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Skills for Work: Rights and Responsibilities in the Workplace

Rights and Responsibilities in the Workplace is a 20 hour Skills for Work unit, from Entry 1 to Level 2, about employees and employers, employee rights and responsibilities, employment contracts, responsible behaviour, equality and fairness, and where to get advice about problems at work. It is one unit that learners combine with others into a Skills for Life or Skills for Work Award, Certificate or Diploma. Digital demand is low. The only digital step in the criteria is the Level 1 task of finding contact details for an advice organisation, which the pack expects to be done with a search engine. Online research and presentations are suggested, not required.

Awarding body
WJEC
Level
Entry Level 1 to Level 2
Guided learning hours
20
First taught
September 2027
Amount of digital work
Low
Unit pack
Open the unit delivery and assessment pack
How this unit is assessed
  • Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): Four learning outcomes (the difference between an employee and an employer, basic rights and responsibilities of employees, behaving responsibly with other people at work, and where to get support and guidance), with separate assessment criteria at Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.
  • Level 1 and Level 2: Four learning outcomes (employee rights and responsibilities including the employment contract, personal and social responsibility, equality, respect and fairness at work, and seeking advice and guidance), with separate assessment criteria at Level 1 and Level 2. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.

The digital skills in this qualification

  1. Searching online for contact details of advice organisations

    Assessed: In coursework (non-examination assessment, NEA)

    At Level 1 learners must show how to find contact details for one source of advice, and the amplification says this includes using search engines with the correct terminology, finding phone numbers and addresses and locating an office. At Level 2 learners go further and pick the most suitable source for a workplace scenario, which usually means comparing what ACAS, Citizens Advice and trade unions offer on their websites.

    DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils use a search engine to find the phone number and opening hours of their local library, then try two different sets of keywords and note which one found it faster.
    Year 8
    Pupils search for the Childline and Careers Wales websites, bookmark both, and copy the contact details and one service each offers into a shared class document.
    Year 9
    Pupils are given three short problems at a part time job, search with precise terms such as holiday pay entitlement, and find the website, phone number and nearest office of the organisation that could help with each.
    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 to 4.3, page 8; amplification of learning outcome 4, page 14

    “using search engines, to include the correct terminology”
    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.

  2. Researching employment rights in digital sources and judging reliability

    Assessed: Taught, but not assessed

    The unit overview says Level 1 and Level 2 learners will search a variety of digital sources when researching employment rights, and the suggested activities include researching specific rights and analysing examples from news and online sources. The assessment criteria ask learners to identify, describe and explain rights and sources of advice, but they do not require the research to be digital, so the online research is suggested rather than assessed.

    DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content, Digital rights, licensing and ownership

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils look up one fact about rest breaks at work on two websites, write down both web addresses and say which site they trust more and why.
    Year 8
    Pupils compare advice about young workers' hours on a government site, a charity site and a forum post, and rate each one for reliability in a short table with the source listed.
    Year 9
    Pupils research one employment right such as the minimum wage for their age, use at least three online sources, reference them in a simple list and explain which source they relied on most and why.
    Show the specification wording and the DCF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit overview, integral and cross curricular skills, page 3; suggested activities for Level 1 and 2 learners, page 14

    “search a variety of digital sources when researching employment rights and professional development opportunities”
    Progression step 3

    • I can begin to reference sources used in my work, and consider if content is reliable.

    • 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.

  3. Presenting research and comparisons in digital documents

    Assessed: Taught, but not assessed

    Suggested Level 1 and Level 2 activities include using tables to compare employee rights with employer responsibilities, and the sources of evidence list presentations of research findings, completed comparison tables and screenshots of research. These are possible ways to evidence the criteria, not requirements, and the pack says extended written work is not required unless appropriate.

    DCF: Creating digital content, Evaluating and improving digital content

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils make a two column table in a word processor listing three school rules and the responsibility each one gives pupils, and format the headings so the table is easy to read.
    Year 8
    Pupils build a three slide presentation on rights and responsibilities at a sports club, with one image and one short point per slide, and paste in a screenshot of where they found each fact.
    Year 9
    Pupils produce a one page digital comparison table setting five employee rights against the matching employer responsibilities, then turn it into a short presentation for Year 7 and adjust the wording for that audience.
    Show the specification wording and the DCF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Suggested activities for Level 1 and 2 learners, page 14; sources of evidence, page 15

    “comparison tasks: using tables to compare employee rights with corresponding employer responsibilities”
    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 select and use a variety of appropriate software, tools and techniques to create, modify and combine multimedia components for a range of audiences and purposes, such as:

      • text and images, e.g. explore and use effectively image manipulation techniques; explore and use appropriately the many aspects of document layout; use animation, video and audio effects such as echo, tempo, envelope, layering, frame rate, key frames
      • presentation, e.g. use design tools; adapt themes and colours to suit the purpose; create master templates.

    • I can explore and develop a range of formal text document structures for different audiences and purposes.

  4. Acknowledging sources and AI tools in portfolio work

    Assessed: Taught, but not assessed

    The shared specification says learners must not misuse AI tools when producing portfolio evidence, and lists failing to acknowledge AI tools used as a source of information, and copying AI responses, as malpractice. This applies to any research learners do for this unit, such as finding sources of advice, and the sources of evidence include a source log of resources and research notes. It is a rule for all portfolio work rather than an assessment criterion.

    DCF: Digital rights, licensing and ownership, Sourcing, searching and planning digital content

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils copy a paragraph about a job from a website into their own notes, then rewrite it in their own words and add the web address underneath.
    Year 8
    Pupils keep a source log while researching a careers topic, recording each website, the date and what they used it for, and discuss why handing in copied text as their own is plagiarism.
    Year 9
    Pupils ask an AI chatbot a question about workplace rights, check its answer against an official website, and write an acknowledgement saying which tool they used, what they asked and what they changed.
    Show the specification wording and the DCF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.6, page 21; unit pack, sources of evidence, page 15

    “Failing to acknowledge use of AI tools when they have been used as a source of information.”
    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.

Good to know

Links with other qualifications

The pack names Understanding the changing labour market, Working in Wales, Fairness and inclusion in the workplace and Wellbeing and work as closely related Skills Suite units, and the Sustainable economic development pack lists this unit as a link. The Skills for Life units Everyday law and Equality, diversity and inclusion cover rights, equality and where to get help outside work. Among the GCSEs, the work on equality, discrimination and rights links with GCSE Social Studies, and the work on employers, employees and contracts gives context for GCSE Business.

Source: WJEC Rights and responsibilities in the workplace 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).