ABSTRACT
The concept of ‘core skills’ – or ‘key skills’ as some now describe them (Dearing, 1996) – has become central to all policy debates around post-16 education and training. Exactly how these should be defined has been the subject of prolonged and, as yet, unresolved controversy. Different bodies, including the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Further Education Unit (FEU), the National Council for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ), and the National Curriculum Council (NCC), have produced different inventories of core skills and there is still no definitive version. However, there is general agreement that competence in core skill areas, such as communication, numeracy, IT and problem-solving are important for individuals, both as learners in foundation education and training and as future employees in changing and flexible work roles. Beyond this, there is a common notion that core skills can act as a kind of catalyst for necessary reforms in post-compulsory education and training (PCET).
