Life Skills Programme 2

Life Skills Programme 3

Contents
Programme Aim and Objectives ............................................................................................................ 5
Programme Aim ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Programme Objectives ......................................................................................................................... 5
Who should enrol on the Life Skills programme? .............................................................................. 5
Programme Structure ............................................................................................................................ 5
Key Features ................................................................................................................................................ 8
Teaching and Learning ............................................................................................................................. 9
Teaching and Learning Strategy Statement....................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Supporting Teaching and Learning ...................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Programme Design .................................................................................................................................. 10
Testing Learner Progress .......................................................................................................................... 11
Pass or Fail?................................................................................................................................................ 12
Session level grading............................................................................................................................ 12
Programme level grading ................................................................................................................... 12
Who can join the programme? ............................................................................................................. 13
Minimum Level of Competence ....................................................................................................... 13
English Language Requirements ....................................................................................................... 13
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) ................................................................................................... 13

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Programme Aim and Objectives

Programme Aim

The ABMA Education (hereafter known as ABMA) Life Skills programme has been designed to
support learners in the development of competences and knowledge which can be used in
a variety of contexts. The course has a practical, rather than a theoretical, basis which can
be offered independently or alongside other curricula.

Through engagement with this programme, learners will be exposed to concepts and
techniques which will enable them to become more productive in their working environment
or to provide some of the knowledge, skills and competences which will help them gain
employment.

Programme Objectives

To achieve this aim, the Life Skills programme has six objectives. These are:

1. Demonstrate a significant increase in employability and life skills,

2. Demonstrate an increase in competences required to contribute effectively in both
personal and professional situations and context,
3. Apply techniques to personal and professional situations/contexts/problems,
4. Demonstrate an ability to work with others through effective communication,
respectful interaction and ethical behaviour,
5. Reflect on own behaviour and performance, and
6. Create a meaningful personal development plan.

Who should enrol on the Life Skills programme?

The practical activities, supported by group discussions and trainer led exercises, facilitate
access to this programme for learners who are from diverse educational and training
backgrounds.

Learners will benefit from the programme’s content should they be seeking to improve their
skills set in a professional context. However, the subjects contained within the programme are
also attractive and beneficial to those who would use the skills and competences in less
formal, and more personal, settings.

Programme Structure

The ABMA Life Skills programme consists of two subject areas: Working with Others and
Developing Key Competences. Each subject area has a series of topics as follows.

Developing Key Competences:

• Time Management
• Problem Solving
• Decision Making

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 • Report Writing
• Presentation Skills
• Coping with Organisational Change
• Critical Thinking

Working with Others:

• Emotional Intelligence
• Conflict Resolution
• Motivation: Self and Others
• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Coaching and Mentoring
• Networking

In addition, there are a set of transferable skills which underpin all topics. These do not form
part of the structured teaching and learning. It is anticipated learners will develop these skills,
through engagement in activities and discussions, during the programme.

These underpinning skills are:

• Improving communication skills,

• Developing self-confidence, and
• Behaving ethically.

In total the programme consists of 16 sessions. The recommended delivery sequence is

shown in the following table:

Session Topic Underpinning Topics

1 Introduction and Skills Audit
2 Time Management
3 Emotional Intelligence
4 Motivation: Self and Others
Improving Communication Skills

Developing Self-confidence

5 Critical Thinking
6 Problem Solving
Behaving Ethically

7 Decision Making
8 Conflict Resolution
9 Teamwork
10 Leadership
11 Coaching and Mentoring
12 Coping with Organisational Change
13 Report Writing
14 Presentation Skills
15 Networking
Skills Audit, Personal Development
16
Planning and Reflective Statement

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The programme begins with learners conducting a set of personal audits which lead to an
analysis and evaluation of their current levels of ability in a range of transferable skills and
competences.

The programme ends with learners conducting a new set of personal audits which are
compared to the audits completed during session one. This comparison feeds into a
reflective statement. Ultimately, learners will look ahead to see how they will use their newly
acquired knowledge, skills and competences as the basis for future development and
growth.

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Key Features

The ABMA Life Skills programme has been developed following consultation with a range of
stakeholders. As such, learners can be assured that the content of the programme is
contemporary and robust and therefore have confidence in its ability to develop and/or
enhance key and transferrable skills.

