Innovative VET, CPD and Lifelong Learning as key transmitters of transversal skills
In this module, learners will explore the concept of transversal skills and their importance in various industries and situations. Transversal skills, also known as transferable skills or soft skills, are skills that can be applied across different contexts and are often developed through life experiences such as hobbies or informal learning. The module emphasises the increasing significance of transversal skills for employers who seek adaptable individuals in today's rapidly changing work environment. The module then discusses the relationship between innovative educational pathways and transversal skills. It highlights the role of digital resources and gamification in enhancing learner engagement.
The module explains how the casual and rewarding nature of gamification aligns well with the transmission of transversal skills, similar to how hobbies can contribute to their development. Overall, this module provides learners with an understanding of transversal skills, their importance in the modern workforce, and how innovative educational pathways, gamification, and lifelong learning can contribute to their development and recognition.
What is a transversal skill?
Transversal (sometimes referred to as transferable) skills are skills that can be used across multiple different industries and situations. They share a lot of overlap with so-called “soft skills”, the oftentimes hard to define character traits we learn throughout life such as professionalism, work ethic and creative thinking. Development of these skills is not confined to educational environments and can also be linked to casual pursuits such as hobbies, or even simply through learning from life. Increasing importance has been placed on transversal skills by employers and recruiters who are seeking adaptable colleagues that are prepared for today’s often rapidly shifting world of work.
The relationship between innovative educational pathways and transversal skills.
In Unit 1.1.2 we discussed the fact that educational pathways cannot be considered truly innovative without leveraging digital resources in the delivery of their content. When researching innovative digital resources and educational pathways, you are likely to routinely come across the concept of gamification.
Gamification involves “adding game mechanics into nongame environments, like a website, online community, learning management system or business’ intranet to increase participation” (BI WORLDWIDE, 2023). You’re no doubt familiar with some examples of this in practice, the language-learning app “Duolingo” being one particularly famous example. In a nutshell, a casual, fun, or rewarding feeling, when attached to education, is associated with higher levels of learner engagement. But what does this have to do with transversal skills?
We’ve already touched on the link between hobbies and transversal skills, the basic premise being that these types of skills can be imparted outside of the relatively rigid scope of traditional education. Gamification as an educational innovation, given its more casual, hobby-adjacent format, lends itself well to the transmission of transversal skills. In conclusion, as a component of innovative educational pathways, digital resources can be leveraged to impart transversal skills to learners much in the same way that hobbies do.
Lifelong Learning as a key transmitter of transversal skills.
As has been established, then, CPD and VET can be utilised for the transmission of transversal skills to learners through the innovative use of digital resources. Lifelong learning, too, can be a part of this process. There are increasing efforts by some organisations and institutions to recognise some of the more valuable competencies that lifelong learners can accrue via non-traditional avenues, such as with micro-credentials. Micro-credentials allow institutions to “certify the learning outcomes of short-term learning experiences, for example a short course or training” (European Commission, 2023), and can thus be used to formalise the lifelong learning process and make it more rewarding for learners.
Someone who has spent a lifetime fishing, eagerly awaiting the chance to land their next catch, is likely to have an innate patience which is not recognised in any official capacity, despite being an invaluable skill in any professional setting. A person who has spent every morning for the past thirty years completing riddles has almost certainly become gifted at devising unconventional solutions to problems, and there are many ways that this might aid them in their working lives. A major next step in innovative educational pathways which is already being explored, but may yet become a standard practice, is the use of digital resources to assess these intangible skills and reward them with a corresponding micro-credential – demonstrating to employers that transversal skills are truly valuable and should represent a key factor in the decision to employ a person.
In this module, participants are asked to watch a video, read two articles, and complete a skills assessment using the skills assessment quiz created by the UK Government. The aim of this module is to teach the importance of transversal skills. Participants can watch the video, read the articles, and then complete the quiz to assess their own transversal skills.
In the following video, GCFLearnFree discusses the difference between hard skills and soft skills, affirming the relationship between hiring and transversal traits:
Link to a UNESCO breakdown of Transversal Skills:
Lifelong Learning: Put simply, “Lifelong learning is a form of self-initiated education that is focused on personal development” (Valamis, 2023). The definition of lifelong learning, though, is a broad one, and covers everything from subscription to an online course to learning to ride a bike. The key elements that define lifelong learning are that it is voluntary, and typically achieved outside of a traditional educational setting (although an adult education course at a community school, for example, could still be considered lifelong learning).
BI WORLDWIDE. (2023). What is gamification?. BI WORLDWIDE. https://www.biworldwide.com/gamification/what-is-gamification/#:~:text=Gamification%20is%20adding%20game%20mechanics,inspire%20collaborate%2C%20share%20and%20interact.
European Commission (2023) A European approach to micro-credentials, European Education Area. Available at: https://education.ec.europa.eu/education-levels/higher-education/micro-credentials (Accessed: 02 May 2023).
UNESCO (2023) Transversal Skills, TVETipedia Glossary. Available at: https://unevoc.unesco.org/home/TVETipedia+Glossary/show=term/term=Transversal+skills# (Accessed: 02 May 2023).
Valamis (2023) What is Lifelong Learning? Its Importance, Benefits & Examples, Valamis. Available at: https://www.valamis.com/hub/lifelong-learning (Accessed: 02 May 2023).