Key Workskills

Key WorkSkills is a flexible training resource designed to develop those key skills common to practically any kind of professional, managerial or administrative career. As such, the material is ideal for people at the beginning of their working career, for fresh recruits to the organisation, or for staff taking on managerial or professional responsibilities for the first time.

The units in this manual use an interactive approach which has been extensively tested, and has proved to be particularly effective at building on existing skills and developing new ones.

The main principle behind the approach is that effective performance in any area of work is about being able to identify an appropriate response to work situations and draw on a range of skills or behaviours to meet the needs of that situation.

Each unit therefore focuses on a particular skill and is probably best used in conjunction with a real work task that requires that skill. This enables the learner to learn 'on the job', applying the new skills in their own work setting, an approach which is known to help skill retention.

The modular structure and wide range of skills covered in this manual make Key WorkSkills a flexible and valuable learning or training centre resource.

Key WorkSkills covers five of the six skills* identified as Key Skills by the Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA), namely:

* Communication
* Working with numbers
* Working with others
* Improving own learning and performance
* Problem solving.

(Note: *The sixth Key Skill is Information Technology - whilst this manual refers to IT, it does not attempt to cover such a large skill area in depth.)