Skills for Work: Understanding the Changing Labour Market
Understanding the Changing Labour Market is a Pearson Skills for Work unit in which learners research local and national jobs, explain what affects the labour market and write a career plan with alternatives if their first choice is not available. 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 the centre sets and marks the assignment. Literacy carries the unit: reading labour market and careers information, stating, describing or explaining factors with examples and reasons, and writing a career plan with goals. Numeracy is light: Pearson's mapping mentions interpreting labour market data and comparing trends, but no criterion requires it.
- 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 of Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3: state, outline or identify factors that affect the local and national labour market, suggest alternative job options and the skills needed to adapt, and at Entry 3 produce a simple plan showing how career choice and skills could change. The centre sets and marks its own assignment (Pearson's Authorised Assignment Brief is optional) and there are no mandatory evidence requirements; work is internally verified and quality assured by a Pearson Standards Verifier. 10 guided learning hours, graded Pass or Fail.
- Level 1 and Level 2: One assessment criterion at each level: learners describe (Level 1) or explain (Level 2) a range of factors affecting the labour market and their impact on their own job choices, and produce a realistic (Level 1) or detailed, personalised (Level 2) career plan showing how they will adapt to changing opportunities. The centre sets and marks its own assignment, with no mandatory evidence requirements, internally verified and quality assured by a Pearson Standards Verifier. 10 guided learning hours, graded Pass or Fail.
Skills that use Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context
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Explaining factors that affect the labour market
Learners state (Entry 1), outline (Entry 2), identify (Entry 3), describe (Level 1) and explain (Level 2) factors that affect jobs locally and nationally, using terms such as supply and demand and economic initiatives. From Entry 2 they give reasons for each factor, and Level 2 learners support their explanations with clear examples and reasoning. This is required by the assessment criteria.
Literacy: Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context, Clarity and vocabulary
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils write two sentences about a new shop opening in town, saying how it could change the number of jobs and why.
- Year 8
- Pupils explain to a partner, using the words supply and demand, why some jobs have many applicants and others have vacancies.
- Year 9
- Pupils write a paragraph for each of three factors, such as new technology, a factory closing and a college course, explaining its effect on local jobs with an example.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit SfW 16, assessment criteria Entry 1 to Level 2, page 82; Essential information for assessment decisions, pages 83 to 84
“They will support their explanations with clear examples and reasoning.”
Progression step 3
I can write a comprehensive account of a topic, theme or viewpoint.
I can express issues and ideas clearly using area of learning and experience/discipline-specific vocabulary and examples.
Progression step 4
I can use summary, discussion of issues, detailed explanations and logic when covering a topic.
I have experienced a range of area of learning and experience/discipline-specific and general academic vocabulary, and can use them in my own communication.
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Writing a career plan with goals and alternatives
Learners suggest an alternative job and a reason at Entry 1 and Entry 2, produce a simple plan at Entry 3, a realistic career plan with activities to develop their skills at Level 1, and a detailed, personalised plan with short and long term goals, transferable skills and strategies to stay employable at Level 2. Each level also asks learners to recognise their own skills through a self-assessment. This is required by the assessment criteria.
Literacy: Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context, Purpose
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils fill in a simple skills checklist, then write one job they would like, one back up job and one reason for each.
- Year 8
- Pupils write a short plan under the headings My skills, My first choice, My back up and What I need to learn.
- Year 9
- Pupils write a career plan with one short term and one long term goal, the steps to reach each, and what they would do if their first choice is not available.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit SfW 16, assessment criteria Entry 1 to Level 2, page 82; Essential information for assessment decisions, Entry 3, pages 83 to 84, Level 1 and Level 2, page 84
“develop a detailed, personalised career plan, showing current skills and career choices and setting realistic short- and long-term goals”
Progression step 3
I can use and adapt different structures within my writing, e.g. reporting an event, investigation or experiment.
I can share, talk and write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions using a range of techniques to show impact.
Progression step 4
I can adapt my writing style, choosing and using the best structures for different contexts and purposes, e.g. to successfully describe, explain, persuade, discuss.
I can select and use appropriate strategies to plan and develop my writing for different purposes and audiences.
Good to know
- The unit is SfW 16 and is worth 10 guided learning hours (Section 3, page 5), half the 20 hours of the WJEC unit of the same name.
- A learner achieves the unit once, at one level: "Learners can only achieve each unit once, at a single level." (Rules of Combination, page 6).
- Evidence can be written, spoken or visual: "there are no mandatory evidence requirements and centres can select the type of evidence" (page 83). Pearson's mapping suggests reports, posters or presentations (Annexe C, page 121).
- The teaching content is in a separate document: "This can be found in the Teaching and Learning Support document for this unit" (Unit content, page 83).
- Written work must be the learner's own: "If AI is used, the final submission must be in the learner’s own words and reflect their own effort." (page 85).
- Pearson's own numeracy mapping lists "SMART measurable goals and timelines" alongside interpreting labour market information (Annexe C, page 121), but the assessment criteria ask only for factors, reasons and a plan, so numbers are not assessed.
- The Skills for Work specification says "Every unit in our Skills for Life qualifications includes an Authorised Assessment Brief" (page 8), a leftover reference to the Skills for Life suite.
Links with other qualifications
The WJEC Skills for Work unit Understanding the Changing Labour Market is a 20 hour unit with three learning outcomes; its Level 2 asks learners to judge bias, accuracy and reliability in labour market sources and it includes reading statistics. Pearson's 10 hour unit puts the literacy into explaining factors and writing a personal career plan with goals, and has no source evaluation criterion. Explaining factors with examples and reasons and writing a structured plan build on GCSE English Language and Literature and GCSE Cymraeg Language and Literature, supply and demand links with GCSE Business, and any work with labour market statistics links lightly with GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy. Within the WJEC Skills Suite, Personal Development Planning and Exploring Career Pathways also ask learners to set goals and plan.
Source: Pearson Entry Level 1 to Level 2 Skills for Work Award, Certificate and Diploma specification, Issue 1, August 2026, Unit SfW 16: Understanding the changing labour market.