Key Skills

Has anyone here done Key Skills qualifications?

Now I'm at college I have to do Key Skills in addition to everything else. I'm currently doing Communications, but other units include Number and IT. So far, I've had to do a leaflet, and later I'll have to do a presentation and a discussion about something.

Due to my bad GCSE English grade, I had to start on Level 1, but level 2 and 3 do seem a bit hard (I might be alright doing level 2).

I think it is a bit pointless haveing to do Key Skills, when the course which I am doing has it's own communications and maths unit (the teacher says the maths is about the same as AS Level). And I already have good grades in GCSE Maths and ICT.
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What exactly is a Key Skills Qualification?
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I knew someone would ask that!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Skills_Qualification

I'd say it is a qualification that is quite pointless if you already have good GCSE grades, or A LEvels or similar even.
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OK, so it is as I suspected. To test your general skills as a person. Communication with others, ability to work with others, solving problems, ICT skills, ability to demonstrate the ability to use numeracy in practical "real world" applications etc...

To me it seems quite pointless. The whole point of taking GCSEs in English and Maths is to test those two skills. If you failed to get a C grade you had to go to college for an extra year after leaving school and take them again. Do they still do that?

I did have to do something slightly like that at college though when I was taking a 2 year art and design foundation course. It was a BTEC National (now called a GNVQ level 3) and as part of the course you had to do a lesson in basic maths skills and another in basic IT skills. And that was a joke considering I already had an A-Level in Maths and an A grade in GCSE IT. They still made me to it though.

In my view it is getting quite silly these days. Why do children these days need to be shown how to communicate with others? and the new course being introduced into schools now "how to be a better citizen" is just going too far. Do we really have so many illegal immigrants in our schools now that we have to teach how to be English?

I will teach them how to be a better citizen and it won't cost much. It's called deportation!
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Yeah I think i've got 4 of the 6 Key Skills all at level 3. Most amusing is that I was forced to do a Numeracy Key Skill despite doing A-Level maths. Despite what you may have been told, having done both I can tell you that L3 Key Skill is nowhere near AS level standard. I'd say it's about the same level as the higher GCSE paper.

As you say, good GCSE's (and A levels) are the important things when it comes to applying for jobs.
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You can't expect common sense in a world governed by teachers and lectures.
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Originally Posted by :
To me it seems quite pointless. The whole point of taking GCSEs in English and Maths is to test those two skills. If you failed to get a C grade you had to go to college for an extra year after leaving school and take them again. Do they still do that?

You don't have to redo anything, but you do have the option to do that if you want. I will have a go at redoing my English exam. And if I fail it again, I can always have another go next year.

Originally Posted by :
In my view it is getting quite silly these days. Why do children these days need to be shown how to communicate with others? and the new course being introduced into schools now "how to be a better citizen" is just going too far. Do we really have so many illegal immigrants in our schools now that we have to teach how to be English?

Probably. Surely you have seen on the news the amount of foriegn people we have (not illegal ones). I'm not sure about this 'how to be a better citizen' thing though. Doesn't PSE already cover enough of that?

Originally Posted by AlexJ:
Despite what you may have been told, having done both I can tell you that L3 Key Skill is nowhere near AS level standard. I'd say it's about the same level as the higher GCSE paper.

I was actually on about the maths unit that I am doing in my BTEC National Certificate, and has nothing to do with the key skills.
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Originally Posted by Stephen Coates:

Originally Posted by AlexJ:
Despite what you may have been told, having done both I can tell you that L3 Key Skill is nowhere near AS level standard. I'd say it's about the same level as the higher GCSE paper.
I was actually on about the maths unit that I am doing in my BTEC National Certificate, and has nothing to do with the key skills.

Oops! My bad, misread your post.
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In my view they are all ILLEGAL. Deport them all I say! I completely agree with the new proposals for immigration. Everyone should have to speak fluent English and already have a job lined up before they can enter the country. Also if you are not born in the UK you shouldn't be entitled to free health care. That would instantly see a huge drop in the number of Indian families moving to the UK!

Sorry for going very off topic there, but that is the root of the core problems in this country at the moment and what has changed the education system so much. We shouldn't have to teach people how to be good British citizens. They should already be educated by their parents. And there lies the main problem with the education system!
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