Skills Challenge Certificate
Course Outline
The qualification builds on the skills developed at Key Stage 4, including the seven essential skills highly valued by employers and those in further education.
Qualification Information:
Level: A Level
Syllabus: WJEC
Duration: 2 Years
The Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate is a compulsory qualification and carries UCAS tariff points. To be awarded the Welsh Bacc, learners must achieve the SCC and the other qualifications that it specifies. The Welsh Bacc at each level is graded as a pass or fail. The Skills Challenge Certificate is a standalone qualification
The Skills Challenge Certificate is an innovative qualification, underpinned by highly relevant principles. Principles that give students the chance to gain a wide range of real-life skills within authentic contexts and to develop their interests by choosing study topics that are relevant to their future study and career plans.
Entry Requirements
Essential
The following Supporting Qualifications must be achieved either during the course or previously:
GCSE English Language or GCSE Welsh Language at grade A* - C GCSE
Mathematics – Numeracy at grade A* - C
One of the following Supporting Qualifications options must be achieved during the Advanced Welsh
Baccalaureate programme: Two A levels at grade A*- E; One A level at grade A* - E and a Pass in one level 3 vocational qualification of at least 300 GLH; Pass grade in one or two level 3 vocational qualifications which total at least 600
What Will I Study?
There are four components that will be studied:
Individual Project: The purpose of the Individual Project is to develop learners’ skills, through carrying out a research activity with an emphasis on future educational or career aspirations. (50%)
Global Citizenship: The purpose of the Global Citizenship Challenge is to develop learners’ skills, whilst providing opportunities to understand and respond appropriately to global issues. (20%)
Enterprise and Employability: The purpose of the Enterprise and Employability Challenge is to develop learners’ skills, whilst providing opportunities for learners to develop enterprising skills and attributes and enhance employability. (30%)
Community: The purpose of the Community Challenge is to develop learners’ skills, whilst encouraging learners to identify, develop and participate in opportunities that will benefit a community. (20%)
How Will I Be Assessed?
All assessed elements of the course comprise of the Individual project, Global Challenge, Enterprise Challenge and Community Challenge. All work will be marked and assessed internally by your Skills Challenge Teacher and externally moderated.
Career Opportunities & Progression
The Skills Challenge Certificate aims to enable learners to develop and demonstrate an understanding of and proficiency in essential and employability skills. These are the skills that employers and next-stage educators value and which learners need for learning, work and life.
The seven essential and employability skills are:
Literacy
Numeracy
Digital Literacy
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Planning and Organisation
Creativity and Innovation
Personal Effectiveness
The Welsh Baccalaureate will: enable learners to consolidate and formalise learning of skills; provide a theoretical underpinning of knowledge and techniques related to skills; encourage reflection, analysis and articulation of the learner’s own proficiency in the skills; engage learners in exploring, developing, practicing and applying the skills; increase confidence and effectiveness in the use and application of the skills in a range of meaningful and ‘real-life’ contexts and purposes.