Following consultations with stakeholders and on completion of the design and development
of the qualification, the following five key features have been identified:

1. An approach to teaching and learning which is engaging, dynamic, flexible and

contemporary,
2. A programme which has a distinct emphasis on practical activities and discussion to
develop skills and competences,
3. A set of topics which are contemporary with the requirements of employers,
4. An approach to assessment where it is the observation of a learner’s engagement in
each session which determines level of attainment, and
5. A delivery structure which encourages progressive learning where compatible and
related topics are aligned so that learning from one session is used to inform and
support subsequent sessions.

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Teaching and Learning

ABMA’s approach to teaching and learning is one which enables it to deliver a flexible and
emergent response to the changing demands of the education and employment sectors.

One such change in demand which ABMA has recognised, is the requirement to develop
skills which are key to all learners and which are transferable from one job role to another. As
such, this programme aims to provide learners with a set of core competences which will
support their application for employment or enhance their opportunities for advancement in
their current place of work.

Employers require their employees to be able to use the knowledge that they have gained
through any form of education and training. The teaching and learning throughout this
programme is heavily focused on the application of learning. Learners are not only
introduced to techniques such as problem solving, but are also required to use techniques
to, for example, solve real problems.

During each session within the programme learners will have to actively engage with others
thereby improving their communication skills. Learners will be required to openly contribute to
learning through the sharing of their thoughts and the outcomes of the activities in which
they engage. This will contribute to an increase in self-confidence.

At all times learners will be required to behave respectfully towards others and respect
individuals’ values and beliefs. This will increase a learner’s appreciation of behaving
ethically with others.

There is an expectation that those responsible for delivering this programme will have
appropriate knowledge, skills and competences for the subjects they teach. This will help to
ensure that the teaching and learning experience is both contemporary and dynamic.

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Programme Design

Whilst there is a recommended delivery sequence for the Life Skills programme, providers
may wish to adjust the sequence to reflect local requirement and/or resource availability.
Should providers chose to establish its own delivery sequence then the following should be
considered.

Planning an effective programme of study is necessary if teaching and learning is to be

challenging yet rewarding, dynamic and contemporary. Programme design should consider
the requirements and expectations of each cohort of learners where learning styles, level of
study and resource availability are key factors in the units which learners study and the order
units are sequenced.

In addition, the learner voice and the knowledge and experience of teaching teams are
also factors which should be considered by those responsible for planning and designing a
programme of study.

Centres could establish a forum where the views of various stakeholders are presented and
considered. This example of best practice should help to ensure that teaching is rewarding
for lecturers and learning is enjoyable for learners.

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Testing Learner Progress

One of the purposes of testing is to evaluate whether a learner has gained sufficient
knowledge, skills and understanding to satisfy the session outcomes for each topic and the
entire programme.

ABMA has created, for each session in the Life Skills programme, a set of criteria which must
be applied by those responsible for testing.

To facilitate informed reflection during the programme, ABMA expects trainers/assessors to

provide timely and meaningful feedback to learners between each session/topic so that
learners are made aware of their strengths and areas for improvement.

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Pass or Fail?

Session level grading

Sessions 1 to 15 will be tested via observation. Testing criteria have been set for each session.

Session 16 will be assessed through the production of a meaningful reflection and personal
development plan. Assessment criteria has been set for this session.

Learners will be graded from 1 to 3 for each assessment criteria for each session. There are
four assessment criteria for each session. These grades are to be recorded on the assessment
record for each session.

Learners will be required to achieve a score of 8 in each session to achieve a grade of

‘satisfactory performance’ for that session. The minimum score for each session is four with a
maximum score of 12.

Programme level grading

To achieve a grade of ‘satisfactory performance’ for the programme, learners will be

required to achieve an overall score of 128. The minimum score possible is 64 with a
maximum score of 192.

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Who can join the programme?

Minimum Level of Competence

ABMA do not prescribe a minimum level of competence for entry onto the Life Skills
programme. It is the responsibility of each provider which delivers the programme to satisfy
itself that all learners who enrol on this programme of study have a reasonable chance for
meaningful development, growth and success.

English Language Requirements

ABMA takes a positive approach to accessing teaching and learning such that an ability to
communicate in English, where this is not the first language of a learner, is not a barrier to
enrolment on a programme of study. ABMA does expect, however, that learners can
communicate using an appropriate level of fluency in the language of delivery.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

RPL does not apply to the ABMA Life Skills programme.

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