Ontario Skills Passport in Action !

1. Ontario Skills Passport in Action! Chantal Locatelli Ministry of Education November 2007

2. The Skills Challenge We must help learners and job seekers see themselves as “knowledge workers” with skills that they can develop in school and training programs and transfer to the workplace….They must understand that they will have to continue to develop their skills to keep their jobs and progress in the workplace.

3. The Ontario Skills Passport Opportunity • Bilingual FREE web-based tool • Provides clear descriptions of Essential Skills and important work habits • Provides a consistent method for employers to assess and record skills and work habits • Offers applications, resources and assessment tools to support its use in a variety of educational and training contexts • http://skills.edu.gov.on.ca

4. The OSP Supports Life-long Skills Development Use the OSP to: • Learn about the Essential Skills and work habits important for success in work, learning and life; • See how workers use Essential Skills on the job; • Understand that these skills transfer from school to work, job to job and sector to sector; • Strengthen learning-work connections; • Identify the Essential Skills and work habits an individual possesses and those that they would like and/or need to develop; • Self-assess, practice and develop Essential Skills and work habits; • Document demonstration of Essential Skills and work habits and plan next steps, including preparing skills-based résumés, preparing for interviews and planning further skills development; • Support successful transitions to work or further education or training and on-going skills development.

5. Essential Skills in the OSP • Reading Text • Writing • Document Use • Computer Use • Oral Communication • Numeracy - Money Math - Scheduling or Budgeting and Accounting - Measurement and Calculation - Data Analysis - Numerical Estimation • Thinking Skills - Job Task Planning and Organizing - Decision Making - Problem Solving - Finding Information

6. Why These Skills Are Essential • Enable people to perform tasks required by their jobs as well as adapt to change. • Generic skills used in virtually all occupations and throughout daily life in different forms and at different levels of complexity. • They are transferable from school to work, job to job and sector to sector. • They provide the foundation for learning other skills, such as technical skills and job/workplace specific skills.

7. Complexity Rating Scale • The Complexity Rating Scale indicates the level of complexity involved in the use of a skill in a particular task. • The least complex tasks are classified at level 1; the most complex tasks are classified at level 5 or at level 4 if there are only 4 levels for a skill. Skill levels are associated with workplace tasks and not the worker performing these tasks.

8. Essential Skills Profiles • Essential Skills Profiles describe how each skill is used in an occupation. • Researchers asked workers: - What do you do in your job? - Why do you do it? - How do you do it? - What resources and materials do you use? • 225+ profiles and others are under development.

9. Work Habits in the OSP The OSP includes the following work habits considered important for success work, learning and life: • working safely • teamwork • reliability • organization • working independently • initiative • self-advocacy • customer service • entrepreneurship Note: There are no complexity levels associated with work habits in the OSP.

10. The OSP Database • Searchable and interactive database of more than 12,000 workplace tasks, classified by skill, skill level and occupation • Tasks come from Essential Skills Profiles and will increase over time as more profiles are published • Key applications are: Search the OSP Database, Create a Work Plan, and Create a Transition Plan.

11. Search the OSP Database…Make Learning Real! • Search the OSP Database application generates a list of tasks by skill and skill level(s) for one or more occupations. • This information can enhance workplace relevancy in the classroom and strengthen school-work connections. • All teachers/trainers/literacy practitioners can use this feature of the OSP to engage learners.

12. Create an OSP Work Plan…Quick, Easy, Valuable! • OSP Work Plan lists tasks by skill & skill level that a learner/job seeker will have an opportunity to perform in workplace. • The Standard OSP Work Plan lists the tasks for the most important essential skills for the occupation. • Customize OSP Work Plan to make it appropriate and meaningful to the learner/job seeker and relevant to the workplace by: - deleting tasks the learner/job seeker will not have a chance to perform - adding tasks and skills the learner/job seeker wants to perform and practice - adding to “Other Tasks” section, tasks identified by employer or tasks from the Essential Skills Profiles not in the OSP database. • Only the employer sign off on the OSP Work Plan.

13. Create an OSP Transition Plan and transfer your skills to a job! Steps to creating an OSP Transition Plan: 1: Choose a job ad or an occupation 2. Decode the job ad or occupational description and learn more about the job requirements 3: Connect your own experiences with the job 4: Plan next steps – identify useful course/training; prepare a skills-focused résumé/cover letter; prepare for an interview.

14. Curriculum Documents The OSP and Essential Skills are referenced in all revised Ontario curriculum documents to: • Strengthen school-work connections by connecting curriculum expectations and the workplace • Enhance workplace relevancy in the classroom by referring to workplace tasks and using authentic workplace materials • To support career education and exploration • To engage learners

15. Guidance and Career Education Courses Two New Courses: Discovering the Workplace (GLD2O)– Gr. 10 Navigating the Workplace (GLN4O) – Gr. 12 • Explicitly include Essential Skills in their curriculum expectations and make use of the Ontario Skills Passport. • Incorporate a broad range of experiential learning opportunities which are intended to meet the needs of students who are at various stages of readiness for work. • May be taken prior to or concurrent with cooperative education credits to provide an extended experiential learning opportunity in the workplace.

