Benefits to learners of having employability skills in the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training (CET)

Transferable skills in the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training

Employability skills are useful because they are transferable. The Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training (CET) is also transferable. The skills I learnt during my masters at Nottingham Trent University helped me to massively improve my research skills, so I do not always have to create resources from scratch. It was actually a Master of Research in Sport Science. Although I no longer actively work in Sport Science, the skills I developed have shaped my ability to research new ideas and concepts and then for me to critically apply what I have learned to tasks.

I will always have this skill wherever I go. Just because you change careers, it doesn’t always mean you have to start from scratch. If I was to change careers, I may have to start at the bottom which I don’t have the vocational skills but once I obtained them, I would quickly move up the career ladder as the skills I have developed since school can be applied to most jobs. I understand the concept of time management, I understand the concept of planning, I understand the concept of customer service, I understand how to work in teams, how to lead individuals and how to run a business.  

Minimum core in the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training

The Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training (CET) emphasises the minimum core in several areas, if you can apply literacy, language, numeracy, and ICT to your teaching, I bet you could apply it to working in a factory, working in a library, working in a fast-food restaurant. Employability skills is just that. Arguably the best transferable skill involves ICT. I am competent in using all Office Programs and to an advanced level which means picking up new tasks in a new company should come easily to move and make the transition much smother. When it comes to recruitment and applying for jobs, employers look beyond the now. Are you qualified to do this? Yes, great you’re hired. Companies when recruiting look at your potential, where are you going to be within a few years, what immediate impact can you have on the company.  

Homeworking in the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training

With homeworking now, a big thing, employers want to know if you can work independently, can you manage your own time, are you flexible with change, can you adapt to new environments, will you get on with your new colleagues. These are all employability skills which we need to start harnessing in our teaching programmes so what can we do to develop these skills? Think about group work, the roles of each learner in the group, the problems we want them to solve, the resources available to them, the time they have to complete. Your goal is not only to teach your subject but to prepare your learners for work. This is even more critical in a college or university. 

Subject specialism in the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training

If you are teaching your subject specialism, think about the employability skills that will truly make them stand out in that industry. My wife for example is an engineer, she says she’s a good engineer but not the best. The reason that she is where she is today is that she is able to recognise a problem and get one person to talk to another person and come together and solve that problem. Engineers are smart people but more than not, soft skills are not a strong area for most but by knowing this, we can create training programmes which will overcome these challenges and make your learners stand out in the job market.