VELS and Employability Skills

Introduction

In 2002, the Department of Education, Science and Training, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Business Council of Australia published an Employability Skills Framework in recognition of the changing nature of work and skills required by enterprises to ensure long term economic growth.

Employability skills are in effect, generic skills that have a broader application and are as important to effective participation in the community as they are to effective participation in paid employment.

These skills have been identified as:

• Communication
• Problem solving
• Team work
• Learning
• Self-management
• Planning and organising
• Technology
• Initiative and enterprise.

For the full set of Employability skills see Employability skills for the future (www.dest.gov.au/sectors/training_skills/
publications_resources/other_publications/employability_skills_for_the_future.htm)

Links to VELS Level 6

Particular facets of the employability skills are appropriate for students in a school context and there is a close relationship between these and the VELS at Level 6 in the Interdisciplinary Learning and Physical, Personal and Social Learning strands.

This chart will help teachers identify ways in which the VELS standards will support students in developing employability skills.

• VELS and Employability skills chart (Doc - 72KB)
• VELS and Employability skills chart (PDF - 42KB)

Sample units

Sample units have been developed showing how elements of Level 6 standards can be used to teach and assess employability skills. The units include teaching and learning activities, a strong assessment component including tasks, criteria and rubrics and a range of suggested resources.