Second order Employability Skills

1. Second order Employability Skills Jeff Landine, University of New Brunswick (jlandine@unb.ca) John Stewart, University of New Brunswick (jstewart@unb.ca) Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Annual Conference Victoria, B.C., May 8, 2014

2. Comment on the deficiencies of only considering employability skills such as those suggested by the Conference Board of Canada. • Analyze a case study for the assets and growth areas necessary for employability. • Apply a comprehensive model to assess employability. • Acquire some new perspectives and strategies for helping clients become more employable. Objectives

3. Employability skills are transferable core skill groups that represent essential functional and enabling knowledge, skills, and attitudes required by the 21st century workplace. They are necessary for career success at all levels of employment and for all levels of education (Overtoom, 2000). • Employability Skills 2000. (Conference Board of Canada) • 21st Century Skills for Workplace Success (USA) Employability Skills (narrowly defined)

4. Psycho-social, multi-faceted, person-centered construct • Help workers to adapt (acquire, fulfill and obtain) to work roles • Adapting makes use of a number of competencies – attitudes, knowledge and skills. • These competencies exist on a number of hierarchical levels: knowledge of self, world of work; decision skills, technical skills, human-relation skills, personal qualities. Employability Skills (broadly defined)

5. See handout Case study

6. 1. What personality tendencies can you assess that may influence this client's behavior? 2.  What self-constructs can you identify that may influence this client's behavior? 3. What assets (both personal and environmental) does this client bring to the job search process? 4. What roles are evident or being established at this point in her development? Case Study Questions

7. Self- regulatory, psychosocial competencies • Strategies and behaviors to achieve work goals • Strengths/capacities that are used at the person-in-environment intersection • Second-order generally indicates an extended or higher complexity. • Components of Employability • Career Adaptability • Human and Social Capital • Career Identity Employability

8. Personal Factors: • Optimism – hope concerning the career challenge and future • Propensity to learn – threats to jobs and opportunities elsewhere • Openness – embrace the learning, exploration • Internal locus of control – intentional decision-making • Generalized self-efficacy – perceptions/judgements about the ability to handle life-events Career Adaptability

9. Human – personal resources • Includes age, education, work experience, job performance, cognitive ability, etc. • Education and experience – best predictors • Experience – builds proficiency and tacit knowledge (portable skills) • Investments: continuous learning and adaptive orientation • Social – social networks • Provided information and influence to the job seeker • Strong social networks contribute support and cooperation • Span organizations and time Human and Social Capital

10. Cognitive schemas that merge together personality, knowledge, skills, aspirations, motivation, values, opportunities, etc. • Coherent narratives that frame, give meaning to and provide continuity between past, present and future career experiences • Requires external validation • Is a self-regulative process Career identity

11. Employability Skills Career Adaptability Human and Social Capital Career Identity Concern Control Curiosity Confidence Human SocialSelf Schemas Optimism Desire Openness Self-efficacy Education Networks Self-efficacy to learn Vision Experience Intuition Locus of Control Motivation Self-esteem Internal Locus Roles of Control Self-confidence Planning Time manage- Thinking Ability to Skills ment skills strategies monitor the process Information Gathering Strategies Employability Skills

12. Developing client readiness – cope with change • Focus clients to look ahead and around • Assess: planfulness, exploration of self and situation, decision-making skills Counselling for Adaptability

13. Career adaptability • Focus on outcomes • Willingness to change • Competencies need to change • Focus on work role Goals for Adaptability

14. Prepare the client for change (conditions for growth) • Facilitate reflection on work roles • Identify work and career motives • Document the clients “narrative” of career identity to self and others Counselling for career identity

15. Receptive to feedback • Confidence • Safety • Openness and interest to grow • Acquiring a repertoire of career roles • Negotiating work-family conflicts Goals for career identity

16. Organizational performance domain: Exploitation - Exploration- Dominant personal motive: production, results innovation, change Distinction - Autonomy/agency Maker Expert Self-assertion Integration - Connectedness, belonging, Presenter Guide cooperation, sharing Structure - Cohesion/meaning; Director Inspirator institutional structure The career roles model: six classes of career roles.

17. Personal Management Skills • demonstrate positive attitudes and behavioursconfidence; feels good about self; integrity; show interest, initiative, and effort • be responsible accountable • be adaptable open to change; learn from mistakes; accept feedback • Learn continuously curiosity • Work safely Employability Skills 2000+

18. Fundamental Skills • communicate appreciates the POV of others • manage information • use numbers • think and solve problems Employability Skills 2000+

19. Teamwork Skills • work with others • participate in projects and tasks understand roles; lead or support Employability Skills 2000+