Employability Skills

“Employability skills are:  the non-technical skills, knowledge and understandings that are necessary to gain employment and participate effectively in the workplace  contribute to work performance in combination with technical or discipline specific skills, as well as language, literacy and numeracy skills. 1 ”

“Often referred to as soft skills  include skills such as communication, self-management, planning, decision making and problem solving.  Your ability to demonstrate these skills is an important requirement when you are looking for work, as they are highly valued by employers and industry. 1 ”

Kansas Career Cluster Model 2

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TEAM  A group of people working together toward a common goal.  Benefits of teamwork  Three common types of work teams  Project team  Cross-functional team  Self-directed work team

Individual vs. team solutions  At least three solutions  More if possible  5 minutes  Top Five  Characteristics of Effective Teams

Effective Team Leader 1.Clear communicator 2.Strong organizational skills 3.Confident in his/her abilities 4.Respectful of team members 5.Treats team members fairly

6. Has integrity 7. Influential to team members 8. Share leadership through delegation 9. Strong facilitator 10. Uses negotiation skills to achieve results

Scenarios  Each student will lead an activity  Each will receive a sealed envelope  Observer/note taker  Other team members work with the leader  7 minutes – present and solve problem

 Observer/note taker share in 3 minutes what was seen  Repeat until all team members have presented their problem  Reflection/exit card –  What kind of leader were you?  What characteristics of an effective leader did you possess?  What leadership qualities would you like to improve?

Teamwork Survival  Survival Scenario  List of twelve most useful items  Individual  Team  Final twelve list and rationale

Debrief  Did team members listen to each other?  How did you reach your final decision?  How could the decision-making process have been easier or more effective?  What could you have done differently as a team?

 How was conflict or differences of opinion managed?  How did everyone feel about the final list?  Did anyone fee that they weren’t listened to?  Did anyone feel like they just gave in?  Did some assume the role as the leader of the team?  What situations at home/work/school do you think are? similar to this activity

COMMUNICATION  Exchange of information between a send and a receiver  Involves speaking, listening, reading, and writing  Be clear and direct

 Groups  Recorder  How do you use communication skills at school?  5 minutes

 Communication – key skills that employers need in the workplace  Each student choose an occupation  Tell how communication used for that position  Why are good communication skills important in the workplace?

Clear Verbal Communication  GROUP WORK  Director – picture; give instructions to manager  Creator – blank paper, writing utensil  Observer – paper for note taking; write everything observed during this activity  Manager – gets instructions from director and passes them along to the creator

 Ten minutes  Show original picture  Show drawn picture  What needs to be changed?

 Round Peg in Square Hole Round Peg in Square Hole

 List of characteristics of Effective Leaders  Which characteristics did this team possess?

 Solution Solution  Teamwork Skills Self Inventory

 Charades  Non-Verbal Communication Brainstorming  Perceived in workplace

Three Tips for Improving Non- Verbal Communication  Body movements – use gestures to illustrate message trying to convey  Good eye contact  Appropriate gestures  Good posture  Do not send mixed messages

 Voice quality  Not what you say, but how you say it  Be careful of tone  Have “power to take simple sentence with no ill intent and turn it into a chaotic mess. 3 ”  Consider volume

 Space and Personal Boundaries  Be aware of our space  Be aware of the space of others

Business Letter  Important skill is knowing how to write a proper business letter  Most commonly used is Block Format Business Letter  Block Letter Format Handout  Scenarios  Peer Review  Letter and Rubric

Problem Solving and Critical Thinking  “…defined as ability to use facts, knowledge, and data to successfully solve problems. 3 ”  Employers want employees who can solve problems in well thought out process and in a timely manner

Seven Steps to Solving a Problem Effectively  Clearly identify the problem – What are you trying to solve? Be specific  Remember to see others; perspective of the problem – best solution satisfies al parties

 Brainstorm – all potential solutions  Pros and cons of each possible solution  Best solution – consequences of solution?  Put it in writing and implement plan  How to monitor or track decision and follow through – contingency plan?

 Problem Solving Activity  Challenging on your own; can more difficult when working as a team  One bad attitude or strong ego can be detrimental to finding solution  Scenario and Solutions

 2 nd Problem to Solve  What was the problem?  Points of View  Options  Evaluation  Solution  Implementation  Evaluation

Technology  Used in almost every workplace  Has changed the way we work  Makes it difficult to keep up  21 st Century workers must be FLEXIBLE and ADAPT QUICKLY

Skill Sets  Employers are looking for skill sets very different from 10, 20, even 100 years ago  For what top ten skill sets are they looking?

 Communication skills  Analytical and research skills  Self-motivation  Teamwork  Technical skills  Strength of character

 Interpersonal skills  Flexibility and adaptability  Planning and organizing  Problem solving skills

Practice  Word Processing  Spreadsheets  Presentation software skills  Internet research

Presentation  Choose a career of interest to you  Create a ten slide minimum presentation to explain what the job is, typical duties, work environment, the type(s) of technology used in that job, required education or credentials, average starting salary and job outlook.  Rubric

Spreadsheets  One day menu, identify foods and beverages  Three meals and two snacks  Record calorie count  Data Collection Worksheet  Excel How To Worksheet

Sources  1 employability-skillshttp://myfuture.edu.au/getting-started/what-is-a-career/what-are- employability-skills  2 reer_Cluster_Pathway/KS%20CC%20Chart%20Pathway% pdf reer_Cluster_Pathway/KS%20CC%20Chart%20Pathway% pdf  3 RealCareer Effective Employability Skills, Realityworks, Inc., 2015.