Employability Skills

Unit introduction

Ainsley Smith

http://asmithatmancat.wordpress.com/E-mail ainsley_smith@mancat.ac.uk

Employability skills??

This unit is not about being employed, but about having “Employability skills” compatible with jobs which fully utilises your degree!!

Employability skills?? It will also provide useful information, and guidelines,

regarding job responsibilities for:

other peoples actions

groups or teams

making important decisions

carrying out, and reporting on, research activities

So how does it fit in with other units??

It fully compliments the Foundation Degree in Computer Network Managements technical subjects

It builds on the skills covered in the “Personal Effectiveness” unit

It provides further insights to the organisational goals, and objectives, covered by the “Information Systems in Organisations” unit

So what are the units outcomes??

A student who successfully completes this unit should be able to:-

Identify, describe and evaluate their own, and others’ job related responsibilities and

performanceInvestigate and describe the dynamics of

working with others, and the associated responsibilities of being a good team member, and/or team leader

So what are the units outcomes??

A student who successfully completes this unit should be able to:-

Develop, present, and evaluate a strategy for solving problems

Develop, present, and evaluate a strategy for handling, processing and communicating information

So what about a bit more detail??

Own and others’ work responsibilities and performanceJob descriptions and specificationsJob responsibilitiesSetting job performance targetsIndividual appraisals and development systemsMotivation and performance

Setting job performance targets

So what about a bit more detail??

Dynamics of working with othersTeam and group workGroup working to achieve corporate

objectives and goalsGroup problem solving Team projects

So what about a bit more detail??

Dynamics of working with others, continuedLeadershipSelecting the teamMotivation and loyaltyTarget settingMonitoring and controlAction Planning

Team building ingredientsIngredients seen as important to the successful set-up and launch of such

team efforts include:

• Selection of participants • Establishing goals • Allocation of roles within the team • Harmonizing personality types • Training on how to work together • Support within the team • Making effective use of resources • Communication between team members and leaders

So what about a bit more detail??

Problem solving strategiesSpecification of the problemIdentification of possible outcomesResearch, plan and implementMonitor and present outcomesEvaluation of the solution against the specification

and desired outcomes

Cause & Effect

So what about a bit more detail??

Strategies for handling, processing and communicating informationIdentify outcomesResearch, plan and processMonitor and present outcomesEvaluation of communication strategy

A SWOT by an individual manager could look like this:

Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats

Enthusiasm, energy, imagination, expertise in subject area, excellent track record in specialized area

Not good at achieving results through undirected use of personal energies, trouble at expressing themselves orally and on paper – may have ideas but these come over as incoherent, management experience and expertise limited

More general management opportunities requiring development of new managers

De-centralisation having the effect of removing departments where the individual is employed and eliminating middle management layers to form flatter structure of organization

What about assessments??

There are two marked assessments

Assessment 1

A Personal Development Plan (PDP) which will be updated, and monitored, at regular intervals through out the course

Showing your continuous development in understanding, and applying, “Employability skills”

What about assessments??

There are two marked assessments

Assessment 2

A report, no longer than 1500 words, showing you have fully utilised “Employability skills” at your workplace, and how this has contributed to organisational efficiency

How do I provide evidence of good “Employability Skills”??

Examples of supporting evidence could be:Work assessment reportsCase studiesProject management activitiesResearch reportsSupervisory activitiesDecision making outcomes Team building and leadingMeeting organisational goals and objectives

Books of interest• One Step ahead: Writing Reports    Seely J    Oxford University Press ISBN 0198662831

• Creating teams with an edge Havard Business Essentials ISBN 1-59139-290-X

• Manager’s Toolkit Havard Business Essentials ISBN 1-59139-289-6

Books of interest• Winning Decisions J Edward Russo & Paul J. H Schoemaker Piatkus ISBN 07499 2285 0

• Developing your staff Patrick Forsyth Kogan Page ISBN 0-7494-3525-9

• Leadership Styles              Tony Kippenberger  Capstone Express   

ISBN 1841123579