What we mean by skills

There are many types of skills. We broadly look at them in three groups:

Employability skills

These might refer to things such as ‘team work’ or ‘problem-solving’. They might also refer to disciplinary skills.

For example, if employee A goes to work as a pastry chef in a high-end patisserie or café and cannot make quality pastry, A is unlikely to retain her employment.  It follows, therefore, that we need to talk both about soft skills and about disciplinary skills which arise from a quality curriculum where knowledge is necessary as the springboard for the development of related disciplinary skill.  If A does not have knowledge of the five basic pastry types, their varying ingredients and methods, A cannot go on to build her disciplinary skill as a pastry chef.  Theory and application go hand in hand all the way through a strong education – and a strong education continues on into on-site training with an employer.

Life skills

There are differing views about what these might include but the trust focuses in on the following, which we believe are critical for life and employment:

1. Literacy and numeracy
2. Communication skills
3. Punctuality and strong attendance/presence
4. Empathy and tolerance of other
5. Financial literacy

Entrepreneurial dispositions

We call these the Aldridge Attributes. All Aldridge Education organisations commit to supporting the development of these in their learners.