Skills for Work: Applying for Jobs
Applying for Jobs (Unit SfW 6) is one 20 hour unit that learners combine with others into a Pearson Skills for Work Award, Certificate or Diploma, from Entry 1 to Level 2. Learners match their skills, strengths and interests to jobs, search for vacancies and prepare applications, from parts of a basic form at Entry 2 to tailored CVs, covering letters and forms at Level 2. Centres set and mark the assessment, Pearson verifies it, and the unit is passed once at one level. Digital demand is medium: from Level 1 learners search websites, apps and job portals with filters, and CVs and online forms are usually made on screen, although the criteria do not insist on a digital format.
- Awarding body
- Pearson
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 20
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- Medium
- 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 listing personal information and strengths and taking part in a basic job search or application activity, to matching skills and strengths to possible jobs using basic job-search resources and completing application forms. The centre chooses the evidence, sets and marks the assessment, and Pearson quality assures it through standards verification. 20 guided learning hours, graded Pass or Fail at the level achieved.
- Level 1 and Level 2: One assessment criterion at each of Level 1 and Level 2: learners describe (Level 1) or explain (Level 2) how their personal attributes match job opportunities, and carry out job searches and job applications, which must be varied and tailored at Level 2. The centre chooses the evidence, sets and marks the assessment, and Pearson quality assures it through standards verification. 20 guided learning hours, graded Pass or Fail at the level achieved.
The digital skills in this qualification
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Searching job websites and apps for vacancies
Learners use job-search resources to find suitable vacancies: a simplified webpage or teacher-made advert at Entry 2, a pre-filtered website or job board at Entry 3, common websites, vacancy boards or apps with basic filters such as location or hours at Level 1, and at least three resources including employer websites and job, careers and agency portals at Level 2. Job searching is required by the assessment criteria at every level, and the essential information makes online searching central from Level 1, although Entry learners may use printed adverts.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils search a school-approved website for local leisure centre activities, change their keywords twice and note which search gave the most useful results.
- Year 8
- Pupils use the filters on a practice job board set up by the teacher to narrow a list of vacancies by location and hours, and bookmark three results.
- Year 9
- Pupils find vacancies for one job type on two different sites, such as an employer website and a jobs portal, and record what each site shows that the other does not.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit SfW 6, assessment criteria Entry 1 to Level 2, page 35; Essential information for assessment decisions, Entry 2 to Level 2, pages 36 to 38; Annexe C, page 119
“They can navigate common websites, vacancy boards, or apps, apply basic filters, such as location or hours, and identify suitable vacancies”
Progression step 3
I can adjust keywords and search techniques to find relevant information.
I can store search results for future use, e.g. bookmark, add to favourites.
Progression step 4
I can search a variety of sources using relevant search techniques with increased complexity.
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Producing a CV, covering letter or application form
Entry 2 learners complete parts of a basic application form and Entry 3 learners complete application forms using templates or headings such as 'My skills'. Level 1 learners produce a CV, covering letter or application form in their own words with elements of a professional tone and layout, and Level 2 learners produce documents tailored to different roles. The criteria require the documents but not a digital format; Annexe C lists word processing for CVs and letters and completing online forms as the digital links.
DCF: Creating digital content, Evaluating and improving digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils type a short personal profile in a word processor for a class display, using headings, bullet points and the spellchecker.
- Year 8
- Pupils fill in a mock online membership form for a club, check every field before submitting and take a screenshot of the finished form.
- Year 9
- Pupils build a one page CV from a template, then change the layout and wording to suit two different jobs and explain the changes to a partner.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit SfW 6, assessment criteria Entry 2 to Level 2, page 35; Essential information for assessment decisions, Entry 2 to Level 2, pages 36 to 38; Annexe C, page 119
“they produce tailored documents such as CVs, covering letters, and application forms that are clearly structured”
Progression step 3
I can use a range of software to select, produce and edit a range of multimedia components for a purpose, such as:
- text and images, e.g. format text (bold, underline, italics, highlight); insert and edit text boxes; columns; use refine tools (spellchecker, find and replace); word wrap; crop; alter size and shape; alter images; add effects; trim and split sound and video clips; transitions; onion skin
- presentation, e.g. page orientation; animations; transitions; remove and alter images; use background; use action buttons to create hyperlink; embed objects.
I can ensure my output is appropriate for specific purposes.
Progression step 4
I can explore and develop a range of formal text document structures for different audiences and purposes.
I can suggest and make improvements that are relevant for audience and purpose, based on feedback and self-evaluation of my digital work.
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Staying safe when searching for jobs online
Annexe E lists safeguarding considerations when job searching as part of the unit content, which is set out in the Teaching and Learning Support document. Learners at all levels learn to spot fake or suspicious adverts and to protect the personal details they give on job sites and online forms. This is taught content; no assessment criterion asks for it.
DCF: Identity, image and reputation
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils compare two printed adverts for a weekend job, one asking for bank details before any interview, and explain which is suspicious and why.
- Year 8
- Pupils go through a sample online application form and mark which details are safe to give and which a genuine employer would never ask for.
