School of Digital & Business Induction
Topic outline
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At the start of your course you are required to complete a project which is driven by the question; what are the key knowledge, skills and behaviours you need to work in/be a …(your vocational area/career goal)…? with an end product that encompasses; how to get dream jobs in….(your vocational area/chosen career)?
A large part of how you approach the project will be down to you, and to a certain extent the vocation that you are studying, but you will be required to reflect on various milestones set out over this course, work collaboratively and produce, or at least contribute to, a ‘public product’ at the end.Some part of your project may relate directly to the assessment of the main qualification you are studying, other elements will complement it.
Success in your main qualification is very important as this will help you to develop knowledge, skills and understanding of the area that you are considering your career in. However, whilst employers will value your qualification, they also value, just a much and sometimes more, a range of skills (including English and Maths) that enable people to function effectively in the workplace.
Employers are even more likely to be interested in you if, through practical work experience, you have had a chance to practice and develop these skills in a real working environment. A big part of this project is aimed at helping you prepare for these experiences and to develop skills that will make you more successful in your studies.
In summary your Induction Project:
1. Is organised around an open-ended driving question or challenge - what are the key knowledge, skills and behaviours you need to work in/be a …(insert vocational area/career goal)…?
2. Creates a need for you to know essential content and skills.
3. Requires your own inquiry to learn and/or create something new
4. Requires critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and various forms of communication - often known as 21st Century skills
5. Allows you some degree of student voice and choice.
6. Incorporates self-reflection, peer feedback and improvement.
7. Results in a publicly presented product or performance - how to get dream jobs in….(your vocational area/chosen career)?
Working your way systematically through the sections of this Moodle course will help you to develop the skills you need not only for your project, but to be successful on your course, and beyond it. We call these 'Skills for Success' and you can read more about these in the document at the bottom of this page. The Skills are also mapped against each section of this course.
You might not use all the resources on this Moodle course as your teachers may suggest alternatives that are more suited to you personally and/or your vocational area. However, you MUST check the introductory areas of each section as these outline the skills you need to develop and reflect on. Work with your Course Team Leader (CTL) to ensure you've covered everything you need to for your particular project.
At the end of each week ALL students are required to complete an evaluative journal entry in their ILP ‘My Learning Diary’ on Pro-Monitor.
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Each week you are required to reflect on the knowledge and skills you have developed during this project and write this up in your ‘My Learning Diary’ on Pro-Monitor.
Reflection draws on 2 key employability skills - analysis and evaluation. These are sometimes referred to as 'deeper thinking' or 'critical thinking' skills, and typically involve asking the questions how and why?
As part of your induction project we want you to think about the knowledge, skills and behaviours that you are developing through your research and the activities you've taken part in. Think about these in relation to your personal goals and ambitions AND the goals of the project.
The key is to not just describe - for example 'this week I did A & B', but think about what did you learn from A & B? How will this help you with your goals? How well did A & B go, and why? What could you do better in relation to A & B and why? How can you take A & B forward, what do you need to do now/next?
You may wish to refer to the Short Guide to Reflective Writing on this page.
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Complete or pass the activity
Level 2 - How to self-assess.
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Complete or pass the activity
Level 3 - Short guide to reflective writing.
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Complete or pass the activity
Level 2 - Introduction to job research and career paths.
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Complete or pass the activity
Level 3 - Progression routes within employment sectors.
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Skills focus: Completing and rehearsing
By the end of this section you should have:
Taken part in activities on:
- Being confident (AB2, AB5, W4)
- Preparation for industry placement (GF1-8)
- Creating a CV (MF7)
- Applications (MF7)
- With your project team finalised your public product plans for Week 6 (GF8)
- Reflected on all of the above, in relation to the project's driving question, in an evaluative journal entry your ‘My Learning Diary’ on Pro-Monitor (MF2)
The resources and activities in this section will help you complete the points above
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Complete or pass the activity
Level 2
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Complete or pass the activity
Level 2
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Complete or pass the activity
Level 2
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Complete or pass the activity
Level 3
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Complete or pass the activity
Level 3
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Complete or pass the activity
Level 3
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Complete or pass the activity
Level 3
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Make entries: 1
Activity 11 - Examples of CVs
Now research some example of CVs from different industries.
For example this is a nice example for illustration.
Add your own example by choosing to Add a new entry.
Then write your job role or industry in the box marked concept.
Now add a link by clicking the chain icon and/ or a picture by selecting the picture icon.
Choose save.
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View
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Complete or pass the activity
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Make a submission
Activity 6 - Industry / Work placement
- Identify and research companies you could approach for your work placement.
- Think about how you could communicate with them and who would be the best person to contact.
- Plan how you could sell yourself and what
you need to say.
If you already have a work placement please work as a mentor with someone who hasn’t, so you can support them to find their work placement.
Add your answers to the above here. -
Complete or pass the activity
Extension activities
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Complete the activity
Get started - Brains in gear
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Complete the activity
Activity 3 - What do employers want?
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Job applications
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Complete the activity
Activity 7 - Applying your skills to Job Descriptions
Walk around the tables and look at the job roles you see there.
Sit at the table with the job most close to your dream job. If you don't know what a specific job does , look it up here.
Look at the skills and knowledge needed for your type of job. These usually appear in the Person Specification of a job description.
On your tables, take a skill / knowledge each and write a statement that shows you have them.
If you can't find anything for you search here.
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Activity 8 - Check your language!
The language that you use in an application form must be formal. This means that it should be polite and business like and contain no slang or jargon.
Create formal sentences for the examples below that you could add to an application form.
- Brilliant at making friends.
- Can do lots of jobs at the same time.
- Never late.
- Always do my best.
- Can work with other people.
- Loves helping customers.
- Good at talking on the phone.
Now check the statements you just made, are they formal enough?
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Summary and next steps
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Interview skills
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Activity 2 - Recap
In the last session you looked at:
Knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes that employers look for in their employees.
Match the following examples into knowledge, skills, abilities or attitudes. -
Activity 6 - Your interview question answers
You will now be given a model answer to your question. Look at it again and change it if you want to.
Move around the room and look at others' answers. Add to them if you would like to.
Take a photo of your answer and upload it to this gallery.
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Activity 8 - What is good communication?
Think about the last activity.
What makes good communication? Think about this or research it in terms of an interview.
What might you do or make sure you don't do at an interview and why?
Add your answers to the forum below:
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