Skills Summary
Skills Summary is an easy to use online tool that measures the skills young people gain by participating in youth work and volunteering opportunities, building their confidence, so that they can better communicate the value of these essential skills to future employers
What is Skills Summary?
Skills Summary was launched in March 2019. It will provide a measurement framework for young people, youth workers and educators in the Republic of Ireland including the member organisations of the National Youth Council of Ireland and a significant number of new youth workers and sites, through the Youth Employability Initiative.
Skills Summary is a partnership project between the National Youth Council of Ireland, SpunOut.ie, and Accenture. It is funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and recognised as a measurement tool in the Youth Employability Initiative.
The role of Skills Summary
There is an increasing focus on the need to identify competencies for life that values people’s full range of skills, whether acquired through formal or non-formal learning. Real competencies are understood broadly as encompassing all competencies acquired through formal education, non-formal education and informal learning.
It is critically important that a young person can identify and articulate these skills both for themselves and potential employers so that when moving to a new job or to further learning, learners and workers should see their skills quickly and have them easily recognised.
This is essential to raise skill levels and increase employability.
Skills Summary is both a process and a product. As a process it aims to support young people’s learning, with a particular focus on those who may find traditional academic learning challenging, by helping them to map the learning acquired through their participation in youth work and other non-formal settings to a set of competences. As a product, Skills Summary will support young people to articulate the competencies they have acquired both for themselves and potential employers.
Visit our Skills Summary Resources page for helpful resources and inspiration about how to include Skills Summary in your youth work practice.
Skills Summary News
A Celebration of Youth Arts and Skills Summary
“Nothing inspires me more than hearing about all your amazing youth arts adventures!” These are the words of our National Youth Arts Programme Manager Rhona Dunnett […]
New on Skills Summary: Helping Young People Develop Creativity and Critical Thinking
We’re excited to announce the launch of two new skill areas on Skills Summary: Creativity and Critical Thinking. These essential youth work skills help young people adapt, innovate, and make informed decisions—all crucial in today’s rapidly changing world.
Interview Tips for Young People Involved in Youth Work
Skills Summary is an excellent tool for supporting youth who are not in employment education or training (NEET).
Upcoming training & info sessions
On demand training
Skills Summary in Youth Work – Training
This online or in person training is for all who would like to explore the potential of the digital Skills Summary tool for your youth work practice – face to face & online.
Contacting our team
Mateja Jaksic
Skills Summary Project Co-ordinator
National Youth Council of Ireland
3 Montague Street, Dublin 2, D02 V327
T: 01-425 5940
E: skillssummary@nyci.ie
W: www.skillssummary.ie