The Competence Goals
The Competence Goals for Basic Skills for Adults establish national standards for reading and writing, mathematics, digital competence and oral communication.
The descriptions of levels of competence for each of the basic skills are divided into three levels. The template is identical for all skills and all levels. Each level is described in detail in the form of intended learning outcomes.
All the sets of competence goals are approved by the Ministry of Education and Research.
Literacy
- Level 1 comprises the absolute basic decoding and spelling skills needed to be able to read, understand and write words and simple texts in everyday life. The reading process is in focus on this level.
- Level 2 describes the competence needed to be able to read and write coherently, fluently and relatively quickly. Some will still struggle with a somewhat weak understanding on this level.
- Level 3 comprises the skills needed to handle various types of texts at work and in society in general.
In addition to the three levels, there is an entry level which helps to pin down language skills before the education starts.
Numeracy
In the Norwegian description, the concept "everyday maths" is used to emphasise the practical take on this subject.
- Level 1 describes the minimum competence needed to understand basic concepts and symbols and perform simple mathematical tasks in concrete and familiar contexts.
- On level 2, the adult responds actively to mathematical information and can follow children’s’ schoolwork up to 4th form.
- Level 3 describes a more independent attitude; the adult understands, uses and responds critically to more complex mathematical information in the form of numbers, symbols, graphs, figures etc. On this level, the adult can follow children’s’ schoolwork up to 7th form.
Digital competence
Digital competence is about using various ICT systems, finding and exchanging relevant information and producing and presenting information to others.
- Level 1 comprises the minimum competence needed to be able to utilize public and private services to one’s own ends.
- Level 2 describes the competence needed to use various web-based services independently and actively.
- Level 3 comprises the competence needed to be able to exploit the potential of new technology independently and actively.
Oral communication
The competence goals describe the oral skills and strategies that adults need to cope with communication in the various arenas of Norwegian society.
- Level 1 covers basic communication in familiar situations, like taking messages and asking for help when something has not been understood.
- Level 2 describes the skills that are necessary to take an active part in communication dealing with familiar topics of personal and professional interest.
- Level 3 covers the skills necessary to communicate flexibly and efficiently in both familiar and unfamiliar situations.
The handbook
The first part of the handbook describes the background for the competence goals and details key issues associated with work with adults and their basic skills.
The subject-oriented chapters show how the competence goals can provide support for preparation and implementation of training programmes for each of the various basic skills.
The Basic Skills Profiles are a tool meant to facilitate the design of basic skills courses tailored to the needs of each work place and individual learner. The profiles describe how each of the basic skills are used by workers in a particular occupation. The profiles are based on the competence goals.
Through the use of these profiles, employers can get an overview of the skills that need to be strengthened and workers can increase their awareness about their need for further training in literacy, numeracy, oral communication and digital competence.
Creating own profiles
Below, you will find an English translation of some of the profiles Vox has created. The best profiles, however, are those that have been tailored to each individual situation, taking into account a concrete case and adapting them to each individual need. These examples are meant as an inspiration for course providers, who can develop their own adaptations to create courses that are really relevant to the needs of the participants.