- Year 9
- Pupils review a sample social media profile, list what an employer could find out about the person, and suggest privacy changes before they start applying for jobs.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit SfW 6, Unit content, page 36; Annexe E, page 126
“safeguarding considerations when job searching; Careers Wales resources”
Progression step 3
I can understand how to protect myself from online identity theft, e.g. identifying secure sites, phishing, scam websites.
I can identify the benefits and risks of giving personal information and device access to different software.
Progression step 4
I can use strategies for guarding myself against identity theft and online scams that try to access my personal information.
I can understand that I have a digital footprint and that this information can be searched, copied and passed on.
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Acknowledging AI and sources in application work
AI tools may be used only if learners acknowledge them, the final submission must be in their own words, and using AI without acknowledging it is malpractice. This matters at every level, and most at Level 1 and Level 2, where learners write CVs and covering letters in their own words, work an AI tool could easily do for them. It is an assessment rule rather than an assessment criterion.
DCF: Digital rights, licensing and ownership, Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils compare their own paragraph about a hobby with an AI version shown by the teacher and discuss why handing in the AI version as their own would be plagiarism.
- Year 8
- Pupils add a source list to a research poster, recording the website name, page title and date for each fact they used.
- Year 9
- Pupils draft a personal statement, record any AI suggestions they used in an acknowledgement box, and rewrite those parts in their own words.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit SfW 6, Requirements relating to permitted/prohibited resources, page 39; Level 1 essential information, page 37
“A learner will have committed malpractice if they use AI tools without acknowledging them.”
Progression step 3
I can understand that copying the work of others and presenting it as my own is plagiarism.
I can cite sources when researching and explain the importance of this, e.g. create simple lists for the referencing of digital and offline sources.
Progression step 4
I can evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justify my opinions and reasons for choices, and reference using appropriate methods.
I can understand copyright and can explain the legal and ethical dimensions of respecting creative work, e.g. exploring the ethical and legal ramifications of piracy and plagiarism and know that they are irresponsible and disrespectful, and I can apply my understanding of the rules and regulations to different scenarios.
Good to know
- Applying for jobs is Unit SfW 6 in the "Overcoming barriers" group, and the unit summary gives it 20 "Unit GLH" (Unit summary, page 5). The qualification numbers run from C00/5473/0 to C00/5474/4 (Qualification titles, pages 3 and 4), and the "First teach date" is "September 2027" (Other key information, page 4).
- A unit counts once only: "Learners can only achieve each unit once, at a single level" (Rules of Combination, page 6), and "Units and qualifications are graded Pass/Fail" (Unit and Qualification Grading, page 7).
- The centre picks the evidence: "For this unit there are no mandatory evidence requirements and centres can select the type of evidence" (Essential information for assessment decisions, page 36). Examples include "observation records, witness testimony, and products of learners' work" (Assessment requirements, page 9).
- The teaching content is not in the specification: "This can be found in the Teaching and Learning Support document for this unit" (Unit content, page 36). Annexe E shows it includes "safeguarding considerations when job searching" (Annexe E, page 126).
- Level 2 sets fixed amounts of work: learners "use information from at least three different job-search resources" and "find at least four different appropriate job opportunities and apply for two of these" (Level 2 essential information, page 38), so plan for real or realistic vacancies and enough time for two full applications.
- The Authorised Assignment Brief is optional: "AABs are not mandatory" (How to use this document, page 1), and centres "can adapt the AAB or devise your own assessments" (Authorised Assignment Briefs, page 8).
- AI tools must be acknowledged: "If learners use AI tools, they must acknowledge them clearly", and "A learner will have committed malpractice if they use AI tools without acknowledging them" (Requirements relating to permitted/prohibited resources, page 39). This matters for CVs and covering letters, which must be in the learner's "own words" (Level 1 essential information, page 37).
- Learners who fail "may be eligible for one resubmission of improved evidence" at the centre's discretion (Assessment of units, page 9).
- The document has some copying errors: the Skills for Work specification says "Every unit in our Skills for Life qualifications includes an Authorised Assessment Brief" (page 8), it refers to "Section 6 Glossary" although the glossary is Section 7 (page 11), and the Level 2 support guidance reads "The demonstrate initiative" (page 39).
Links with other qualifications
Applying for Jobs fits alongside GCSE Business, which covers recruitment, and the VCSE in Retail and Customer Service, both of which the WJEC version of this unit names as related qualifications. Producing a CV and covering letter on screen uses the document skills taught in GCSE Digital Technology. Within the WJEC Skills Suite, Interview and Confidence Techniques, Exploring Career Pathways, Work Experience and Using IT in the Workplace sit naturally beside it. Compared with the WJEC Applying for jobs unit, which is also 20 hours but is organised into four learning outcomes with its teaching content in the delivery pack, Pearson's version has a single assessment criterion per level, puts the detail in its essential information, keeps the teaching content in a separate Teaching and Learning Support document, and sets fixed Level 2 amounts: at least three job-search resources, four suitable vacancies and two applications.
Source: Pearson Entry Level 1 to Level 2 Skills for Work Award, Certificate and Diploma Qualifications Specification, Issue 1, August 2026, Unit SfW 6: Applying for jobs.