Informal Assessment of
Personal Transferable Skills:
Contract Research Staff
Dr Colin Mason
Tuesday, 29 June 2004
University of St Andrews
Outline
• Support for Contract Research Staff
• A student-centred focus for evaluation
• Identifying transferable skills
– Knowing yourself
• How successful is this programme?
Career Development for
Contract Research Staff (CRS)
• Ongoing support
– one-to-one consultation with careers advisors
• Course1 (1-2 times per year)
– Fixed_Staff_Programme_Jan_2004.doc
• Further suite of courses (2004-05)
– How to Impress at Interview
– Advanced Presentation Skills
– Writing effective research grant proposals
1
Based on the SHEFC project of Barbara Graham and Linda Ali, 1997
Evaluation
(Please complete this form before and after the course)
1 completely unsure
2 have a vague idea
3
fairly well informed
• Ability to identify your transferable skills
4
well informed
Before 1 2 3 4
After
1 2 3 4
• Understanding what is important to you in your next
career move
Before 1 2 3 4
• Knowledge of how to review career options,
including research
Before 1 2 3 4
• Knowledge of potential sources of vacancies
Before 1 2 3 4
After
After
After
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
• Present yourself effectively to employers:
– In writing
– At interview
Before 1 2 3 4
After
1 2 3 4
What transferable skills?
Manual dexterity
Memorising
numbers
Using machine
tools, sewing
Teaching, training
Designing
things,
Diagnosing, looking
Reviewing,
machine, lathe,
Calculating,
Analysing,
events, learning
for problems
evaluating
power tools
computing
Taking an inventory
dissecting, sorting
situations
Examining,
and sifting through
observing,
Composing music
information or things
Developing other's
Problem-solving surveying, an eye
ideas
for detail and
Assembling things
Finding out how
Driving car, accuracy
things work
Conveying warmth
motorbike
and caring
Showing sensitivity
Fixing, repairing
Giving credit to
to
others'
feelings
things
Selling,
persuading,
others, showing
Building,
negotiating
appreciation
constructing
Following
Sizing up aComposing
situation music
instructions,
or person quickly
Conveying feelings
Leading,Promoting
directing change
diagrams, blueprints
and
accurately
or thoughts throughTaking first moveCreating,
others
Promoting
Hand-eye
change
coin
Working
creatively
drawing, painting relationships
ordination
innovating, seeing with spaces, shapes
etc
alternatives
Having insight,
or faces
Listening
Handling things with
Fashioning or
using
intuition
precision and speed
Improvising,
shaping things or
adapting Reading for facts
Using hand tools
materials
Motivating people
Getting people to
Manipulating
Writing creatively
talk
Helping others
numbers rapidly in Organising,
Researching, Managing money, mental arithmetic
Keeping physically
classifying
Working creatively
gathering
fit
budgeting
Performing in a
Organising people
with colours
information
group, on stage, in
public etc
My Transferable Skills – case 1
Very
Competent
Competent
for task
Manual dexterity
Finding out how
things work
Assembling things
Building,
constructing
Fashioning or
shaping things or
materials
Using machine
tools, sewing
machine, lathe,
power tools
Keeping physically
fit
Using hand tools
Following
instructions,
diagrams, blueprints
Working creatively
with spaces, shapes
or faces
Adequate
for task
Calculating,
computing
Designing things,
events, learning
situations
Following
instructions,
diagrams, blueprints
Reading for facts
Driving car,
motorbike
Fixing, repairing
things
Improvising,
adapting
Designing things,
events, learning
situations
Memorising
numbers
Examining,
observing,
surveying, an eye
for detail and
accuracy
Teaching, training
Undeveloped
Organising people
Developing other's
ideas
Giving credit to
others, showing
appreciation
Handling things with
precision and speed
Helping others
Sizing up a situation
or person quickly
and accurately
Taking first move in
relationships
Showing sensitivity
to others' feelings
Getting people to
talk
Classification of transferable skills
Manual dexterity
T
Organising people
P
Assembling things
T
Giving credit to
others, showing
appreciation
P
Building,
constructing
T
Handling things with
precision and speed
T
Fashioning or
shaping things or
materials
I
Sizing up a situation
or person quickly
and accurately
I
Using machine
tools, sewing
machine, lathe,
power tools
T
Showing sensitivity
to others' feelings
P
Classification of transferable skills
• D = Data
– Represent the kind of skills required to record,
communicate, evaluate, and organise facts or data about
goods and services. etc
• I = Ideas
– Skills used in being creative, designing conceptual models
and systems, experimenting with words, figures, music.
etc
• P = People
– Skills used in helping, informing, teaching, serving,
persuading, entertaining, motivating, selling and directing
people. etc
• T = Things
– Skills used in making, repairing, transporting, servicing. etc
Ability to identify transferable skills
30
25
20
Frequency 15
Pre
Post
10
5
0
Completely Have a
Fairly well
unsure vague idea informed
Well
informed
Self Assessment Skills
(CRS n = 44; 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004)
1 completely unsure
2 have a vague idea
3
fairly well informed
4
well informed
Pre
Post
Mean
Median
2.34
Mean
Median
3.39
2
3
• Knowledge of how to review career
options, including research
2.11
3.34
2
3
• Present yourself effectively to
employers:
– In writing
2.64
3.41
• Ability to identify your transferable
skills
3
*
3
*
P
Value
<0.005
<0.005
<0.005
Wilcoxon Signed ranks test
Participants’ comments
whilst these
comments may not
have changed, the
course has benefited
me in that it has
reassured me that I
am on the right track.
enjoyed the
day, thought the
exercises were
worthwhile.
I think you could cut
the interview
session - not
because it was bad,
but not relevant to
rest of course.
An excellent course perhaps more disciplinerelated examples with
the case studies.
Summary
• CRS are provided with an opportunity (1 day) to reflect
on their careers and the skills, abilities and values on
which their career progress depends.
• The course design ‘forces’ CRS to identify their own
strengths and weaknesses through informal selfassessment exercises.
• CRS usually find the course helpful, and are significantly
better after attending the course in determining their
stage of development in a range of transferable skills
that may be useful in employment searches.
(Well, at least they think so!)