Skills for Work: Overcoming Barriers
Overcoming Barriers is an Open Awards Skills for Work unit about communicating preferences, challenging others politely and constructively, and overcoming barriers to work-based tasks, from stating a preference and asking for help at Entry 1 to analysing the impact of communication and planning, applying and reflecting on a strategy to overcome a barrier at Level 2. Each of the 5 levels is a separate 10 hour unit, assessed through provider designed tasks such as scenarios, role play and written tasks with portfolio evidence, and only 1 level counts towards a qualification. Digital demand is low: the unit is about face to face communication and resilience, and its only digital references are a computer for digital resources and notes or visual aids as ways to communicate.
- Awarding body
- Open Awards
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 10
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- Low
- Specification
- Open the specification
How this unit is assessed
- Entry Level 1 (CBM206) and Entry Level 2 (CBM207): Entry 1 has 3 learning outcomes and 6 criteria: state a preference and how to tell someone it, identify ways to challenge others and when to do so, identify barriers when completing a work-based task, such as not understanding instructions, and state how to overcome them, such as asking for help. Entry 2 has 6 criteria: give examples of own preferences and identify ways to tell someone, give examples of ways to challenge others and identify when it is appropriate, identify barriers to work-based tasks and give examples of ways to overcome them. Provider designed tasks such as verbal responses, matching and supported scenarios, with portfolio evidence; every criterion must be met for a pass. 10 guided learning hours at each level.
- Entry Level 3 (CBM208): 3 learning outcomes and 7 criteria: identify own preference in work-based tasks, explain how to communicate it and the importance of communication in work, explain how to challenge others politely and constructively and when it is appropriate, outline barriers that affect work-based tasks and describe strategies to overcome them. 10 guided learning hours.
- Level 1 (CBM209): 3 learning outcomes and 7 criteria: demonstrate communicating a preference to others, describe the importance of communicating preferences in work and the benefits of communication for mental health and emotional well-being, demonstrate and describe polite, constructive challenge, describe barriers to work-based tasks and apply strategies to overcome them. Suggested tasks include role play and demonstration. 10 guided learning hours.
- Level 2 (CBM210): 3 learning outcomes and 9 criteria: demonstrate effective communication, analyse the impact of communicating preferences on teamwork and on work-based tasks, evaluate the benefits of communication for mental health, evaluate ways to challenge others and plan a strategy for a work-based situation, then plan how to overcome a barrier, apply the plan and reflect on it. 10 guided learning hours.
Skills that use Storing and sharing
-
Keeping evidence in an e-portfolio
Learners collate evidence in a portfolio, and e-portfolios are encouraged wherever possible. Evidence includes written tasks, scenario responses and, at Level 1 and Level 2, records of demonstrations and role play. Digital evidence is encouraged, not required, so this is taught, not assessed.
DCF: Storing and sharing
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils save a written answer in a named folder and upload it to the class area.
- Year 8
- Pupils organise their scenario answers and plans into folders in online storage by topic.
- Year 9
- Pupils keep an e-portfolio for a work skills project, with clear file names and earlier versions of their plan kept.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Assessment Approach, page 8
“Wherever possible, e-portfolios are encouraged”
Progression step 3
I can manage files and folders locally or online, e.g. move files to a folder.
I can upload files from a local drive to online storage.
Progression step 4
I can use appropriate advanced file management techniques, e.g. version history, restore previous version, tagging, compression.
Good to know
- Each level is a separate unit, CBM206 to CBM210, with "Credit Value: One (1)" and "Guided Learning Hours: 10" (Unit Content, pages 11, 13, 15, 18 and 21), matching the Level 1 Qualification Guide (page 22).
- Only 1 level counts: "units with the same title at different levels are barred for completion within the same qualification", BSL being the only exception (Level 1 Qualification Guide, page 17). In the guide, Overcoming barriers is also the name of the group the unit sits in (pages 21 to 22).
- Tasks are designed by the provider and "All assessment criteria must be met in full for the learner to be awarded a 'pass'" (Assessment Approach, page 8). Evidence goes in a portfolio and "Wherever possible, e-portfolios are encouraged" (page 8).
- The topic can be sensitive: staff must "understand safeguarding requirements and know how to respond appropriately to learner disclosures or concerns" (Staffing Resources, page 6).
- Resources include role play materials such as "scenario cards or prompt cards" and "access to a computer or laptop for digital resources" (Physical Resources, page 7).
- Neither the unit specification nor the Level 1 Qualification Guide says anything about learners using AI tools.
- The suggested assessment tables are copied between levels: Entry 3 repeats the Entry 2 table and Level 2 repeats the Level 1 table, so the Level 2 table does not mention planning, applying or reflecting on a plan (Assessment Approach, pages 9 to 10). The text also has typos such as "Identify arriers" (page 11) and "politely constructively" (page 21), and Entry 3 is labelled "Progress step 3" (page 15).
Links with other qualifications
Overcoming Barriers links with the Health and Well-being Area of Learning and Experience, which the unit names, and with the WJEC Skills Challenge Certificate and Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales, where learners work in teams and reflect on problems. Communicating in work and constructive challenge connect with GCSE Business and with work placements in VCSE qualifications, and the spoken work links with oracy in GCSE English Language. The Pearson Overcoming barriers unit covers similar ground with role play, concept maps and written plans; the Open Awards unit adds the link between communication and mental health and emotional well-being from Level 1. Within the same Open Awards group are Applying for Jobs, Building a Growth Mindset and Interview and Confidence Techniques.
Source: Open Awards Skills for Work Unit Specification, Overcoming Barriers, Entry Level 1 to Level 2.