TVETipedia Glossary

At their most elemental, foundation skills include the literacy and numeracy skills necessary for getting work that can pay enough to meet daily needs. These skills are also a prerequisite for continuing in education and training, and for acquiring transferable and technical and vocationa skills that enhance the prospect of getting a job.

Foundation skills include the basic academic knowledge and skills that learners acquire often as result of their participation in formal school education (primary and secondary schools) or sometimes through non-formal and informal learning opportunities. These skills, which include basic literacy and numeracy skills, provide the foundation upon which learners receive further education to deepen their capacity for fulfilling, meaningful lives and decent jobs.

Essential Skills are the skills people need for work, learning and life. They are the foundation for learning all other skills and the cornerstone of lifelong learning. Essential skills are used in virtually all occupations and throughout daily life in different forms and at different levels of complexity. The Essential Skills identified by Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) are:

Reading text, Numeracy, Oral communication, Thinking skills, Continuous learning, Document use, Writing, Working with others, Computer use.

Terms used by some countries which are often synonymous with literacy, numeracy and basic skills/basic education.

This term underpins the Australian National Foundation Skills Strategy for Adults. It refers to fundamental skills a person needs to participate in education and training, the workplace and the community. They are a combination of language, literacy, numeracy and digital (LLND) skills along with employability and learning skills. Examples of foundation skills include: reading, writing, numeracy, oral communication and basic digital skills.