Skills for Work: Enterprise Venture
Enterprise venture is a 20 hour Skills for Work unit, from Entry 1 to Level 2, in which learners generate ideas for a product or service, plan and present one, run it for real and evaluate it. It is one unit that learners combine with other 10 or 20 hour units into a Skills for Work, or Skills for Life and Work, Award, Certificate or Diploma. Literacy runs through every outcome: discussing ideas, writing a plan, pitching, keeping a log and evaluating. Numeracy sits in setting and justifying a price, which the plan requires, and in budgets, sales records and simple market research data.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 20
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of literacy work
- High
- Amount of numeracy work
- Medium
How this unit is assessed
- Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): Four learning outcomes (share or discuss ideas for an enterprise activity, take part in planning and presenting the idea, take part in an enterprise activity, reflect on it), with separate assessment criteria at Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3. Learners must take part in a real enterprise activity. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.
- Level 1 and Level 2: Four learning outcomes (generate and develop ideas for a product or service, plan and present an enterprise venture idea, carry out the venture, evaluate it), with separate assessment criteria at Level 1 and Level 2. Learners must take part in a real enterprise activity. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.
Skills that use Questioning
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Describing ideas and explaining the reasons behind them
Learners give an idea at Entry 1, describe at least two ideas and rank them at Entry 3, describe where ideas came from at Level 1, and at Level 2 explain the reasoning behind the ideas and the final choice, including benefits to customers. These are required by the assessment criteria.
Literacy: Clarity and vocabulary, Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context, Questioning
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils suggest two ideas for something to sell at the school fair and say one reason why each could work.
- Year 8
- Pupils write a short paragraph describing where their product idea came from, such as a hobby or a problem they noticed.
- Year 9
- Pupils rank three venture ideas and write a short justification for their top choice, covering cost, time and what customers would gain.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Entry Level, learning outcome 1, page 5; Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 1, assessment criteria 1.1, 1.2 and 1.4, page 7
“Explain the reasoning behind the ideas, including potential benefits to customers”
Progression step 3
I can express issues and ideas clearly using area of learning and experience/discipline-specific vocabulary and examples.
I can write a comprehensive account of a topic, theme or viewpoint.
Progression step 4
I can use summary, discussion of issues, detailed explanations and logic when covering a topic.
I can sustain a convincing point of view, anticipating and responding to other perspectives.
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Discussing ideas in a group and using feedback
At Level 1 learners discuss their ideas with others and select one, and at Level 2 they discuss the ideas and use the feedback to improve them. This collaborative talk is required by the assessment criteria and is usually evidenced by observation notes.
Literacy: Listening as part of collaborative talk, Collaborative talk, Questioning
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils share ideas for a class fundraiser in a group, each taking a role such as note-taker or timekeeper, and agree on one idea.
- Year 8
- Pupils give each other one strength and one question about their product ideas and note the comments they received.
- Year 9
- Pupils hold a structured group discussion on four venture ideas, respond to challenges and agree changes to improve the chosen idea.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 1, assessment criterion 1.3, page 7
“Discuss the ideas with others, using feedback to improve them”
Progression step 3
I can listen to and respond to others with questions and comments which focus on reasons, implications and next steps.
I can contribute to group discussion in different roles, taking responsibility for completing the task well.
I can ask and answer questions, building on and developing the ideas of others in group discussions.
Progression step 4
I can listen to and respond to others with questions, comments and suggestions in order to develop collaborative talk and reach compromise/consensus.
I can recognise a range of options for action and reach agreement to achieve the aims of the group.
Good to know
- The unit codes are S656E1, S656E2, S656E3, S656L1 and S656L2, and the unit is 20 guided learning hours in the Skills for Work suite (Unit overview, page 3).
- Learners must actually run something: "To achieve this unit, learners must take part in an enterprise activity." (Unit overview, page 3).
- Spelling and presentation are not judged: "Assessor judgements should focus on the meeting of standards, not on spelling or presentation unless specifically assessed." (Sources of evidence, page 14), and "extended written work is not required unless appropriate" (page 14).
- Evidence can be spoken or recorded as well as written: "Reflection journals: written, audio, or video reflections" and "Pitch presentations" are listed (Sources of evidence, page 14).
- If not specified, "a plural reference within assessment criterion refers to a minimum of two" (pages 6 and 8).
- Suggested assessment tasks are optional: "These tasks are not mandatory." (Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.1, page 18).
- AI use must be acknowledged. Properly referenced AI use "can be acceptable", but "Using AI to complete parts of the assessment so that the work does not reflect the learner's own work, analysis, evaluation or calculations" is malpractice (Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.6, page 21).
- The pack names "Numeracy (budgeting, costs, pricing)" as a cross-curricular link (Unit overview, page 4), and Appendix A of the specification maps the unit to Literacy, Numeracy, Digital Competence and Creativity and innovation (page 29).
Links with other qualifications
The pack names links with VCSE Retail and Customer Service, the Foundation qualification in Retail and Customer Service and GCSE Business, which share pricing, costs, profit, marketing and serving customers. Costing, profit and survey data link with GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy, and pitching and writing promotional material with GCSE English Language and Literature. Making a product to sell can draw on GCSE Food and Nutrition or GCSE Design and Technology. The pack names Business finance, Teamwork, Sustainable economic development, Community participation, Customer service, Working in Wales, Personal development planning, Using IT in the workplace, Work experience and Ethical choices as related Skills Suite units, with Business finance sharing budgeting and pricing.
Source: WJEC Enterprise venture unit delivery and assessment pack, read with the WJEC Entry 1 to Level 2 Skills for Life and Skills for Work specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).