Online Course: Introduction to Workforce Preparation Activities and Employability Skills

This thread is connected to the online course, Introduction to Workforce Preparation Activities and Employability Skills, freely available anytime, anywhere in the LINCS Learning Portal.

  • Were there skills which were not explicitly included in the workplace preparation activities discussed? Note that there is no “right” answer here. Consider the alignments and intersections between the different skill sets.
  • Many teachers are probably already integrating some or all of the skills and competencies of workforce preparation activities into classroom instruction. Reflect on your own experiences and the resources you have used to plan your curriculum. Have you used any of the resources presented in this course? Are there others you have used? Which ones seem to be the most effective? How do you know? 

Comments

Problem Solving with multiples plans.  Too often there is a dicotomy of this OR that plan or answer.  Rather than the ablility to develop flexible solutions.  In ABE and life, too often we need flexible options not rigid.

Integrating employability skills, life skills, and academic skills makes for both a well-rounded teacher and student. As an instructor, I have to be able to individualize instruction to meet students' needs to help them meet their goals. I have to be an advocate for my students. 

Take a moment to reflect on your own experiences and the resources you have used to plan your curriculum. Have you used any of the resources presented in this course? Are there others you have used? Which ones seem to be the most effective? How do you know?

A resource mentioned that I have used in role playing for conflict resolution. I think it was effective because it gave participants a different perspective on issues presented. I have used think-pair-share activities with ESL students and it works well with more advanced students. 

The material presented to non-education college majors is invaluable and I feel the information presented will only further enhance my abilities to effectively teach.

As a new adult educator, I find the information presented invaluable and will be a solid starting point for any questions that may arise during my time as an educator.

This course has good information and resources.  Both the community colleges that I have worked for use similar material that promotes integrating work and community skills into the classroom.  I think this is a wonderful idea because it not only helps students learn what they need to for educational success, but allows them to see how they are going to use this information throughout their life. It makes learning these skills so much more valuable to our students.

Agree, Heather, that helping adults connect skills in the classroom to their community and work life are so important. I look forward to you continuing to share resources and ideas in the career pathways' discussion boards. 

 

Chrissie 

Hi everyone,

I really enjoyed the topics I think its important for our students to learn as much as possible. I know that because of their lack of english it can be hard but it is useful for them to have those skills as they are pretty much universal. Not sure what else would be missing from the lesson.

There were some good ideas about how to incorporate essential work skills into the classroom. I have just been thinking about how to do more instruction on critical thinking because it helps students with reading and writing. It is nice to know it is considered a useful job skill!

I have used many of the workforce activities through teaching the high school equivalency curriculum and also through teaching a special course on entrepreneurship to the same learners. Obviously, there is room for more activities, which I will incorporate as I continually revise my curriculum.

Hi all,

I want to share a new resource collection for teaching workforce preparation activities, which wasn't available when these courses were developed. I invite you to check out the Personal & Workplace Success Skills Library launched recently by the National College Transition Network. The resources were selected for adult education, higher education, workforce development, and career and technical education programs serving adult and older youth learners and workers, including English language learners.

Session one did an excellent job detailing the skills that are necessary for students to learn as well as be ready to start a career.

It is interesting to know the sets of workforce preparation and employability skills that ABE AdultEd students must possess. It is necessary for teachers to consider these skills as they design intentional teaching-learning activities. Overall, the lesson provided is a reminder to AdultEd Instructor that honing students' skills is a MUST at all times.

The module workplace preparation and employability skills is essential to the development of my students as I serve in helping them reach a competent level in the use of these essential soft skills.  The goal is a successful transition from achieving their HISET Diploma at the completion of our ABE program, into secondary education or employment.

Charles Johnson

These modules really helped me understand the nuances of preparing my students for what's to come next in their lives, be it secondary education or going straight into the workforce.  There is life beyond achieving the HISET Diploma, and these modules helped equip me to assist the students in understanding that and being prepared for it.

Charles Johnson

The additional resources in the "Introduction to Workforce Preparation and Employability Skills" module were very effective in enhancing my ability to help my students succeed post-HISET Diploma, in the workforce or in secondary education.

Charles Johnson

Thanks for taking the course and commenting in the community. For continued support with helping your learners succeed, be sure to check out our live events happening every month and subscribe to the career pathways group updates. We look forward to engaging with you more in our other live and asynchronous discussions. 

Working as an ABE instructor I found this Session 1 coursework to give me more insight to the WIOA program.  This lesson help me understand more about implementing  workplace skills in my classroom and how to help the student use information and critical thinking more effectively.

This is my first time working in ABE and learning about WIOA. This was very enlightening and helpful as I move forward in ABE.  

  I am an Adult Educator as well as an under 18 educator in facilities.  A lot of these basic skills are required to be taught even to those under the age of 18.  Basic skills needed to acquire a job, or advancement in a current situation is just as important as educational skills.  I appreciate this course outlining important skill sets such as, critical thinking, which I feel also comes with education classes.

