Master of Science in Workforce Development and Skills Systems
Every government and large employer in the region is now running skills programmes, and most of them cannot say what those programmes achieved. With thirty nine per cent of skills globally expected to change by 2030 and eighty five per cent...
Employment thesis
What this programme is designed to produce
Forward publishes the destination of every programme before you enrol. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed and, where necessary, retired. Next review: 2031.
Roles
- Skills systems designer
- workforce development lead
- labour market analyst
- training authority officer
- corporate capability director
- qualifications and credential designer
- employment programme manager
- policy adviser.
Employer types
- Ministries of labour, education and planning
- training and qualifications authorities
- development organisations and funders of employment programmes
- large employers and industry associations
- technical and vocational institutions
- and consulting firms.
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- Senior programme and policy roles with substantial donor and government funding attached to the employment agenda.
Compulsory · The Forward Core
How the Core works →Every Forward programme, including this one, carries the same five cross-cutting requirements. They are graded, not optional.
- AI Fluency
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Ethics and African Context
- Human-Advantage Skills
- Enterprise
Includes 12 months paid work-integrated learning
Am I eligible?
Check yourself against the published requirements
7 questions written specifically for Master of Science in Workforce Development and Skills Systems. Every answer is checked against a requirement Forward has published, and the result tells you which page that requirement comes from. Indicative only, the admissions office decides on your full file.
What is the highest qualification you hold?
Curriculum structure
The same degree, in both pathways
Every Forward programme is published in both pathways: Path One, the term plan of two six-month terms, and Path Two, the block sequence of twelve four-week blocks. Same competencies, same assessments, same award. Toggle to see this programme in each.
Path One term plan shown
Path One · The Term Model
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 501 | Applied Intelligence for Professionals Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| FDC 502 | Research Evidence and Method Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| EFH 510 | Labour Markets, Employment and Skills Demand Analysis Performance | 6 | 3-2-4 |
| EFH 511 | Qualifications, Credentials and Competence Frameworks Both | 6 | 4-2-2 |
| EFH 512 | Work Integrated Learning and Apprenticeship System Design Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| EFH 513 | Evaluation Methods for Employment Programmes Both | 6 | 4-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 503 | Governance, Ethics and Leadership of Intelligent Systems Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| EFH 520 | Technical and Vocational Systems and Reform Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| EFH 521 | Recognition of Prior Learning and Credential Portability Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| EFH 522 | Employer Engagement, Levies and Financing of Skills Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| EFH 523 | Advanced Elective Objective | 3 | 2-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| EFH 530 | Applied Project: Skills System or Programme Commission Performance | 15 | 0-2-28 |
| EFH 531 | Policy Communication and Stakeholder Negotiation Performance | 4 | 1-0-6 |
Total credit units: 72
Curriculum source
Forward University Curriculum Compendium
Assessment
Coursework + project + integrated exam
Work-integrated learning
12 months paid co-operative education
Your week at Forward
A typical week on Master of Science in Workforce Development and Skills Systems
Path One, the Term Model: your own pace across a six-month term, one live session a week, short flexible lessons, and assessment on demand.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Curriculum explorer
Drill into the degree, step by step
Choose a study path, then a year, then a term or block, then a course. Credit totals add up as you go, and every course shows what comes before it and what it unlocks.
Step 1, choose a year
Step 2, choose a term
TERM 1 (SIX MONTHS) | FORMERLY SEMESTER 1
Year 1 · this step is worth 31 CU
Cumulative
31
Programme total
60
31 CU of 60 CU completed by the end of this step (52%)
Step 3, choose a course
Pick a course to see the detail
Credits, assessment, prerequisites and what each course unlocks later.
The twelve Forward capabilities
What this programme develops in you
Every Forward degree develops the same twelve cross-cutting capabilities. The profile below is the level this programme is designed to develop and verify by graduation, on the four-level scale in Part B2 of the Curriculum Compendium. Every claim above Level 2 is verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer.
- C1Intelligent Systems FluencyLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C2Quantitative and Evidential Reasoning CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C3Ethical and Contextual JudgementLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C4Communication and PersuasionLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C5Disciplinary MasteryLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C6Technical Production and CraftLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C7Problem Framing and Systems Thinking CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary TeamingLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial Literacy CriticalLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace PerformanceLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive CapacityLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C12Stewardship and Public Contribution CriticalLevel 3 of 4, Independent
Critical capabilities for this programme: Quantitative and Evidential Reasoning · Problem Framing and Systems Thinking · Enterprise, Value and Commercial Literacy · Stewardship and Public Contribution. A graduate cannot pass out of this programme below the stated level on any capability marked critical.
Programme Learning Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Each outcome is assessed, and each is tagged with the Forward capabilities it is verified against.
- PLO 1Analyse labour markets and skills demand using real data and honest method.
- PLO 2Design qualifications, credentials and learning pathways that employers accept.
- PLO 3Design and manage work integrated learning and apprenticeship systems.
- PLO 4Evaluate skills interventions for employment and earnings effects.
- PLO 5Design recognition of prior learning and credential portability systems.
- PLO 6Advise government or employers on skills strategy with defensible evidence.
Why this programme exists
Every government and large employer in the region is now running skills programmes, and most of them cannot say what those programmes achieved. With thirty nine per cent of skills globally expected to change by 2030 and eighty five per cent...
Admission requirements
A Bachelor's degree of at least Second Class Lower Division in any discipline; experience in training, human resources, education or labour policy is an advantage and may be recognised under Part G3. Alternative pathways: Foundation Year, diploma entry with advanced standing, mature age entry and recognition of prior learning, all governed by Part A5 and Part G. Online applicants additionally complete the compulsory Digital Readiness orientation under Part D6.
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