taking the context of data and circumstances into account)
Self-management (evaluating and monitoring own performance; taking responsibility)
Communication (listening and understanding; reading independently; writing to the needs of the audience; persuading effectively)

Evaluation of historical sources

Planning and organising (collecting, analysing and organising information)
Problem solving (testing assumptions taking the context of data and circumstances into account)
Communication (reading independently; writing to the needs of the audience; persuading effectively)

Extended responses

Planning and organising (collecting, analysing and organising information)
Problem solving (testing assumptions taking the context of data and circumstances into account)
Communication (reading independently; writing to the needs of the audience; persuading effectively)

An essay

Planning and organising (collecting, analysing and organising information)
Problem solving (testing assumptions taking the context of data and circumstances into account)
Communication (reading independently; writing to the needs of the audience; persuading effectively)

*The employability skills are derived from the Employability Skills Framework (Employability Skills for the Future, 2002), developed by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Business Council of Australia, and published by the (former) Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training.