I guess this is a difficult thing for me to "teach" since most of it seems natural to me.  I think that using scenarios would teach alot of these skills well.  I tend to focus on just certain skills butI will strive to change that.

A coworker introduced me to the idea and helped me come up with the following

Critical Thinking Worksheet 1  Directions – Write the quote at the top of the page. Write the questions below. Reflect on the quote. Take time to consider your reaction to the information. Do you agree with it? Do you disagree with it? Do you think it links to other information you have? What would convince you to agree with it? 

 Quote 1 (Motivation)  I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.  

  –Thomas Jefferson 

 If you work for it, is it still luck? 

When have you felt lucky? 

Why do you think people feel jealous when they think others are lucky? 

Would you rather be lucky or beautiful? 

 Quote 2 (Attitude)  Remember, happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have; it depends solely upon what you think.   – Dale Carnegie 

 If money cannot buy happiness, why does everyone want it? 

Do you agree? Is happiness all in your mind? 

How would you define happiness? 

Name five people who you think are happy and five who you think are not. 

 Quote 3 (Accountability)  Responsibility: the high price of self-ownership.   – Eli Schleifer 

Can you think of any time it would be easier not to have self-ownership to avoid responsibility? 

How can you avoid responsibility by surrendering self-ownership? To whom do you surrender it? 

What does it mean to have self-ownership? How does someone who “owns” themselves act that is different from someone who doesn’t? 

 Quote 4 (Presentation)  You never get a second chance to make a first impression.   – Will Rogers 

 How did you dress this day? 

Thinking of this saying why would accept a breath mint? 

How does how we dress for the day impact how we feel that day? 

 Quote 5 (Teamwork)  Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.   

– Michael Jordan 

 How does success depend on collaboration and teamwork? 

How important is an assist in basketball? 

Why is identifying skills, abilities, and relationships important for the team? 

 Quote 6 (Time Management)  All Time management begins with planning.   – Tom Greening 

 What is a short and long term goal? Does the short term goal build to a long term goal? 

How does having a task list impact your day? 

How do you include the ability to adjust for interruptions or changing priorities? 

 Quote 7 (Stress Management)  Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.   – Plato 

 What kinds of battles are the people around you fighting? 

Which is harder, inner battles or outward battles? 

Why should you be kind because everyone is fighting a hard battle? Why should you care? 

What is the hardest battle you have ever fought? 

 Quote 8 (Confidence)  Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.   

– Henry David Thoreau 

 What is the difference between going confidently in the direction of your dreams versus going with a lack of confidence? How does that look different? 

What kind of life do you imagine for yourself? How could you go that direction confidently? 

Do you think most people do this? If not, why? What holds people back? 

I enjoyed using quotes when I taught in the adult education classroom and still use them at times for professional development. Critical thinking is definitely a workplace skill that we can help adults improve upon and thank you for sharing this critical thinking activity. 

     In the classroom, my students are becoming familiar with workplace etiquette, answering phones and proper dress along with the academics. One thing we don't have is an open dialogue with industry's needs because I let the community college take care of that. In class, we do go over the different types on employment possibilities and some of the skills needed, but in a small community like ours, work is limited to just a few major industries.

     On another note, I think that questioning techniques are one of our most valuable learning tools in the education system, and I'm very glad that it is given importance in adult related education.

 

Thanks, Antonio for sharing your insights. Steven Covey once said, “The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply.” As adult educators we need to ask good questions and then listen to understand what might work for our learners and give them time to think on careers and not make quick career planning decisions. I think too often we try to get adult learners to pick a career path within the first week or two of attending class so that we can contextualize learning, but they definitely need more time to process all that is out there and talk with other peers. I hope you can join in on more conversations in our community and share more about the work you are doing. 

I posted a post yesterday and I can't find it listed here...it was here yesterday!!! Oh well, anyway, I want to mention the importance of the questioning techniques. I'm a firm believer in the questioning method in education whether it be for children or adults. The article was excellent! I'm actually enjoying this course ( except for the program losing my previous comment! ).

I posted a post yesterday and I can't find it listed here...it was here yesterday!!! Oh well, anyway, I want to mention the importance of the questioning techniques. I'm a firm believer in the questioning method in education whether it be for children or adults. The article was excellent! I'm actually enjoying this course ( except for the program losing my previous comment! ).

This course really opened up for me the available helps and especially ideas developed for the career minded student (and teacher). Hopefully, in my classes I'll now be better able to equip students with more of an awareness concerning their futures, weather that be in manufacturing, service industry, or education. I'm excited to get back to the ABE classes in the fall with my new knowledge and awareness. Keep up the excellent work, LINCS. I'll be taking more of your courses simply to learn more!

I have currently applied for a position and part of that deals with WIOA participants. I saw the need for me to do more research on the program and I came across the courses being offered here as well as the resources available. Very informational. I am currently a Technology Instructor and online learning has its downs to keeping individuals focused. So thank you for the knowledge that has been gained and I am ready to use all resources.