CORE SKILLS for LIFE LONG LEARNING

About KEK Ltd: KEKL, an educational technology organization, focuses on education and training solutions. It offers products and services that enhance teacher productivity and improve student learning process. The unique approach of KEK Ltd training process and competencies certification: The training and empowerment gets migrated into classroom delivery at school and +2 level field practices. The teacher training gets translated into better student performance visible in the form of Student Learning Evidence. Teacher / lecturer competencies demonstrated will be certified on the basis of Student Learning Evidence for instruction practice of core and subject skills. Our approach is field based and therefore, practical. It is supported by best practices at Indian costs. KEK Ltd has conducted action research from 2004 onwards on Core Skills concept. KEK Ltd research is totally independent and is not funded by any other source. KEK Ltd focus is on productivity - to develop skill sets that will be a bench mark for National and International standards. 21st Century skills 21st century skills are skills students need to be successful in 21st century. They include Cross curricular skills that help explore relationships among subjects and Meta cognitive skills that is learning to learn skills Why develop core skills? A World Economic Forum report states that despite high unemployment, the global economy has entered a decade of unparalleled productive workforce scarcity. Educationists and employers have realized that skills are very important for high productivity. The amount of skill required to perform most jobs in our modern industrial society is not met. The present system of education is not skill oriented. Even if a student is skilled there is no scope for skill up gradation. Schools concentrate on college preparatory curriculum and not work place preparatory curriculum which is focusing on skill development.

How do we then develop these skills required for life long learning? Developing core skills is a life long learning tool to support life and work place. It propels an individual forward. Education should be all about meta-cognition, for constant learning and up gradation of techniques to meet the challenges posed by globalization on peoples

lives. Though man has mastered many skills, there are certain skills like core skills that are fundamental for every individual. These skills help an individual to be more prepared to face every challenge that comes his/her way. Core skills are pre-requisite to improve quality of life and success in our endeavors. They are fundamental employability skills to become an effective individual and develop life skills. All Teachers / Lecturers and students must be competent in all these skills. This will form the bed rock of knowledge era transaction strategies. Core skills form the survival skills required to succeed in the world of work in the 21st Century.

Core skills are skills that are key to learning and working in todays world. These skills are most needed in any work environment. A workplace calls for individuals to demonstrate a range of competencies that are specific to each sector

Core Skill coinage: Core Skills program of KEK Ltd. came into existence from 2011 onwards. Preparing young people for life is one of the most challenging tasks for education sector. In fact how we equip young people for global work place readiness is the mission of education and training. We in our own life time we change workplaces. Different geographical, cultural and social setting of developed and developing world contrasts. Very soon it will become a reality for most of world citizens. And to a student in India and the world over, change and challenge will be part of life dynamics. Jobs can be anywhere. We must have skills to compete with everyone in the world and deliver the best goods and services this is a globalization opportunity and a challenge in a students life!

Workplace Skills Workplace skills, such as interpersonal communication and technology use, are essential for success at work. Workplace skills, often called employability skills, are the basic skills a person must have to succeed in any workplace. They are the core knowledge, skills and attitudes that allow workers to understand instructions, solve problems, develop products and services and get along with co-workers and customers. These individual skills are necessary for success at all levels that are transferable from one situation to another. The Foundation for Core skills Program India has unique advantage of being one of the most youthful nations in the world! This means we have to educate more students very fast! Younger working age group population in the future giving us the edge! This is demographic dividend for the Nation! This is once in life time opportunity in the life cycle of nation building! India must reach and rise to this very challenge. The budgets and economy may not cooperate to the levels of acceptance of people in Education sector.

We have to work in spite of not because of Core Skills development which supports life long learning and building workplace communication competencies. Core skills Program Development and Delivery Core Skills are required for everyone right from Principal / HOC to Students bus cleaners. In business organization core skills are required from CEO security personnel / drivers. All workplaces and organization of different sizes and all people need core skills for effective functioning in working life! The levels of proficiency and application of core skills may vary depending on the jobs and responsibilities of people that discharge them. Everyone has to have core skills to excel and work in any work environment. Core skills are needed for all to succeed in national and globalized workforce development and boosting productivity in any settings. We do not know what challenges 2022 will bring to students who are in school today! One best way to prepare is to provide and equip students with core skills! The foundation for core skills program comes from meta-cognition. This is big word with a simple meaning of how to learn. It is essential and critical to teach and prepare students with fundamental skills of how to learn if we impart students these skills, tools, techniques, methods and practices then we are preparing students for life. This is a deeper fundamental approach to develop productive future citizens and workforce. Teacher assessment for core skills:

Teachers are trained in core skills and are assessed periodically. Teacher assessment and certification is based on skill development portfolio, classroom practice and student learning evidence. Pilot launch: Core skills training programme for teachers will be piloted in Lotus National Schools in four stages through four series. Each level paves the way to the progressive and wider skill set base. This is the most cost effective way of building and delivering soft skills, oral communication skills, personality development, life - skills, thinking skills, HOTS, group work skills, aesthetic / design skills and ICT skills. Stage I A Series Communication Skills Stage II B Series - Basic Thinking skills Stage III C Series - Higher Order Thinking Skills Stage IV D Series - Information and Communication skills Rationale for sequencing the series: The first three series are totally based on hand and mind connection, coordination and interpersonal relationship. A learner should be encouraged to use his hand and mind before he takes the help of technology Mastering first three series help an individual to smoothly transit to series D that embeds high levels of technology It also gives a better value for money and productivity in Indian field situation. Advantages of developing core skills Life long learning tool to support life and work place Empowers teachers and students Links teacher training with student outcomes Developing skills becomes faster, thus boosts productivity level. Core skills anchor Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) in school fields. It helps anchoring Technical Education in secondary school in particular and NQF in general. Paves way for grounding certificate I & II Certificate in core skills for teachers Certificate for core skill assessors It is cost effective in Indian context because we can achieve more with less