Advice for teachers -Foundation English
Employability skills
The VCE Foundation English 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 task | Employability skills selected facets |
---|---|
Taking notes from aural texts |
Communication (listening and understanding; speaking clearly and directly; writing to the needs of the audience; reading independently; speaking and writing in languages other than English; persuading effectively; being assertive; sharing information)
|
Devising and conducting interviews |
Communication (empathising; negotiating responsively; showing independence and initiative in identifying problems and solving them; managing time and priorities – setting time lines, co-ordinating tasks for self and with others; taking initiative and making decisions; planning the use of resources including time management; participates in continuous improvement and planning processes) |
Working in discussion groups and debating |
Team Work (working as an individual and as a member of a team; knowing how to define a role as part of the team; identifying the strengths of the team members; coaching and mentoring skills including giving feedback) |
Completing tasks and self-assessment for performance and progress |
Learning (managing own learning; using a range of mediums to learn – mentoring, peer support and networking, IT, courses; applying learning to 'technical' issues (e.g. learning about products) and 'people' issues (e.g. interpersonal and cultural aspects of work); having enthusiasm for ongoing learning; being willing to learn in any setting – on and off the job; being open to new ideas and techniques; being prepared to invest time and effort in learning new skills ) |
All assessment tasks |
Technology (having a range of ICT skills; using ICT to organise data; being willing to learn new ICT skills; having the physical capacity to apply technology e.g. manual dexterity) |
*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.