EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS Validated Self Assessment

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EMPLOYABILITY SKILLSValidated Self Assessment

• how to do it !

Developed by Rob Denton
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OBJECTIVES

• This presentation will help you answer the
  following
• What are the LINKup Employability Skills?
• Why are Employability Skills so important?
• Why assess Employability Skills?
• Who assesses your Employability Skills?
• How are your Employability Skills assessed?
• What are the 3 Performance Levels?
• How can Validated Self Assessment benefit you?
• What are the steps involved in Self Assessment?
• Whats involved in Validation?

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1. What are the LINKup Employability Skills?
Employability Skills
Employability Skills are Also known as Key
Competencies Generic skills Life skills DEMANDED
by employers today ESSENTIAL for applying your
technical skills in the workplace Valuable in
ALL areas of life!
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1. What are the LINKup Employability Skills?
The LINKup Employability Skills
Initiative Enterprise Self Management Learning C
ommunication Teamwork Problem Solving Planning
Organising Technology Using Information Mathematic
al Techniques
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1. What are the LINKup Employability Skills?
The LINKup Employability Skills
include Employability Skills Key Competencies
as follows
LINKup Employability Skills Employability Skills Key Competencies
Initiative Enterprise Initiative Enterprise
Self Management Self Management
Learning Learning
Communication Communication Communicating Ideas and Information
Teamwork Teamwork Working with Others and in Teams
Problem Solving Problem Solving Solving Problems
Planning Organising Planning Organising Planning Organising
Technology Technology Using Technology
Using Information Collecting, Analysing and Organising Information
Mathematical Techniques Using Mathematical Ideas and Techniques
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2. Why are Employability Skills so important?
Job advertisement
JOBS!
a self starter, highly analytical, effective
problem solver, a good communicator ...
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2. Why are Employability Skills so important?
JOBS!
Extract from Job Person Specification

• Essential skills and attributes
• High levels of written and oral communication
  skills
• Problem Solving and decision making ability
• Ability to work effectively with others as part
  of a team
• Ability to work in a changing environment
• Ability to research, write and evaluate complex
  issues

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2. Why are Employability Skills so important?

• JOBS
• Employers look for these skills because they want
  work-ready graduates
• Research shows successful companies recruit
  people with these skills
• Proving you have these skills will help you get
  and keep a job
• LIFE IN GENERAL
• Actually, these skills help you perform
  effectively in ALL areas of life

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2. Why are Employability Skills so important?
Mark Rebecca Employee HR Manager
Advanced Rapid Robotic Manufacturing
Rebecca (HR Manager)
We look for people with very good soft skills,
in particular communication, teamwork and problem
solving. We do not employ people who are unable
to work in a team regardless of their technical
skills. When I interviewed Mark, his soft skills
such as communication, teamwork and problem
solving stood out by far in comparison to the
other people that we interviewed. And it was for
this reason that Mark got the job.
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2. Why are Employability Skills so important?
Mark Rebecca Employee HR Manager
Advanced Rapid Robotic Manufacturing
Mark (Graduate and employee)
It is widely known that many employers look at
soft skills first before they look at
qualifications. Therefore presenting only a
Diploma or a Degree is just simply not enough to
ensure success at a job interview these
days. Gaining recognition for your soft skills
through the Key Competencies program will give
you the edge at a job interview. And I guarantee
it!
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3. Why assess Employability Skills?
TWO reasons

• To PROVE your skills (through formal
  certification)
• AND
• To help you UNDERSTAND and IMPROVE them (through
  the assessment process)

PROVE IMPROVE!
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4. Who assesses your Employability Skills?
YOU !
Assessment is based on SELF ASSESSMENT. YOU take
control of your assessment and YOU benefit
directly YOU SELF ASSESS your performance,
so YOU UNDERSTAND your skills, so YOU KNOW HOW to
improve them, so YOU can PROVE EXPLAIN them at
a job interview, so YOU GET THE JOB! plus many
other benefits.
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4. Who assesses your Employability Skills?
YOU !
Trainers, employers peers offer great support
but if THEY control the assessment then THEY
ASSESS your performance, so THEY UNDERSTAND your
skills, so THEY can PROVE EXPLAIN your skills
at a job interview, so THEY GET THE JOB ????
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4. Who assesses your Employability Skills?
Who is responsible for developing (and
assessing) generic skills?
Its definitely the students responsibility
I think the ultimate responsibility is yourself.
But its more of a contract between myself and the
facilitators or teachers
The lecturer does make a big difference, and so
does your employer, but at the end of the day
its YOU!
Well I think its up to the individual
From video - Generic Skills Views and
experiences of workers and students. Courtesy of
NCVER
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5. How are your Employability Skills assessed?
Using a process called Validated Self Assessment

• You Self Assess your Employability Skills
  performance
• as part of any suitable course or work activities
  (NOT extra activities!)
• against clear criteria on Validated Self
  Assessment sheets
• at one of 3 Performance Levels
• and submit samples of evidence to your assessor
  for Validation

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6. What are the 3 Performance Levels?

• Performance Levels indicate how self-directed you
  are in performing the Employability Skills
• The more self-directed you are, the higher the
  performance level
• IMPORTANT Ensure you clearly understand the
  differences between these Performance Levels

PERFORMANCE LEVEL 1 - FOLLOW given guidelines to
achieve set goals PERFORMANCE LEVEL 2 - CHOOSE
from a range of available strategies,
information and
resources to achieve goals PERFORMANCE LEVEL 3 -
CREATE new strategies, or modify existing
strategies,
to meet the specific needs of a real life context
Increasing Self-Directedness
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6. What are the 3 Performance Levels?

