Skills for Work Courses – experiential approaches to learning

Experiential learning is central to the design of Skills for Work Courses which are now available to Scotland’s young learners alongside other National Courses. In each of the 19 Courses developed, learners are exposed to different learning environments. They work through practical tasks, plan and organise their resources, work in collaboration with a variety of others and experience work practices, approaches and expectations which are typical in today’s workplace.

In every Course, learners regularly review their own development in employability skills and attitudes. They take responsibility for actively seeking feedback from others on their performance and set their own goals for improvement. In this way they are not only learning  from their experience, they are taking responsibility for that learning. This process also allows them to participate in the practice of performance review which is common in the workplace.

Young people need the skills and attitudes which will help them to succeed in a complex world. Learning and teaching approaches should facilitate their development into confident individuals, effective contributors, responsible citizens and successful learners.

This seminar will highlight examples of experiential approaches and contexts for learning from Skills for Work Courses to stimulate discussion.  What are the implications of these approaches for Course developers and deliverers, and crucially, what is their impact on the learners? 

Nancy McPherson, Project Manager, National Qualifications Product Development, SQA

Nancy McPherson has worked for SQA for 6 years as a Project Manager in the National Qualifications Product Development team. She has had a lead role in the successful development of Skills for Work Courses, working with colleagues in SQA, the Scottish government, schools and colleges, employers, the Scottish Further Education Unit and Learning and Teaching Scotland.  Prior to working with SQA, Nancy accumulated over twenty years’ experience in Further Education in a variety of lecturing, management and development roles, as well as five years’ teaching experience in secondary education at the start of her career.