Employability & Work Skills Revision — iCan Qualifications Limited Vocationally-Related Qualification
Complete iCan Qualifications Limited Vocationally-Related Qualification Employability & Work Skills specification revision resources. Tailored syllabus coverage with topic breakdowns, quizzes, and practice questions.
Specification Topics
- Academic Research Skills
- Alternatives to Paid Work
- Learning from More Experienced People
- Critical Thinking
- Equality and diversity in society
- Building Working Relationships with Colleagues
- Building Working Relationships with Customers
- Career Progression
- Career Development
- Communicating Solutions to Others
- Communication Skills for Work
- Coaching Skills for the Workplace
- Conduct at Work
- Developing Confidence for Work
- Learning from Work Placement
- Equality and diversity in the community
- Contributing to Meetings
- Develop resilience for employment
- Developing Personal Presentation Skills for the Workplace
- Developing Personal Skills for Leadership
- Effectiveness at Work
- Health and Safety at Work
- Interview Skills
- How businesses operate
- Giving and Receiving Feedback
- Equality and diversity in the workplace
- Alternatives to Paid Work
- Introduction to Health and Safety at Work
- Investigating Rights and Responsibilities at Work
- Learning from More Experienced People
- Learning with Colleagues and Other Learners
- Applying for a Job
- Manage own learning
- Literacy for the workplace
- Managing Your Health at Work
- Maintain an appropriate on line presence for employment
- Managing Your Own Money
- Managing a Work-life Balance
- Numeracy for the workplace
- Negotiation Skills and Persuasion in the Workplace
- Being Responsible for Other People’s Money
- Planning for Further Learning Development
- Understanding employment responsibilities and rights
- Working in a Team
Top Exam Board Tips
- Before you begin, carefully break down the assessment criteria and map each task to ensure full coverage.
- Keep a research diary or log to document your process—this can serve as evidence and aid reflection.
- Use the ‘CRAAP’ test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) to evaluate each source quickly and consistently.
- When drafting your conclusion, explicitly state how your sources support or challenge your initial hypothesis or question.
- Check your referencing style guide and be meticulous with in-text citations and the final reference list; many marks are lost here.
- Use academic databases and library resources.
- Keep a record of sources for referencing.
- Critically analyse information, not just describe.
- When completing assignments, provide specific examples rather than general statements. E.g., 'I volunteered at a charity shop where I developed customer service skills' is stronger than 'I learned teamwork'.
- Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to demonstrate how a skill was developed and transferred.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Starting research without a clear, focused question, resulting in a collection of loosely connected information.
- Relying on the first few search results or using only one type of source, without assessing authority or quality.
- Plagiarising by failing to paraphrase or cite sources correctly, or not providing a reference list.
- Confusing description with analysis—simply summarising what sources say without linking them to the research aims.
- Ignoring ethical considerations, such as obtaining consent for primary research involving people.
- Using unreliable sources (e.g., Wikipedia).
- Plagiarism or poor referencing.
- Drawing conclusions not supported by evidence.
Key Terminology & Definitions
- Research planning and design
- Information literacy and source evaluation
- Data synthesis and analysis
- Critical reflection and evaluation
- Academic integrity and referencing
- Understand how to research for a study topic, Be able to implement research of relevant topic, Be able to evaluate research conclusions
- Understand different alternatives to paid work., Understand how to transfer the skills, qualities and knowledge gained from alternatives to paid work to other areas of life.
- Know about situations where they might interact with more experienced people., Know ways in which more experienced people work effectively., Know how to improve performance by learning from those who have more experience.
- Know the value of critical thinking skills, Understand how to think critically, Be able to develop own critical thinking skills
- Know different types of alternatives to paid work, Understand the value of skills and qualities gained from participating in alternatives to paid work
- Understand what equality is, Understand what diversity is, Understand the effects of stereotyping and labelling, Understand the effects of prejudice and discrimination, Understand the ways in which people might choose to describe themselves
- Research Planning
- Source Credibility
- Data Collection Methods
- Analysis and Interpretation