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# 3.1 Transferable skills

Do you remember that ‘being organised’ was referred to last week as a transferable skill? There are many more of these, as you will see as you work your way through the course.

Transferable skills are those that can be developed in one part of life and then used or adapted for another. These include things that we use every day in one way or another, such as communication, being organised, problem-solving and decision-making. Skills you have developed elsewhere may well be very useful for studying. Being aware of these skills is another important skill in its own right.

## Activity 3 Your transferable skills

Allow about 15 minutes for this activity.

Which transferable skills do you think you may have? Think about your life at home, at work and in your leisure or voluntary activities. Do you think that you are good at organising, problem-solving, decision-making or communicating with others?

Make a note in your learning journal of any you think might fit, and a couple of examples of how you used them.

### Discussion

Most of us use these skills in some way; maybe working on communicating well with our families (like Angela in week one), organising holidays or deciding we are going to return to study. It may feel automatic, but take a step back and think about it. You are using a skill.

For the rest of this week, the focus will be on communication skills – a more complex area than you may initially think, and an extremely important one if you are going to make the most of your learning.

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