Skills for Work: Working in Wales
Working in Wales is a Pearson Skills for Work unit about the Welsh job market, its place in the international economy and the skills needed in different sectors. 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, assessed internally by the centre. Literacy runs through every criterion: learners read information about jobs and employers, state, outline, describe and explain features of the job market, and at Level 2 research and present findings on three sectors. Numeracy demand is low: Annexe C says there is no direct numeracy link, and no criterion asks for data or calculation.
- 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, rising from stating basic features of the local job market and generic skills for one sector to identifying features of the Welsh labour market, global companies in Wales and skills for two sectors. There are no mandatory evidence requirements. Internally assessed by the centre through a centre-devised assignment or Pearson's adaptable Authorised Assignment Brief, subject to Pearson standards verification, graded Pass or Fail. 10 guided learning hours.
- Level 1 and Level 2: One assessment criterion at each of Level 1 and Level 2: describe (Level 1) or explain (Level 2) the key features of the Welsh job market, how it relates to other countries and the international economy, and the skills required in a range of at least three sectors. Level 2 learners research and present this information. Internally assessed by the centre, subject to Pearson standards verification, graded Pass or Fail. 10 guided learning hours.
Skills that use Understanding, response and analysis
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Reading and selecting job market information
Entry 3 learners gather information from given simple sources, Level 1 learners select relevant information from a limited range of provided sources, and Level 2 learners identify, select and use information from a variety of sources, including their own. This reading underpins every criterion and is required for the Level 2 research.
Literacy: Reading strategies, Understanding, response and analysis
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils scan a local job advert to find the job title, hours, pay and two skills the employer wants.
- Year 8
- Pupils skim three short articles about Welsh employers and complete a table of what each company does and where it is based.
- Year 9
- Pupils research one sector from sources they choose, summarise the key facts in their own words, and note which source each fact came from.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Levels of supervision and support, page 99; Essential information for assessment decisions, Level 2, page 99
“select and use relevant information from a limited range of provided sources”
Progression step 3
I can use a range of strategies for finding information, e.g. skimming for gist, scanning for detail.
I can make use of reference/digital sources to select, summarise and synthesise information, referencing as appropriate.
Progression step 4
I can research a wide range of reference and digital sources to develop a full understanding of a topic or issue.
I can summarise, synthesise and analyse information to gain in-depth understanding, e.g. of causes, consequences, patterns, using different sources.
Progression step 5
I can independently research a wide range of sources to develop an understanding of an increasingly complex topic or issue.
Good to know
- The unit is "SfW 19" with 10 guided learning hours (Unit summary, page 5). "Learners can only achieve each unit once, at a single level" (Rules of Combination, page 6).
- The unit is taught and assessed through English or Welsh but does not build Welsh language skills: "This unit is not designed to develop Welsh language skills" (footnote, page 97), unlike the WJEC unit, which has a Welsh language outcome.
- Annexe C lists the literacy links as "read, write, discussion, research, describe, explain" and the numeracy link as "No direct link" (page 122).
- Reading grows with the level: Entry 3 learners "gather information from given, simple sources", Level 1 learners use "a limited range of provided sources", and Level 2 learners include "some self-selected sources" (Levels of supervision and support, page 99).
- If AI is used, "the final submission must be in the learner's own words and reflect their own effort" (Requirements relating to permitted/prohibited resources, page 100).
- Teaching content is in Pearson's separate Teaching and Learning Support document, not the specification (Unit content, page 98).
Links with other qualifications
Reading and explaining information about sectors, employers and trade supports GCSE Business, GCSE Geography and GCSE Social Studies, and researching and presenting findings uses the reading and speaking skills of GCSE English Language and Literature. Within the WJEC Skills Suite, Jobs of the future and Understanding the changing labour market use similar labour market reading. Compared with the WJEC Working in Wales unit, which has the same 10 hours, the Pearson unit drops the Welsh language outcome, so there is no link with Core Cymraeg or Cymraeg Language and Literature through the assessment, and it asks Level 2 learners to research and present on at least three sectors.
Source: Pearson Entry Level 1 to Level 2 Skills for Work Award, Certificate and Diploma Qualifications Specification, Issue 1, August 2026, Unit SfW 19: Working in Wales.