Skills for Work: Fairness and Inclusion in the Workplace
Fairness and inclusion in the workplace is a Skills for Work unit in which learners find out what makes a workplace inclusive and fair, such as respect, equal opportunities, accessible environments and inclusive language, and plan how to develop their own open communication skills in their setting. It is one 10 hour unit that learners combine with others into a Pearson Skills for Work Award, Certificate or Diploma, from Entry 1 to Level 2, and it is assessed internally by the centre. Literacy sits in reading given case studies, describing and explaining features with examples, using active listening and inclusive language, and writing a development plan. There is no numeracy in the criteria or guidance.
- Awarding body
- Pearson
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 10
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of literacy work
- Medium
- Amount of numeracy work
- Low
- Specification
- Open the specification
How this unit is assessed
- Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): One assessment criterion at each Entry level: learners state the meaning of (Entry 1), outline the key features of (Entry 2) or identify the features of (Entry 3) a fair and inclusive workplace, and give one way, ways, or at Entry 3 a simple plan, to develop their own skills to support open communication in their own setting. Evidence is assessed internally by the centre through a centre-devised assignment, which can be based on Pearson's Authorised Assignment Brief, and is quality assured by Pearson standards verification. 10 guided learning hours.
- Level 1 and Level 2: One assessment criterion at each level: learners describe (Level 1) or explain (Level 2) the features of an inclusive and fair workplace and produce an appropriate (Level 1) or detailed (Level 2) plan for developing skills and strategies to support open communication in their own setting. Evidence is assessed internally by the centre and quality assured by Pearson standards verification. 10 guided learning hours.
Skills that use Questioning
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Using active listening and open communication
Entry 1 learners state one way to support open communication, such as appropriate body language, Entry 2 learners outline two ways such as active listening, and Level 1 and Level 2 learners identify skills and strategies for open communication in their own setting. This is required by the assessment criteria at every level.
Literacy: Listening as part of collaborative talk, Collaborative talk, Questioning
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils practise active listening in pairs, nodding and asking one follow up question, then swap roles and say what helped.
- Year 8
- Pupils take part in a group discussion on a fairness scenario and each must summarise the previous speaker's point before adding their own.
- Year 9
- Pupils lead a short team meeting role play, using questions and summaries to make sure every member's view is heard and agreed actions are recorded.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit SfW 1, assessment criteria Entry 1 to Level 2, page 12; Essential information for assessment decisions, Entry 1 and Entry 2, page 13
“using active listening, appropriate body language and facial expressions”
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.
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 respond to others' points of view with confidence and sensitivity, summarising and evaluating what I have heard, read or seen.
Good to know
- The unit is listed as "SfW 1 Fairness and Inclusion in the Workplace 10", so it is only 10 guided learning hours (Unit summary, page 5), half the 20 hours of the WJEC unit with the same title.
- A unit can be passed only once: "Learners can only achieve each unit once, at a single level" (Rules of Combination, page 6).
- The number of examples rises with the level, from one at Entry 1 to "at least five examples, including why each is important" at Level 2 (Essential information for assessment decisions, page 13).
- Evidence can be practical or written: assignments "can include both practical and written tasks" (Assessment of units, page 9), and "there are no mandatory evidence requirements" for this unit (page 13).
- Pearson's Annexes B and C tick a numeracy link and give it as "cost" (pages 116 and 118), but nothing in the assessment criteria or the Essential information for assessment decisions involves cost or any other number work.
- The Entry 2 guidance has a stray comma in "using, inclusive language" (page 13), a small typing error that does not change the meaning.
Links with other qualifications
Describing and explaining equality and inclusion links to GCSE Social Studies and GCSE Religious Studies, and the active listening and open communication strand links to the oracy in GCSE English Language and Literature and to the WJEC Skills Suite units Customer service and Equality, diversity and inclusion. Compared with the WJEC Fairness and inclusion in the workplace unit, which is 20 guided learning hours with three learning outcomes and more reading about diversity, discrimination law and case studies, the Pearson unit is 10 guided learning hours and its literacy centres on describing features of an inclusive workplace with examples and writing a personal plan for open communication.
Source: Pearson Entry Level 1 to Level 2 Skills for Work Award, Certificate and Diploma Qualifications specification, Issue 1, August 2026, Unit SfW 1: Fairness and inclusion in the workplace.