Paul Brinkhurst
The Centre for Literacy Summer Institute 2012
Workplace Literacy & Essential Skills:
Shaping a New Learning Culture
June 27-29, 2012
Montreal, QC
Outline
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The Skills Pyramid
Building Employability Skills
Assessing Employability Skills
Your Input:
 Possible applications
 Your needs ( guides, curriculum etc.)
 Your limitations (cost, staff, time…)
 Participation:
 Level 1 – informal feedback
 Level 2 – formal feedback
 Conclusion
The Skills Pyramid
JOB
ESSENTIAL
EMPLOYABILITY
Employability Skills
Based on our 25+ years in the field, our list
of KEY employability skills is:
 Attitude
 Adaptability
 Motivation
 Stress Management
 Presentation
 Accountability
 Teamwork
 Confidence
 Time Management
DEVELOPING
EMPLOYABILITY
SKILLS….
The Glenwood Method: Integrated
Skill Development
 On the job at all times
 Contextualized learning
 Hands on skill development
The principles….
Common expectations:
1.
-
For both staff and learners – on the job at all times
Common skill definitions
Detailed guidelines
Assessment rubrics for each skill
RED
TIME
MANAGEMENT
VERBAL
TIME
MANAGEMENT
PHYSICAL
TIME
MANAGEMENT
CONSISTENT
TIME
MANAGEMENT
(time)
CONSISTENT
TIME
MANAGEMENT
(place)
SCALE
YELLOW
GREEN
- excessive hesitation
- excessive speed
- excessive talking with
others
- clarity drops with
excitement or shyness
- arrives /leaves at the
wrong time
- makes excuses for lateness
- does not meet deadlines
-does not set or follow
proper priorities
- is inattentive to the time
-cannot tell time.
- cannot read schedules
- does not plan ahead
- improving ability to
meet/use simple
schedules effectively
- attempts to meet
assigned priorities
- attempts to be
attentive (uses
strategies) with some
success
- shows signs of planning
ahead to improve
efficiency
- is late or misses
deadlines only at
specific times (morning,
after break etc)
- is occasionally late or
misses deadlines
- exhibits appropriate
time management skills
in some venues
- usually or always late
regardless of time of day
- never pays attention to or
forgets deadlines
- does not demonstrate
appropriate time
management in any venue
1
2
3
4
5
- can communicate an
idea verbally both
effectively and
efficiently
- appropriate hesitation
- talking for work
purposes
- clear speech
- arrives and leaves on
time
-meets deadlines
-is attentive and
efficient
- can plan ahead and
use foresight
- sets/meets own
priorities effectively
-can use complex
schedules
-can make schedules
- is rarely or never late
- consistently meets
deadlines well
throughout their
workday
- exhibits appropriate
time management skills
in most/all venues
6
7
8
Developing Employability Skills
1.
Create common expectations
2. Involve all staff in observing client strengths and
weaknesses in a variety of venues and situations
- always be watchful for opportunities to praise and
obligations to adjust behaviours
- common observation recording and management
system
Observation Record
Developing Employability Skills
Create common expectations
2. Involve all staff
1.
3. Provide honest, consistent, timely and respectful
feedback
- honest: do not mask the truth. Tell it like it is.
- consistent: all staff respond the same way.
- timely: respond when the behaviour occurs.
- respectful: establish a relationship of trust.
Developing Employability Skills
Create common expectations
2. Involve all staff
3. Honest, consistent, timely and respectful
4. Involve clients in finding and evaluating new
behavioural strategies
- one-on-one counsellor/client partnership
- opportunities for testing in the work place
1.
Developing Employability Skills
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Common expectations
Involve all staff
Honest, consistent, timely and respectful feedback
Involve clients in new strategies
Use a consistent assessment process to track change
- Employability Skills Assessment Tool (ESAT)
Assessing Employability Skills
 How do you assess attitude, confidence, etc?
 How do you show employability skill program
effectiveness?
 How do you motivate clients or funders when
improvements are hard to demonstrate?
Embracing the subjectivity…
ESAT INVOLVES:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Repeated client self assessment surveys
Repeated staff assessments by rubric
Staff Consensus
Perception comparison and analysis
Client debrief and strategizing
Distance Travelled Assessment
Self Assessment
 58 to 100 descriptive statements
 Clients assign scores 1 to 8 re applicability
 Clients score with respect to work, and with respect to
home
 ESAT generates a score for each skill (8 being optimal)
Staff Assessment
 Each staff member assesses a client using the
definitions and rubrics on a 1-8 scale
 Assessments are :
 Independent
 Based on observations over previous 4-6 weeks
Staff Consensus
 Weekly client reviews
 Individual staff scores are presented and discussed
 Staff reach consensus:
 Create a deeper shared understanding of the client
 Help reveal any bias that may exist
 Ensure staff can substantiate scores
Comparison Output
Debrief learner…
 Identify strengths
 Identify opportunities for growth
 Discuss differences in perspective
 Brainstorm new behavioural strategies
 Reach agreement ( verbal, formal or contract)
Distance Travelled
Key Points
 Requires consistent application of common skill
definitions and expectations
 Requires strong communication between staff
 Requires an investment of time in the client
But….
IT WORKS!
WAY AHEAD
 Funding from Counselling Foundation of Canada
 Includes software to run on an intranet or workstation
 Includes user guide
 Available January 2013
 First 100 copies will be provided to non-profits at no
cost – just a promise to provide feedback
Questions?
YOUR INPUT
 Possible Applications:
 addition to employment training programs
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YOUR INPUT
 What would you need to implement such a system:
 Guide – ESAT or full method?
 Training?
 Curriculum supports?
 Ability to adjust the tool?
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Skills?
Questions?
Rubrics?
Your Input #3
 What limitations or problems do you foresee?
 Time?
 Staff commitment?
 Training?
 Cost?
 Ability to do work simulation?
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Participation
 Level 1 – Use the ESAT and provide informal feedback
on the tool and its effectiveness
 Level 2 – Use the ESAT for a year and provide formal
feedback on its utility, effectiveness including
feedback from participants.
ESAT PARTICIPATION:
Name of Organization: _______________________
Contact Name: ______________________________
Email:_________________Phone: (___)__________
Interested in:
Level
1 2 Other… (please specify):
Comments: