Welcome to the Learning and Skills Office

The Learning and Skills Office offers a range of modules designed to inform, assess, and certify school and college staff and students. Our programmes support both professional and personal development by building key behavioural and transferable skills that enhance communication, confidence, and workplace effectiveness.

By completing our modules, exams managers and officers will also be working towards meeting the Exams Officer Professional Standards, while developing essential soft skills that improve efficiency and effectiveness in their role.

Modules currently available

• Key Skills (for exams managers, officers, and assistants)
• Mindfulness and Well being (for school and college staff and students)

Modules launching in the 2026/27 academic year

• Senior Leader Exams Training Module
• Planning and Project Management
• Financial Skills

For further details, please visit the Modules section of the website.

Modules

Modules focus on developing and assessing:

• Soft Skills: Behavioural and transferable skills that improve interaction and workplace effectiveness.
• Life Skills: Practical skills such as project management and financial planning.

Training and assessments are available at different levels of difficulty to meet diverse needs.

Centre Staff

Module 1 - Key Skills

This module has been designed to support exams managers/officers in managing and administering examinations within their centres.

By completing this module, exams managers/officers are:

• addressing their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) needs – which is also a requirement set out in section 5.3 of JCQ’s General Regulations for Approved Centres document
• working towards achieving the Exams Officer Professional Standards.

The areas covered in this Key Skills module include:

• Time management
• People management
• Contingency planning and risk management
• Prioritising tasks and multitasking
• Problem-solving and communication
• Handling difficult conversations
• Presentation skills
• Decision-making
• Managing deadlines
• Collaborative working

Module 2 – Senior leaders: Overseeing examinations within your centre

This module has been designed to support senior leaders in meeting JCQ obligations in having oversight for examinations and assessments within their centre and includes information on the following areas:

• Section 1: Role and responsibilities
• Section 2: JCQ documentation
• Section 3: Compliance
• Section 4: Managing your exams manager/officer and an exam series

Module 3 – Mindfulness and well-being TBC

Students

During the 2026/27 academic year, key stages 3, 4, and 5 students will access to the following online programmes:

Module 1 - Planning and Project Management

This junior project management module introduces learners to the core principles and practical skills needed to plan, manage, and deliver projects successfully.

Through engaging, age appropriate content, students will learn how to set clear objectives, break tasks into manageable steps, organise time and resources, work collaboratively, and respond to challenges and risks.

The module combines interactive learning activities with real world scenarios and a structured assessment to check understanding and application, helping learners build confidence, problem solving ability, and transferable skills that support both their studies and future workplace readiness.

Module 2 – Financial Skills

This junior financial module introduces learners to essential money management concepts that build strong financial confidence and real world understanding.

Through engaging, age appropriate content, students will explore topics such as:

• Budgeting and saving
• Understanding earnings and expenses
• Banking and digital finance
• Credit, loans, and debt management

The content will help learners apply what they have learned to everyday situations, while a structured assessment checks knowledge and decision making skills. The module supports the development of responsible financial habits, critical thinking, and transferable life skills that prepare students for further education and future independence.

The financial skills programme will address practical topics such as:

• Making your money last
• Understanding debt and credit scores
• How interest rates work
• Using credit cards responsibly
• Comparing deals for insurance, utilities, and banking
• Reading payslips and financial statements
• Compound interest
• Earning money beyond employment (e.g., investing, property, business, blogging)
• Pension planning
• Renting vs. buying a home
• Tax basics
• Investing strategies