youthreach soft skills framework

Youthreach Soft Skills Framework

An initiative by

Mary Gordon, NEPS & Co Meath VEC Youthreach Centres

Youthreach soft skills framework

Culmination of years of work by practitioners working directly in Youthreach or providing services to Youthreach.

The rationale for the project is to direct attention to the personal and social skills that form a core part of the programme and a major part of the work of centres.


• Representatives of the six Youthreach centres in Co Meath: Vivienne Branigan, Vanessa Connell, Aaron Fowler, Eileen Gargan, Fiona Graham, Alan Larkin, Liz Lavery, Enda McDonnell, David O’Connor

• Mary Gordon, Senior Psychologist in the Department of Education and Skills

• This project is being supported by NEPS and Co Meath VEC

Soft skills and well-being

A person’s well-being relates to their physical, social and mental state. It requires that basic needs are met, that people have a sense of purpose, that they feel able to achieve important goals, to participate in society and to live the lives they value and have reason to value. People’s well-being is enhanced by conditions that include financial and personal security, meaningful and rewarding work, supportive personal relationships, strong and inclusive communities, good health, a healthy and attractive environment, and values of democracy and social justice. (NESC, 2009, p. 138)

The purpose of the Youthreach soft skills project

1. To identify the range of soft skills that are relevant to the work of centres and to locate these on a framework


2. To identify suitable pedagogical approaches and resources for teaching soft skills


3. To identify appropriate ways to measure learners’ progress in the development of soft skills

The purpose of the Youthreach Soft Skills Project

4. To identify appropriate ways to record and report on learners’ progress in relation to soft skills

What are soft skills?

• ‘Soft skills’, ‘Key skills’ and ‘Key competencies’ • Soft skills continuum • Education and labour narket initiatives• Soft skills are not so much identified, as

constructed

(This gives a central position to the question of the purpose and values underpinning the identification of these skills.)

The rationale for identifying and teaching soft skills could be

• The empowerment of the learner • To prepare the worker for the labour market• To support the individual

–to become an effective citizen –to become an effective parent/family

member–to live respectfully in a culturally diverse

society –to have environmental awareness

Some or all of the above

The rationale for identifying and teaching soft skills

Impacts on:

•The aim of the project

•The teaching methods

•The power dynamics between teacher and learner

•The areas chosen for assessment

•How assessment is done

Teaching soft skills

• Contextualising the skills in a meaningful situation and integrating them into other skills and activities

• The fundamental issue may lie in the actual development or teaching of soft skills, rather than focusing only on their assessment.

Methodologies

• Having clarity about the specific skills being taught

• Using formal, non-formal and informal approaches

• Recognition … and therefore assessment

Assessing Soft Skills

• International projects are concerned to measure

soft skills

– Not academic learning per se…

– But things like problem-solving, learning to learn and

working with others.

– Certain areas are commonly considered to be difficult

or impossible to assess.

Assessment of soft skills

Identifying the gains made in the acquisition of soft skills

• ‘Soft outcomes’ …?• ‘Soft indicators’ …?• ‘Distance travelled’ …?

A soft skills framework

Soft skills framework

3 key competencies

Responsibility

Power

Confidence


3 domains

Others

The world

The self


Responsibility

Focus: On others

Power

Focus: On the world

Confidence

Focus: On the self

Workshop 1

Divide into 3 groups

Each group takes a domain and identifies some of the soft skill

competencies involved in it


Competencies involve both awareness and acceptance

Responsibility

sensitivity towards and consideration

for others

Confidence

awareness of andacceptance of the

self

Power

knowledge of and appreciation for the

world


Competencies involve skills

ResponsibilitySelf-regulation

skillsSocial skills

Confidence

Life skillsSelf-regulation skills

Power

Social skillsLife skills

Competencies versus skills

“From a strictly conceptual viewpoint, competence has a broader meaning than skill and many analysts consider a competence to include several skills. If we accept that distinction, then the concept of competence should be considered as broader, more general and a higher level of cognition and complexity than the concept skill.” (Tiana, 2004)


Competencies involve:

• Values

• Awareness

• Skills

Awareness and acceptance of self

Life and self-regulation skills

Knowledge of the world and appreciation for how

it worksSocial and life skills

Sensitivity and consideration towards

others Self-regulation and

social skills

Power Responsibility

Confidence


Competencies as overlapping

Life skills

Social skills

Self-regulation skills

Power Responsibility

Confidence


Skills as overlapping

Domains Competencies Skills

The self

Confidence Self-awareness and -management

Life skills Self-regulation skills

Others

Responsibility Social awareness and effectiveness

Self-regulation skills

Social skills

The world

Power Knowledge of and effectiveness in the world

Social skills

Life skills


Workshop 2Divide into 3 groups again

In each group explore under the headings what skills might be

demonstrated by a learner in each area of competency

Domains Competencies Skills

The self

Awareness of self Management of self

LifeCan look after self in practical ways e.g. presentation, sexual healthCan ask for helpCan have fun with othersCan make decisions and plans to benefit self and advance life goals

