Strengthening Resilience through Basic Skills Training: A Design Thinking Approach

Introduction

In the following section two selected practices are introduced. Both of them represent one of the central elements in Upskilling Pathways i.e., the skills assessment step, but they differ in their final format. They were chosen to give an introduction to how skills assessment mechanisms can take up different forms while placing the learner at the centre.

CITO Skills Checker Tool

The project has 3 main outputs: mapping survey, the Skills Checker online self-assessment tool, and a training and outreach toolkit for stakeholders who could benefit from using the Skills Checker tool in their work.

Mapping survey

The mapping survey provides a chance to look at other skills assessment tools that already exist, and to have a better understanding of what is still missing in the field. The mapping’s focus is designed to shed light on product with regards to three steps of Upskilling pathways: skills assessment, tailored learning offer and validation of prior learning and experience. See the following outputs below:

• CITO Phase 1 Mapping Report (about Survey design and sampling strategy)
• CITO Phase 2 Research Surveys using a mixed methods approach to evaluating the testing of the SkillsChecker tool (Ireland, Norway, Malta)

Skills Checker tool

In accordance with the Upskilling pathways the tool enables adults to conduct an initial assessment of their literacy, numeracy and digital skills. This assessment will reveal directions towards flexible training options and/or to recognition of their acquired skills.

This is „an action-research project involving collaboration between public authorities, stakeholders, people with literacy and numeracy needs and researchers. The intervention will introduce and use the SkillsChecker in a controlled environment to assess its relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and potential impact and scalability. You can have access to the Skills Checker’s national versions below:

• Skills Checker – Ireland
• Skills Checker – Norway
• Skills Checker – Malta (simplified English)

Visitors of the tool will find a short video introduction to the tool, and they can already get started on the assessment of their skills too.

Training and outreach toolkit

As the project website suggests, the project will develop a model of outreach for local promotion and engagement that will facilitate a local outreach campaign. The Toolkit will include a selection of local awareness raising activities highlighting the importance of having good basic skills, the role of key stakeholders in embedding that message into their work and delivering on the proposed Upskilling Pathways. All the proposed activity will highlight different benefits for different target groups of using the SkillsChecker and ultimately returning to learning. The project intends to promote the use of an independent individual SkillsChecker where an adult can identify their skills and strengths, look at where their skills are currently at and redirect them to a response or provider using a visual path. The results will be a tested model of outreach developed in consultation with stakeholders.”

NYITOK Skills Guarantee: skills assessment tool

What is NYITOK Skills Guarantee?

There are five steps in the system of Skills Guarantee through which the adults can join learning programs and end up with a certification of their skills acquired through the training and previous experiences. The five stages are the following:

• point of entry
• skills assessment
• competence development
• recognition of experiences and prior learning
• validation and certification

What is the skills survey?

The skills assessment survey in the framework of the Skills Guarantee program was thereby created as a tool to help advance join the program and find the best learning option depending on personal and professional goals of the individual. In this case study the skills assessment survey will be introduced.

The skills assessment survey provides an opportunity to review and evaluate the acquired experiences and prior learning outcomes of the individual that happens with the guidance of learning counselor. There are five fields through which adults taking part in the survey can report and reflect on their skills: personal details, basic skills, functioning in a digital environment, and future aspirations. Through a personal interview the learning counselor helps the individual to make sense of the statements in the survey and to identify the most suitable responses to these questions and statements that best characterise the individual’s experiences and intentions.

What is the skills inventory?

After taking part in the interview through which the skills survey is completed the results are comprehended into something that is called a skills inventory. The skills inventory contains all the factual statements, data, and previous experiences and skills that the adult reported. It also summarizes the assessed skills from two perspectives: recognition (What are the strengths that were identified?), and for development (What are the training needs?). The skills inventory will serve as the basis for the personal learning plan. This plan contains the individual's future plans and aspirations on the long run but also the areas that needs developing. At the end of the inventory there are two lists that show the individuals choice for place-based and e-learning options. In this sense the skills inventory serves as a link to the training profiles. in the framework of NYITOK, the individual can continue the learning process to language learning, IT programs, trade-specific and entrepreneurial trainings, or to other programs that address basic and transversal skills.

What is the personal portfolio?

After the training cycle is completed, the personal portfolio is drafted that contains all the learning outcomes that the individual achieved, along with his or her previously acquired learning outcomes. this document will be the basis of the validation process.

You can take a look at the skills survey that was applied in this process you see any example for a tool in the context of an upskilling pathways mechanism.