Personal Skill
Personal Skill gives you the chance to improve on an existing skill or to try something new. This is an opportunity to take part in an activity that truly interests you, and to develop skills that you may have previously thought out of your reach.
Benefits
- Developing personal interests, creativity and practical skills
- Working toward developing your full potential
- Experiencing a great sense of achievement
- Improving employability through achieving new skills
Requirements
- Take up a completely new activity or seek to improve your ability in an activity that you are already engaged in, that can be pursued for a period of time with set goals and targets
- Meet the minimum time requirements, spending at least one hour per week on the Personal Skill activity.
- Undertake activities in your own time.
- Show regular commitment, progress, and improvement in your chosen skill.
- Ensure that there is structure to the learning and a method of validating that (there is no requirement to pay for classes).
Time Requirements
| Level | Minimum time | If Skill is chosen as the main section |
| Bronze | 13 Weeks | 26 weeks |
| Silver | 26 Weeks | 52 Weeks, if Bronze has not been achieved |
| Gold | 52 Weeks | 78 weeks if Silver has not been achieved |
Examples of Personal Skills Activities
In this challenge area you’ll select one activity to participate in. It’s important that you keep balance by selecting activities that are not too similar to those chosen for the Community Involvement or Physical Recreation sections — in particular, the Personal Skill activity cannot be of a sporting nature.
Some examples to give you a flavour of what you could do include:
Some activities are not eligible to be used for the Personal Skill, such as
All Sporting/Physical activities including sport courses that are not class room based (theory)
All martial arts, Pilates and Yoga. (These can be used in the Physical Recreation Section of the Award only)
Reading (except where there are learning difficulties)
Driver Theory Test (However, learning to drive is only allowed at Bronze and Silver Award level provided the participant is old enough to hold a provisional license and is insured. Learning to drive at Gold Award level is not allowed.)
