Skills for Life and Skills for Work: preparing every learner for life beyond the classroom

Erica Gough, Qualifications Manager, explains why practical skills deserve the same attention as academic ones, and how the new skills qualifications will help 14 to 16-year-olds prepare for whatever comes next.

Every learner deserves to leave school feeling ready for what's next. 

Looking back at my own education, I often felt well-prepared for academic challenges but less equipped for the practical demands of everyday life. As I transitioned to university, and later into work, I realised that skills like communication, time management, financial literacy and critical thinking hadn't been part of my learning; I picked them up through trial and error.

That experience is why I consider myself very fortunate to have worked on the new Skills for Life and Skills for Work qualifications. With the freedom to reimagine what secondary education could look like for the next generation, these qualifications represent more than a set of topics or units. Here's what they involve, and why I think they matter.

What are Skills for Life and Skills for Work qualifications?

The skills at the heart of these new qualifications have real, everyday value:

• Effective communication can improve relationships and support career progression.
• Time management can help learners balance work, study and personal life, and support better mental health.
• Financial literacy can build financial stability and independence.
• Critical thinking can strengthen problem-solving in any situation.

The aim is to make learning feel relevant, so learners can see exactly how their education connects to real life.

The qualifications are split into two strands: 

1. Skills for Life units focus on personal development, helping learners build the knowledge and confidence to lead happy, healthy lives. 
2. Skills for Work units build a foundation for future employment, exploring career opportunities and aligning with the Curriculum for Wales guidance on careers and work-related experiences.

Both strands are completely flexible and available from entry level to level 2. Each unit is taught as a standalone topic, and takes either 10 or 20 guided learning hours (GLH) to complete. Learners can mix and match units to create a personalised pathway that suits their create strengths, interests and progression aspirations.

By combining units, learners can achieve:

• an Award, which takes 60 GLH to complete
• a Certificate, which takes 120 GLH to complete
• a Diploma, which takes 240 GLH to complete

Learners who have not taken enough units to claim a full qualification will be able to claim individual unit certification instead.

It's really important that learners keep hold of these certificates. They'll need them if they want to continue building on their achievements at a different school, or when moving into further education.

A single route for skills qualifications

Education has moved on since I was at school, and there are now many skills-based qualifications available. But having so many options creates its own problem: it's hard for learners, schools, colleges and employers to navigate.

That's why the Skills for Life and Skills for Work qualifications will be replacing existing skills-based qualifications, bringing everything together under a single, more flexible route.

For centres, the choice of around 50 different unit topics could help teachers motivate learners by choosing units that are meaningful to them. It can also support the delivery of the Welsh Government's 14 to 16 learner entitlement, which sets out the range of courses and experiences schools should offer learners in this age group.

Several awarding bodies will offer these qualifications, so it's worth starting to plan now and speaking to your chosen awarding body or bodies about the training and support available.

Skills for every learner, whatever their background

There's a common assumption that practical skills come naturally and don't need to be taught. In reality, whether someone develops these skills often comes down to luck: the opportunities and support they happened to have growing up.

We don't always think about the learners who, like me, spent so much time studying that others took care of everyday tasks for them, often with the best intentions. When I was at university, it wasn't the academic work that challenged me. It was managing my own life alongside it such as budgeting, preparing meals, travel arrangements and understanding bills.

I watched friends and classmates struggle with their mental health, and some left their courses altogether because the adjustment felt overwhelming.

Schools understandably focus heavily on academic qualifications. But once learners turn 16, employers increasingly look for practical skills and experience too. A more balanced approach, one that values both academic and practical learning, could make a real difference.

Practical skills matter just as much as academic ones, both for work and life. Skills for Life and Skills for Work qualifications are designed to support learners of all backgrounds and abilities to build these skills alongside their other learning.

Preparing learners for life, not just exams

Preparing learners for a fast-changing job market is one of the biggest challenges educators face today. Technology keeps reshaping what work looks like, and adaptability and resilience have never mattered more.

Skills for Life and Skills for Work qualifications help learners build both practical knowledge and personal confidence, giving them what they need to thrive in an increasingly complex world.

Their development marks an important moment for education in Wales: a proactive response to how work and life are changing. By supporting a more holistic approach to education, we can help every learner become well-rounded, capable and ready for whatever comes next.

Find out more

If you're a school, college or training provider preparing to deliver these qualifications, visit the Skill Suite qualifications page for the full list of units, or contact your chosen awarding body directly to discuss training and support.