• All Performance Levels are important
• It is beneficial to prove that you can perform at
  every level
• Achieving higher levels does not automatically
  mean you have achieved the lower levels

PERFORMANCE LEVEL 1 - FOLLOW given guidelines to
achieve set goals PERFORMANCE LEVEL 2 - CHOOSE
from a range of available strategies,
information and
resources to achieve goals PERFORMANCE LEVEL 3 -
CREATE new strategies, or modify existing
strategies,
to meet the specific needs of a real life context
Increasing Self-Directedness
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7. How can Validated Self Assessment benefit you?
It is designed to help you develop
your Employability Skills Know How enabling you
to
Employability Skills

• Identify your Employability Skills
• Prove your Employability Skills
• Improve your Employability Skills
• Apply Employability Skills effectively anywhere
• Talk convincingly about your Employability Skills
  at job interviews

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8. What are the steps involved in Self Assessment?
Step 1 IDENTIFY a suitable activity to
demonstrate an Employability Skill Step 2
COLLECT the appropriate Validated Self Assessment
sheet Step 3 NOMINATE the appropriate
Performance Level Step 4 REFLECT on the criteria
for your nominated Performance Level Step 5
IDENTIFY samples of evidence to address the
relevant criteria
Lets consider each step in turn
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8. What are the steps involved in Self Assessment?
Step 1 IDENTIFY a suitable activity to
demonstrate an Employability Skill

• This can be ANY suitable course or work related
  activity including
• a class activity
• any self directed learning activity
• a course assessment task
• industry project or work experience
• committee meetings (eg Student Representative
  Council)
• special events
• ANY activity RELEVANT to your field of study or
  work

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8. What are the steps involved in Self Assessment?
Step 2 COLLECT the appropriate Validated Self
Assessment sheet
Collect the appropriate Validated Self Assessment
sheet for the Employability Skill you wish to
assess. Available from LINKup Assessments on
homepage after you Register. Enter your Name,
Date and title of the Assessment Activity
Sam Brooks 29 Feb 2003 Library Orientation
Activity
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8. What are the steps involved in Self Assessment?
Step 3 NOMINATE the appropriate Performance
Level
Sam Brooks 29 Feb 2003 Library Orientation
Activity
Identify the Level that reflects how
self-directed your approach was and tick
your Nominated Performance Level
?
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8. What are the steps involved in Self Assessment?
Step 4 REFLECT on the criteria for your
nominated Performance Level

• Criteria includes
• General descriptions
• AND
• Performance Level criteria

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8. What are the steps involved in Self Assessment?
Step 4 REFLECT on the criteria for your
nominated Performance Level
Read the criteria for your Level VERY
CAREFULLY Think about what you did in your
activity that meets the criteria EXACTLY Tick
the appropriate Level criteria if you believe
you achieved it
?
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8. What are the steps involved in Self Assessment?
Step 5 IDENTIFY samples of evidence to address
the relevant criteria

• IDENTIFY one sample of evidence to meet the
  criteria EXACTLY
• Important
• You DO NOT need to explain your evidence in
  detail just clearly state, point-out or
  reference it. Evidence could include
• a brief statement of what you did
• a specific reference to relevant sections in a
  document or report for the activity
• Trainer/Employer signature verifying
  demonstrated competence of criteria

?
Refer to section 1.2 of assignment sheet for
clear statement of purpose of information
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8. What are the steps involved in Self Assessment?
An EASIER WAY to get started

• Start with the Interactive Forms making self
  assessment MUCH EASIER including
• audio tracks explaining the criteria
• examples of evidence
• simplified layout
• enter your evidence online
• and much more!

Assessment Forms available from homepage in two
formats Word or Interactive
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9. Whats involved in Validation?
Step 1 SUBMIT completed Validated Self
Assessment to assessor Step 2 Assessor VALIDATES
that your evidence meets the criteria Step 3
Assessor RECORDS all successful validations Step
4 Assessor provides FEEDBACK to help you improve
Lets consider each step in turn
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9. Whats involved in Validation?
Step 1 SUBMIT completed Validated Self
Assessment to assessor
Submit the Validated Self Assessment sheet (along
with any attached evidence) to the assessor
responsible for the activity you have performed.
Step 2 Assessor VALIDATES that your evidence
meets the criteria
The Assessor simply (1) Reads your evidence
(2) Checks that it clearly fully meets the
relevant Performance Level criteria (3)
Validates each satisfactory sample of evidence To
achieve validation for the Employability Skill
your evidence must satisfy all criteria for your
nominated Performance Level. (NOTE Assessor may
accept up to TWO criteria achieved at a different
Performance Level OR not achieved)
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9. Whats involved in Validation?
3. Assessor RECORDS all successful validations
Successful validations are recorded. Unsuccessful
assessments are not recorded but are valuable
learning opportunities to prepare you for future
assessments. EXAMPLE VSMART Student
Management System (TAFE SA, TTG) Records the
number of successful assessments for each
Employability Skill plus a log of evidence.
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9. Whats involved in Validation?
4. Assessor provides FEEDBACK to help you improve
Carefully read any assessor feedback and feel
free to discuss it with them. This is a great way
to continue to improve your understanding and
skills. EXAMPLE You may receive feedback on a
LINKup Review Sheet giving you specific
recommendations to help you improve.
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Validated Self Assessment will help you LINKup
your Employability Skills
Learning
Initiative Enterprise
Planning
Problem Solving
Communicaton
Teamwork
Mathematical Techniques
Using Information
Self Management
Using Technology
a framework for life
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EMPLOYABILITY SKILLSValidated Self Assessment
Rob Denton TAFE SA Tea Tree Gully
Campus rob.denton_at_tafesa.edu.au [phone]