Core Skills in National Qualifications

A group of five skills key to learning and working in today's world: Communication, Numeracy, Information and Communication Technology, Problem Solving and Working with Others.

Core Skills equip learners to assume the active, flexible, and responsible role that modern workplaces need and society expects.

Are Core Skills automatically certified in National Qualifications?

Core Skills are automatically certificated in some key National Courses.

When a learner achieves the qualification, their Core Skills Profile is updated. This shows they have achieved the Core Skill/component(s) at the corresponding SCQF level. The Catalogue of Automatic Certification of Core Skills (539 KB) lists these qualifications.

Find more detailed information, including support materials, in our dedicated Core Skills section.

Additional support notes for key National Courses

To support the coverage and automatic certification of Core Skills in selected key National Courses, SQA has produced additional support notes which sit alongside the Unit Assessment Support documents.

This additional guidance is designed for teachers/lecturers in all contexts, including working with adult learners. The guidance focuses on aspects of:

Support notes for Literacy and Numeracy can be accessed from the Literacy and Numeracy subject page.

Support notes for Personal Development: Self in Community are available from the Awards section of SQA's Secure website.