Skills for Work: Overcoming Barriers
Overcoming barriers is an Entry 1 to Level 2 Skills for Work unit in which learners explore personal, social and organisational barriers at work, communicate choices, preferences and points of view, and practise strategies to challenge others constructively and build resilience. It is one 10 hour unit that learners combine with other units into a Skills for Work, or Skills for Life and Work, Award, Certificate or Diploma. Digital demand is low because no criterion requires a digital tool. Digital work sits in choosing how to communicate in different work contexts, recording role plays as video or audio evidence, sharing work for feedback and researching support online.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 10
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- Low
How this unit is assessed
- Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): Three learning outcomes (barriers in a work context, choices, preferences and points of view, and simple strategies to respond to barriers), each with separate Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3 assessment criteria. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 10 guided learning hours.
- Level 1 and Level 2: Three learning outcomes (barriers to participation and progression, choices, preferences and points of view, and strategies to challenge others and overcome barriers), each with separate Level 1 and Level 2 assessment criteria. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 10 guided learning hours.
Skills that use Evaluating and improving digital content
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Inviting feedback and using it to improve a response
At Level 2 learners must manage barriers and reflect on the outcomes, and the amplification lists seeking feedback and acting on it as a strategy for Level 1 and Level 2. Sharing a recorded role play or reflection so that peers can comment on it is a suggested digital route, not a requirement.
DCF: Evaluating and improving digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils share a slide about a barrier they have faced with a partner, who adds one comment using the comment tool.
- Year 8
- Pupils put a recorded role play in a class shared drive, ask two classmates to comment on their tone of voice, and note one change they will make.
- Year 9
- Pupils use peer comments on a recorded challenging conversation to record it again, then write a short note explaining what they changed and why it worked better.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 3, assessment criterion L2 3.2, page 6; amplification of LO3, page 9
“seeking feedback and acting on it”
Progression step 3
I can invite feedback/responses from others, e.g. use 'comment' in online platforms, asking questions or adding suggestions.
Progression step 4
I can suggest and make improvements that are relevant for audience and purpose, based on feedback and self-evaluation of my digital work.
Good to know
- The unit codes are S661E1, S661E2, S661E3, S661L1 and S661L2, one for each level, and the unit is 10 guided learning hours: "GLH 10" (Unit overview, page 3).
- No special equipment is needed: "Assessment of this unit should not require any specific resources." (Resources required for assessment, page 11).
- Evidence can be digital. The pack lists "audio or video recordings of role play or discussions" and "annotated photographs of learners engaged in activities" (Sources of evidence, page 10), the portfolio "is not limited to paper-based materials" (specification Section 4.1, page 18), and evidence for sampling "must be provided digitally by the centre" (specification Section 5.2, page 23).
- AI use is allowed only when acknowledged: "When properly referenced, this can be acceptable", but misuse includes "Failing to acknowledge use of AI tools when they have been used as a source of information." (specification Section 4.6, page 21).
- Suggested assessment tasks "are not mandatory". Teachers "may choose to use these suggestions, adapt them, or develop their own alternatives" (specification Section 4.1, page 18).
- Digital competence is optional in this unit: it "may be developed through using digital tools to record evidence, communicate ideas and support learning in vocational contexts" (Curriculum for Wales, page 4). Appendix A of the specification (page 29) still ticks Digital Competence for the unit.
- The pack carries a warning that "The UK Government has announced plans to restrict social media use by children under 16" (page 2), so avoid building tasks around social media.
Links with other qualifications
The pack names GCSE Social Studies as a linked WJEC qualification (it also names Sociology AS/A Level, which is not on this page). Within the Skills Suite it lists Personal development planning, Interview and confidence techniques, Rights and responsibilities in the workplace, Fairness and inclusion in the workplace, Building a growth mindset, Wellbeing and work, Customer service, Teamwork, Understanding self and others, Equality, diversity and inclusion and Community participation as closely related units. Personal development planning shares action planning, feedback and reflection. For the digital side, the Using IT in the workplace unit is where learners practise communicating politely using digital tools, which supports choosing the right channel in this unit.
Source: WJEC Overcoming barriers 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).