Self-regulation Can recognise emotionsCan cope with adverse circumstancesCan manage interactions with others Can be assertive Can exercise control over substancesCan put in effort and motivate self

Others

Awareness of others Effectiveness with others

Self-regulation Can manage emotions e.g. anger, jealousy, exuberance, anxietyCan restrain impulsivityCan take responsibility for own actionsCan decentre and notice othersCan observe rules

Social Can understand where others are coming fromCan take care of othersCan empathise with othersCan communicate effectively in social situations

The world

Knowledge of the world Effectiveness in the world

Social Can work cooperatively with others Can deal effectively with people in formal and semi-formal situationsCan follow instructions from othersCan keep own wordCan manage others

LifeCan solve a range of practical problemsCan access information and use itCan employ learning strategiesCan locate self within the wider world and understand its structures, practices and rulesCan think about and evaluate social and political matters or events


Teaching soft skills

Teaching soft skillsFocus: The self Goal: To develop confidence Competencies involved include: Emotional literacy, a sense of identity, a sense of purpose

Skills: Life skills•Can look after self in practical ways e.g. self-presentation, sexual health•Can ask for help•Can make decisions and plans to benefit self and advance life goals•Can have fun with others•Can recognise and place value on won achievements

Teaching soft skillsFocus: The self Goal: To develop confidence Competencies include: Emotional literacy, a sense of identity, a sense of purpose

Skills: Self-regulation skills•Can recognise emotions•Can express emotions appropriately•Can acknowledge own needs•Can be assertive without being aggressive•Can cope with adverse circumstances•Can manage anxiety and try out new experiences•Can put in effort and motivate self

Teaching soft skillsFocus: OthersGoal: To develop responsibility Competencies include: Social sensitivity, a sense of connectedness, a capacity for empathy

Skills Self-regulation skillsCan manage emotions (e.g. anger, jealousy, exuberance, anxiety)•Can restrain impulsivity•Can take responsibility for own actions•Can notice how others are feeling•Can take account of others•Can observe rules•Can handle criticism

Teaching soft skillsFocus: OthersGoal: To develop responsibility Competencies include: Social sensitivity, a sense of connectedness, a capacity for empathy

Skills Social skills •Can understand where others are coming from•Can de-centre and observe others’ experience•Can take care of others•Can empathise with others•Can listen•Can communicate effectively in social situations•Can manage and resolve conflicts

Teaching soft skillsFocus: The world Goal: To develop powerCompetencies include: Relational awareness, ability to decentre the self, curiosity

Skills: Social skills•Can work cooperatively with others •Can deal effectively with people in formal and semi-formal situations•Can be punctual and reliable•observe social rules and niceties•Can keep own word•Can lead others•Can manage others

Teaching soft skillsFocus: The World Goal: To develop powerCompetencies include: relational awareness, ability to decentre the self, curiosity

Skills: Life skills•Can solve a range of practical problems•Can access information and use it•Can employ learning strategies•Can understand the structures, practices and rules that apply in the wider world•Can locate self within the wider world •Can think about and evaluate social and political matters or events

Rating, planning and recording progress

10 point rating scale

The 10-point rating scale is not envisaged as an equal-interval measure. For example the move from 1 to 2 could be considerably greater than from 8 to 9.

TemplatePage 1

TemplatePage 2

Recording soft skills

Record includes both • Quantitative rating and• Qualitative description (reason for rating)Meaning of rating• A collaborative decisionRating values• Slower progress at first• But greater achievement

Planning

Template records rating and reason for rating

Template also records plan – link to teaching

Measuring progress

• Templates over time show progress made by each individual (distance travelled)

• Reasons for ratings identify soft indicators and imply soft outcomes

• Total templates over time show achievement of centre

Pilot project in Co Meath Youthreach centres

• Piloted in 2012 in six centres

• Very positive evaluation from centres

• Next step: Role out in other VEC areas

• New context of Solas

• Need for “metrics”

youthreach soft skills framework

Documents

teaching of soft skills

range of soft skills

soft skills impacts

social skills

key skills

specific skills

soft skillswhat

meath vecsoft skills