Skills for Work: Applying for Jobs
Applying for jobs teaches learners to match their own skills to suitable jobs, search for vacancies, read job adverts, complete application forms or CVs and use sources of advice such as Careers Wales. It is one 20 hour Skills for Work unit that learners combine with other units into a Skills for Work, or Skills for Life and Work, Award, Certificate or Diploma. The assessment criteria do not require a computer, but most real job searching happens online, so the digital work sits in searching job websites, keeping a job search log, completing online forms, producing a CV and judging which online advice services are useful.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 20
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- Medium
How this unit is assessed
- Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): Four learning outcomes with assessment criteria at Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3. Evidence is compiled into a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours, Skills for Work group.
- Level 1 and Level 2: Four learning outcomes with assessment criteria at Level 1 and Level 2. Evidence is compiled into a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours, Skills for Work group.
The digital skills in this qualification
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Searching online for job vacancies
Learners find suitable job opportunities using more than one search method, from pointing to one job with support at Entry 1 to using a range of methods at Level 1 and a structured plan with varied and current resources at Level 2. The search methods are required by the assessment criteria, while the amplification lists specific job websites and company websites alongside newspapers and noticeboards, so online searching is the expected route but not compulsory.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils use a search engine to find three part time jobs a teenager could do locally, changing their keywords when the first results are not useful, and bookmark the best page.
- Year 8
- Pupils search the Careers Wales job profiles for two jobs that interest them and use the site filters to find the pay, hours and qualifications for each.
- Year 9
- Pupils compare results from a national job board, an employer's own careers page and a local noticeboard for one type of job, using quotation marks and location filters to narrow their search, and note which source found the most suitable vacancies.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Entry Level, learning outcome 2, assessment criteria 2.1, page 5; Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 2, assessment criteria 2.1, page 6; amplification of LO2, page 8
“Use a range of job search methods to find suitable”
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.
I can independently use a range of complex searches, e.g. and/or/+/-/not.
Progression step 5
I can search efficiently for information for my digital work and evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justifying opinions and reasons for choices, and I can reference work using appropriate methods.
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Recording job leads in a job search log
Learners record details of the jobs they find, such as title, location and hours, and present them; at Level 2 they develop a structured job search plan with targets and deadlines and then review it to improve their results. Recording and presenting the jobs found is required at Level 1 and the plan and review at Level 2, while keeping the log in a spreadsheet is only one way to do it.
DCF: Data and information literacy, Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils make a simple table in Word with columns for job title, location and hours and fill it in for three jobs from a printed set of adverts.
- Year 8
- Pupils set up a spreadsheet log of five jobs with columns for title, employer, pay, hours and closing date, and sort it by closing date.
- Year 9
- Pupils build a job search plan in a spreadsheet with weekly targets, a drop down list for the status of each application and a column of next steps, then review it after two weeks and change one target.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 2, assessment criteria 2.1 and 2.2, page 6; amplification of LO2, page 8; suggested activities, page 9
“record and organise job opportunities found during the search”
Progression step 3
I can construct, refine and interrogate data sets within tables, charts, spreadsheets and databases to test or support an investigation.
I can independently create and plan work before beginning a digital task.
Progression step 4
I can create a data capture form, capture data, search data and create a database and spreadsheet with appropriate data input method.
I can select and effectively use a variety of planning techniques.
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Completing application forms and creating a CV
Learners use a simple job application form at Entry 3, complete one accurately at Level 1 and create a job application or CV suited to a specific job at Level 2. The forms and CV are required by the assessment criteria, and the pack accepts forms on paper or digital, so typing a formal CV in a word processor or completing an online form is the natural but not compulsory route.
DCF: Creating digital content, Evaluating and improving digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils fill in an online form for a school club, checking each box has the right information before they press submit.
- Year 8
- Pupils type a one page personal profile in Word using headings, bullet points and a consistent font to show their skills and interests.
