The Peculiarities and Challenges of Integrating Generic Forms of Knowledge into the Upper-Secondary Curriculum: 'A Bernsteinian Analysis' of 'Communication' and 'Application of Number' in the Welsh Baccalaureate

Throughout the past 40 years, a number of terms have been used in the UK to refer to competency-based pedagogies that focus on preparing students for everyday 'life' and employment. The evolution of these generic forms of knowledge in official curricula has been accompanied by harsh practical realities when it comes to teaching, assessing and certifying them. These practical realities counterbalance the strong support "genericskillism" enjoys in policy discourses that centre on employability and universalism in upper-secondary education. By drawing upon Bernstein's sociological insights and data collected and analysed as part of a study that sought to examine the compulsory integration of Communication and Application of Number into the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma (legacy qualification), this paper offers new empirical observations into the persistent peculiarities and challenges of teaching and assessing generic forms of pedagogised knowledge. The discussion takes into consideration practical and policy dimensions that extend beyond individual education sites in Wales and are also relevant to the 2017 review of the new Essential Skills Wales qualifications, ongoing developments following the 2018 review of the Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate, and the Council of the EU 2018 Recommendation of Key Competences for Lifelong Learning.