School Skills Report

Help them define their skills and talents

Quantify their soft skills

Career and post-school education choices come down to assessment results (ATAR) and soft, or core skills – the Study Work Grow Skills Test helps students uncover the soft skills that employers and education providers want to know about.

Skills report

Soft skills are the key to their success

At school, we teach students core skills like English, Maths and Science – and measure their final results with an ATAR. But it’s the soft skills like critical thinking, leadership and adaptability that we don’t measure well in the existing school system.

Employers and universities are placing more emphasis on these, but how do you quantify them as a teacher? Using the Study Work Grow Skills Test is the newest way to do this, with a result that’s easy for students to share and teachers to review.

based on the latest research

Give them a profile document that aligns with the intentions of Australian education authorities

Government authorities and leading industry researchers have highlighted a significant ‘gap’ in the recognition of soft skills in young people. Defining common terminology, and quantifying student proficiencies are essential if we want to equip the students of the future with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed once school is over.

There should be agreement on a common language across the entire education and training system for what are variously described across sectors as general capabilities, employability skills, soft skills or graduate capabilities.

Looking to the Future Report 2020 - Education Council of Australia

The Education Council also suggests that a Learner Profile be created for senior secondary school students that captures the range of skills and knowledge the student has acquired, both at school and through external activities, including part-time work and community service.

A Learner Profile would bring a number of significant benefits. A broader view of student achievement will encourage subject selection that aligns with interests and skills, rather than choosing subjects in order to maximise an ATAR. Less reliance on academic scores will allow students to develop skills valued by employers, which in turn can lead to improved tertiary selection and employment outcomes.

Looking to the Future Report 2020 - Education Council of Australia

Based on these recommendations, as well the recommendations of many other Australian Institutions and reports, Study Work Grow has developed a detailed testing system that provides a clear, quantitative analysis of student’s achievements and experiences, both at school and in extracurricular settings, and matched this analysis with a student’s soft skills.

Ten Core Skills

Allow them to show their strengths

Every high school student has experiences, achievements or proficiencies that employers want to know about. But there is no standard way to share these achievements with universities, recruiters, and employers.

We’ve looked at the latest research to pinpoint the soft skills employers want in their employees, as well as the key soft skills that students need to drive their success and adapt to a changing job market.

As a result, we’ve identified ten Core Skills:

ADAPTABILITY

RESILIENCE

INITIATIVE

COMMUNICATION

TEAMWORK

ORGANISATION

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

INNOVATION

CRITICAL THINKING

PROBLEM SOLVING

It's not like the other tests

Designed to be easy-to-use in class, students simply need to answer yes/no questions about the things they’ve done at school, at home, and in the community.

Simple questions, measurable answers

It can be difficult to evaluate skills such as resilience without asking hypothetical questions or asking students to self-rate. Rather than rely on imperfect measurements, we align skills with activities students may have undertaken, then extrapolate their abilities from their accomplishments.

Quick, easy, and reliable

Your students need to feel confident and connected to their results, and they may not have the patience for long, difficult tests. The Skills Test takes around 10 minutes or less to complete, and because the results are based on activities they have already performed, your students can have faith that the results are accurate.

Give them credit for all their accomplishments

We know that young people are more than an ATAR, and they achieve a remarkable amount during their time at school. Not every student has access to the same opportunities, so students can demonstrate proficiency through community activities and part-time work, as well as through more traditional activities.

Track improvement and inform your program

All your students can take the Skills Report as many times as you (or they) choose throughout their schooling. This means you can ask all students to take the test at the start of the year to inform their goal setting, then compare their results to the end of the year when they take it again. Or get Year 12 students to take the Skills Test towards the end of Year 12 and add their report to their Learner Profile.

How the Skills Test can benefit your school careers program

You can use the Skills Report to power up your Careers Program. Not only is it beneficial to be able to offer students clear insights into their strength areas, you can also use the data collected to direct your focus and assist your students.

As your students take the Skills Test, their results are recorded automatically on your Teacher Dashboard – showing who has taken the test, when it was taken last and what their results were.

Students get a polished, professional snapshot of their soft skills to share with prospective employers and institutions.

Teachers can easily track student progress, with insights that make career decision conversations easier. You can also use the data in discussions with School Leadership.

Get the Skills Report for your school today

It doesn’t take long to set up the Skills Report for your school, so whether you are one of the hundreds of schools with an existing School Membership, or are joining us for the first time, we’re here to help.