Enhancing Employability Skills Through Interactive Student Sessions

Teachers slide Know-how library Key lesson information Know- how library Open the student side of your Unifrog account and click this link: Skills: what are they and why do they matter? Students can search for this guide using the Know-how library tool. Location Classroom with no access to internet Recommended time 15 minutes By the end of the session, students should be able to: Describe some strategies to manage their CV, resum or online presence and its impact on career opportunities Explain the benefits of responding positively to help, support and feedback Recognise the value of challenging themselves and trying new things Objectives Tracking progress on Unifrog Add as an Interaction Click Advanced view>Sort by school leaving year>[filter for specific students]>+interaction. Advanced view>Sort by>CVs 1. Explain why employers value skills 2. Compare two sections of CVs/resum s and explain which is more effective and why 3. Write their own skill example which could be used in a CV/resum 4. Explore why it s important to respond positively to feedback and support Main student tasks Tracking individual students Benchmarks and standards Gatsby Benchmarks 3. Addressing the needs of each student Keywords Skills, technology, workplace, future, world of work CDI Framework Grow throughout life Teacher preparation PSHE Association Living in the wider world (Learning skills) Provide Exercise books or lined paper Student side > CV / Resum tool Skills Reflectiveness. Familiarise yourself

What are my employability skills?

Why are employability skills important? (2 mins) Look at the list of skills below, which are valued by a range of different types of employers. Principles / ethical judgement Accountability Teamwork Creativity and innovation Problem solving Independence Choose two skills. For each one, say why you think employers value this skill. Hint: Think about what the consequences would be if an employee didn t have this skill.

Recording skills, strengths and achievements (7 mins) Jamal and Sasha are both valued members of the student council at their school. They each decide to use Unifrog s CV / Resum tool to highlight the skills they ve developed in this role. Look at the two examples on the next slide and discuss: Which example do you think is more effective and why?

Recording skills, strengths and achievements Communication As a member of the school council, it's my role to make sure I communicate the views of my fellow students to the headteacher. This year I have used two different methods to gather others' views. We discussed issues verbally in class, but I also set up an online survey to ensure everyone could have a say, not just those who were most confident speaking. This meant I got to hear from students who are normally too shy to contribute to discussions, and I could give the head teacher a more accurate picture of what students think. Communication Being a member of the student council allows me to demonstrate my excellent communication skills. Teamwork I work together with other members of the student council on a weekly basis, showing my excellent teamwork skills. Problem solving I have really developed my problem-solving skills on the student council as solving problems is what we do!

Recording skills, strengths and achievements Communication Being a member of the student council allows me to demonstrate my excellent communication skills. Teamwork I work together with other members of the student council on a weekly basis, showing my excellent teamwork skills. Problem solving I have really developed my problem-solving skills on the student council as solving problems is what we do! Example 1 mentions a number of different skills that the student has developed on the student council. However, the student has not given any examples of how these skills were demonstrated. It s not enough to write, I ve got excellent communication skills . An employer will want to see evidence that you have those skills.

Recording skills, strengths and achievements Communication As a member of the school council, it's my role to make sure I communicate the views of my fellow students to the headteacher. This year I have used two different methods to gather others' views. We discussed issues verbally in class, but I also set up an online survey to ensure everyone could have a say, not just those who were most confident speaking. This meant I got to hear from students who are normally too shy to contribute to discussions, and I could give the head teacher a more accurate picture of what students think. Example 2 goes into detail about one skill. It s a more effective example because it provides evidence that the student has good communication skills. It s written using the CAR method, which we ll look at in more detail on the next slide.

Recording skills, strengths and achievements The CAR method helps you to write an effective summary of your skill. Communication As a member of the school council, it's my role to make sure I communicate the views of my fellow students to the headteacher. This year I have used two different methods to gather others' views. We discussed issues verbally in class, but I also set up an online survey to ensure everyone could have a say, not just those who were most confident speaking. This meant I got to hear from students who are normally too shy to contribute to discussions, and I could give the head teacher a more accurate picture of what students think. Context What was the situation or task? Action What did you do? Result What was the outcome?

Recording skills, strengths and achievements Can you see where the student has written about each element of CAR? Communication As a member of the school council, it's my role to make sure I communicate the views of my fellow students to the headteacher. This year I have used two different methods to gather others' views. We discussed issues verbally in class, but I also set up an online survey to ensure everyone could have a say, not just those who were most confident speaking. This meant I got to hear from students who are normally too shy to contribute to discussions, and I could give the head teacher a more accurate picture of what students think. Context What was the situation or task? Action What did you do? Result What was the outcome?

Recording skills, strengths and achievements It s now your turn to write a skill example using the CAR method Communication As a member of the school council, it's my role to make sure I communicate the views of my fellow students to the headteacher. This year I have used two different methods to gather others' views. We discussed issues verbally in class, but I also set up an online survey to ensure everyone could have a say, not just those who were most confident speaking. This meant I got to hear from students who are normally too shy to contribute to discussions, and I could give the head teacher a more accurate picture of what students think. Context What was the situation or task? Action What did you do? Result What was the outcome?

Recording skills, strengths and achievements After the lesson, you can add this example to your CV or resum on the Unifrog platform.

How to accept feedback, help and support (4 mins) The more we practice a skill, the more we can improve it. We can also improve our skills if we take on board feedback and accept help and support from others. Read the scenario on the next slide and answer the questions that follow.

How to accept feedback, help and support Scenario an employee 1. Why do you think Jason finds constructive feedback difficult to hear? Jason is new to the company and he wants to make a great impression. He has been reading a book about how to make great sales calls, and he decides to put some of the techniques into practice on a call with a client. His line manager overhears the call and asks for a meeting. She tells Jason that she admires his initiative, but he needs to follow company protocols. She suggests he spends more time shadowing other salespeople before he makes another call. Jason feels bad now. He s wondering if he s the wrong person for this job. 2. What could Jason say to himself to show himself some kindness? 3. What could Jason do next to improve his skills?

Finding out more about skills Unifrog s Know-how library Head to the Know-how library and search for the guide Skills: what are they and why do they matter? This guide will help you understand why skills are important and the best ways to show that you have them!

Next steps (2 mins) 1. What are the benefits of pushing out of your comfort zone? 2. Choose and write down one of the seven-day challenges to try next week! 1) Avoid looking at social media for one week 2) Walk 10,000 steps every day 3) Write in a journal for five minutes each day 4) Volunteer to help a new person each day 5) Declutter your bedroom, focusing on a different area each day 6) Spend five minutes each day learning a new language 7) Record yourself singing all three parts of a three-part harmony 8) Watch a TV show in a genre you d never normally choose 9) Learn a tricky dance routine and perform it 10) Draw or paint a new object each day 11) Each day, try a food you ve never eaten 12) Start every day with a short exercise video