Material adapted from:
David CliftonDean of Academic AffairsIvy Tech State College
South Central Indiana
In Conjunction with:
Southern Indiana Chamber of CommerceRegion 14 School-to-Career
Partnership
*This slide is intended to get students attention and help them
to think about their future.
The instructor should pause for students to answer. Answers
could be written on the board.
If the instructor is also providing the results of the IDEAS
career inventory to the students, the instructor could use that as
a starting point. That may allow the instructor to move forward in
the presentation, since the students interest should be heightened
by the fact that they know what careers the inventory points them
towards, and what it may take to be successful in those careers. In
that situation, the instructor may start with slide 6. The
instructor would want to ask the students what skills and
characteristics are important for the students career preference
before moving forward. This would help the student to focus
specifically on a career and its related needs.
(Counselors or teachers may add to, delete from, or alter the
presentation to benefit their class or situation.)*This slide could
be used as a prompt for responses to the previous question. Again
this helps in gaining attention.
If students focus on careers, they may also be asked what they
need to be successful in those careers.*The instructor should pause
and wait for responses.
The instructor should mention that this is what the class will
be focusing on. In this way the instructor is telling the student
what will be accomplished with the lesson. *The instructor may
pause for effect before going to the next slide.*The instructor
should pause and allow students to answer before going to the next
slide. You can record responses on the board. This allows students
to recall things they may have previously learned.*We trade the
things we have that society values in order to live the lifestyle
that we choose.Here is where you want to emphasize the purpose of
school as a place to learn the skills needed for your future
career.****Again teacher may pause for student response. This may
also help recall prior learning.
Teachers may ask students to choose a profession at this point
and go to www.kentuckianaworks.org. Students can conduct a search
at that web site that discusses employment demand for the
Kentuckiana area, as well as average pay. The information also
links to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which gives information
about the skills and education required of each
profession.**Another opportunity for students to respond. Length of
discussion depends on instructors needs. Also provides chance to
stimulate previous learning of those skills necessary to
succeed.
In addition, a video was developed with professionals speaking
to each of the ten skills and characteristics. That video could be
shown at this point.* DEPENDABILITY- Can depend and rely upon
employee to do whats assigned.HONESTY- Has good moral and ethical
viewpoint.WORK ETHIC- Has commitment and motivation to
work.ATTITUDE- Has a positive view.TEAMWORK- Works and interacts
well with others.*JOB WELL DONE- Is competent and does quality
work.ADAPTABILITY- Is willing to change and
learn.ATTENDANCE/PROMPTNESS- Is where they need to be, when they
need to be.CUSTOMER FOCUS- Focused on service and follow-up for
customer satisfaction.COMMUNICATION- Has good oral and written
communication skills.
An instructor could ask the class to discuss where each of the
Top Ten fall in relation to technical, life, and social skills.
This may depend upon the age and maturity of the class.
*INITIATIVE-(44%) Is a self starter.ORGANIZED-(40%) Plans and
exercises time management.READING-(34%) Can comprehend what they
read.MATH-(34%) Can perform computation skills
needed.DECISIONS-(30%) Exercises good judgment and critical
thinking skills.APPEARANCE-(28%) Is neatly groomed.LEADER-(24%) Can
exercise leadership skills.LISTEN-(22%) Active listener.
While these did not rank in the top ten, it may be important to
stress to some students that reading and math was important to a
third of the employers. The instructor could point out that
overlooking those skills would limit their job possibilities. Of
course, the class may want to discuss how difficult any of the top
ten skills may be to demonstrate without some of these skills.*This
slide may be used in addition to the previous slides.This slide
shows the top ten employee skills needed for current business
operations as discovered by the Southern7 Workforce Investment
Board. It may be important for students to realize that the
sampling group, and the questions asked were different from this
group than for the Southern Indiana Chamber of Commerces survey.
However, there is similarity in the results. Students may be asked
to compare and contrast the two lists. This would help the students
to internalize the kinds of skills they need to be successful.
In addition the July 1998 Forbes Magazine reports that Basic
Math Skills (60%), Language Skills (55%), Technical Skills (48%),
Computer Skills (30%), and an Ability to Work in Teams (25%) were
the top skill deficiencies in the American workforce. Again these
skills are important to stress and emphasize. Students may want to
compare this list to the local lists. While the order changes
between various surveys, similar skills and characteristics are
noted across geographic regions and across time.*The slide will
hopefully get students to connect that their education is important
to their future and relevant.
The teacher may ask students to state how their education is
relevant. Then click to show the data from the Southern7 WIB
Survey.
Students may wish to use the KentuckianaWorks web page to
conduct a search about the educational requirements of jobs that
interest them. The teacher could ask students to choose a
particular occupation at review the area demand and requirements
for that occupation at www.kentuckianaworks.org.
It is important to remember that as the world changes, certain
skills will become more important. The trend is for employees to be
more self-directed. This means having a whole host of life,social,
and technical skills to be able to interact with customers and
others. *This slide is intended to reinforce the previous slide to
stress the importance of education. While advanced degrees and
education may not be for everyone, students should look at the
difference between the unemployment rate for those who have less
than a high school education and those that are at least high
school graduates. They may also look at the pay differential. On
average, failing to finish high school will cost an individual
$6,837 a year. If an individual is expected to work for 50 years,
then not completing high school will cost over $340,000 in a
lifetime (that figure does not account for the time, interest
rates, or the cost of living, so it is a very conservative
estimate).
Life is about choices, and students must choose what they want
from life. It is important to remember that we trade skills and
characteristics for those things we want in life. Our choices are
broader and easier, the more skills and education we have
acquired.*This group of questions can be done in several ways or
omitted. Students can answer in class or in writing. Students may
be divided into groups and assigned a question to report on. Using
the questions should elicit performance from the students allowing
the instructor to give feedback, assess responses, and enhance
retention and transfer.*This question, or one of the others, could
be assigned to encourage a connection between the skills/traits,
school, and their future. The question could be done for homework,
enhancing retention and transfer, and providing the instructor with
another opportunity to provide feedback and assess student
understanding.
While a teacher may add to or delete from any portion of the
presentation, it is important that the teacher provide a mechanism
for students to answer this or other related questions. Only by
doing so can students have an opportunity to pause, reflect, and
internalize the message this lesson plan is trying to
convey.*Teachers may use these resources to augment the class
discussion. Teachers may also have students use these resources to
research the skills, traits, and characteristics required of jobs
in which students have shown an interest.
Again the KentuckianaWorks web site has relevant local
information that can be derived on a county basis. It also has many
other pertinent information to the Kentuckiana area.
Karen Betrand, as mentioned above, is available to discuss how
particular skills, traits, and characteristics match up with
particular jobs. She is willing to come to class, upon invitation
to discuss the academic requirements of jobs, and how students may
research that information.*