- Year 9
- Pupils create a CV from a template for a weekend job advert, edit the skills section to match the advert, then improve the layout after peer comments.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Entry Level, learning outcome 3, assessment criterion 3.2, page 5; Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 3, assessment criteria 3.2, page 6; sources of evidence, page 9
“Create a job application or CV suited to a specific”
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.
Progression step 5
I can create formal text documents for a professional audience, incorporating the use of collaborative review tools into activities.
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Judging online sources of careers advice
Learners identify sources of support for job searching, explain how they help at Level 1, and at Level 2 evaluate how effective different sources are and use a range of them to improve their results. The amplification names online resources alongside careers advisers, and the pack lists Careers Wales, Prospects and Profi websites, so judging which online services are useful is part of what the assessment criteria require.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils look at the Careers Wales website and a random careers blog and say which they trust more and why, looking at who wrote each one.
- Year 8
- Pupils try the Careers Wales Buzz quiz and one other online careers quiz, then list what each told them and which was more useful.
- Year 9
- Pupils compare three online sources of CV advice in a table, rating each for who made it, how up to date it is and how useful its tips are, and justify their top choice.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 4, assessment criteria 4.1 and 4.2, page 6; amplification of LO4, page 8; resources, pages 10 to 12
“advice and guidance services (e.g. careers advisors, online resources)”
Progression step 3
I can begin to reference sources used in my work, and consider if content is reliable.
Progression step 4
I can evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justify my opinions and reasons for choices, and reference using appropriate methods.
Progression step 5
I can consider the benefits and limitations of digital tools and information sources and of the results I produce and use these results to inform future judgements about the quality of my digital work.
Good to know
- Unit codes are S651E1, S651E2, S651E3, S651L1 and S651L2, and the unit is "GLH 20" in the Skills for Work suite (Unit overview, page 3).
- No special equipment is needed: "Assessment of this unit should not require any specific resources." (Resources required for assessment, page 12).
- Paper or screen both count. Possible evidence includes "completed job application forms (paper or digital)" and "screenshots or printouts from online job searches or applications" (Sources of evidence, page 9).
- Evidence can be photographs, video or audio: the list includes "photographs or videos of practical activities, group work, or presentations" (Sources of evidence, page 10) and the specification lists "video/audio recordings" as an evidence type (Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.1, page 18).
- The portfolio need not be paper: the term portfolio "is not limited to paper-based materials" (Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.1, page 18).
- Suggested assessment tasks are optional: "These tasks are not mandatory." Teachers may adapt them or write their own (Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.1, page 18).
- AI tools must be acknowledged. Misuse includes "Failing to acknowledge use of AI tools when they have been used as a source of information" and using AI so the work no longer reflects "the learner's own work" (Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.6, page 21). This matters here because the pack lists a resource on "Using generative AI in job applications" (page 11).
- Spelling and layout are not judged unless a criterion asks: "Assessor judgements should focus on meeting the standard, not spelling or presentation unless specifically assessed." (Sources of evidence, page 9).
- Appendix A of the specification ticks Digital Competence for this unit (page 29), and the pack names "online job searches, completing electronic forms, and using digital tools to create applications and CVs" (Unit overview, page 4).
Links with other qualifications
The pack names VCSE Retail and Customer Service and GCSE Business as related WJEC qualifications, and both cover recruitment and what employers look for. Writing a CV and a formal application builds on the formal writing in GCSE English Language and Literature, and producing a well presented CV in a word processor links with the document skills in GCSE Digital Technology. Within the Skills Suite the pack names Interview and confidence techniques, Exploring career pathways, Personal development planning, Jobs of the future, Work experience, Career creativity and Working in Wales as units to deliver alongside it, and Using IT in the workplace covers the same online forms and documents in more depth.
Source: WJEC Applying for jobs unit delivery and assessment pack, read with the WJEC Entry 1 to Level 2 Skills for Life and Skills for Work specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).