16. OSP and Work Placements (including co-operative education) and Other Forms of Experiential Learning Ways that teachers, trainers and literacy practitioners can use the OSP: • Pre-placement reality check • Identify suitable workplace tasks for the placement • Inform the development of the PPLP or training plan • As part of a rich task to assess and evaluate learner performance

17. SPECIALIST HIGH SKILLS MAJORS – NEW • A ministry-approved specialized program • Allows students to focus on the knowledge and skills (including Essential Skills and work habits) that are of particular importance in certain economic areas, and to obtain certifications recognized in those sectors, as they work towards meeting the requirements for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. • Students who graduate with a SHSM designation on their diploma are prepared for success in a particular sector and in the post-secondary destination of their choice, whether it be apprenticeship training, a college or university program, or the workplace. • Sectors in 2007-08: Arts and Culture, Business, Construction, Environment, Health and Wellness, Hospitality and Tourism, Manufacturing, Transportation and Primary Industries: Agriculture,Forestry, Horticulture and Landscaping, Mining • Each SHSM has a Ministry-approved framework that consists of: • 8-10 credits • sector-recognized certifications and training; • workplace experience through experiential learning; • the Ontario Skills Passport to: explore occupations, learn about Essential • Skills and work habits, create Work Plans in which employers record their demonstration of skills and work habits, and prepare for next steps (e.g. conduct job searches, create résumés and prepare for interviews); and • “reach ahead” experiencesin a selected postsecondary destination. These experiences enable Grade 11 and 12 students to gain confidence in their ability to be successful, refine skills and work habits, and make informed choice about future careers and next steps. OSP is a mandatory component of all SHSMs !

18. NEW OSP Promotional Materials • OSP Brochure – How to find GREAT workers for your business … easy-to-understand descriptions of the tasks involved in the job make work placements be more productive • OSP Learner/Job Seekers Card – How to “wow” employers and get the job you want! • OSP Employer Card – Now there’s a better way to interview, evaluate and train your workers • Available in English and French • Soon: order on line at http://skills.edu.gov.on.ca

19. OSP Web Development Advisory Committee Suggestions and feedback on applications and resources to support use of OSP. Participating organizations: • Alpha Plus • Association des conseillères et des conseillers en orientation franco-ontariens • Canadian Language Benchmarks • Collaborative of Adult Employment Centres of Ontario • Community Living • Ontario Association of Adult and Continuing Education • Job Connect College Sector • Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario • Metis Nation of Ontario • Ontario Association of Help Centres • Ontario Association of Youth Employment Centres • Ontario Business Education Partnership • Ontario Co-operative Education Association • Ontario Council of Technical Education • Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres • Ontario School Counselors’ Association • Ontario WorkInfoNet

20. OSP Resources – Developed by teachers and trainers

21. Sample OSP Resources Resources developed by teachers/trainers… Click on the OSP Toolbox and follow the OSP Resources links • Specialist High Skills Majors NEW • Icons (copy&paste), Bingo Cards, Posters • Transfer Your Skills Activity • Concert Inc. Activity • Cooperative Education Program • Job Connect Programs • Gr. 7-8 English, Math, Science • Gr. 9 Math

22. Under Development: Employer Tools Employer Tools: • Create a job ad/description that focuses on key Essential Skills and work habits for the job • Develop an interview checklist that targets these skills and work habits • Give constructive feedback on job performance and skills development • Expected: November 2007 By using the same job language, employers and job seekers can quickly decide if a job is the “right fit”

23. Under Development: ES & WH Check-UP Tools • Learner Essential Skills and Work Habits Check-Up Tool: Guides learners and job seekers through a self-assessment for each of the ES and work habits listed in the OSP. User receives a score card with personal results which can also be compared to skill sets of experienced workers in occupation(s) of interest. • Facilitated Essential Skills Check-Up Tool: Provide learners and job seekers with the opportunity to practice, build and demonstrate their ES (Levels 1-3) through completing tasks used in selected occupations at the C, D and B levels of the NOC. Requires teacher/facilitator involvement; reliable indicator of ES competency. Facilitator guides for use by: secondary school teachers, literacy practitioners, Job Connect employment counsellors and job developers, Apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship trainers. • Expected: December 2007

24. Under Development: ES & WH in Everyday Life Resource Essential Skills and Work Habits in Everyday Life • Scenarios that depict Essential Skills and work habits in everyday life; • Audio and video components • Expected: January 2007

25. Under Development: ES & WH Check-In Tool Essential Skills & Work Habits Check-In Tool: • An intake, referral and planning tool for practitioners; • Expected: being piloted; final spring 2008.

26. Ontario Skills Passport Helps BuildCompetence, Confidence and Connections! • Learners and job seekers can use the OSP: • to learn about the Essential Skills and work habits important for success in the workplace; • to identify the Essential Skills and work habits they already have, to develop them further and to acquire new ones; • to transfer them to a job or to further education and training. • Teachers, trainers and literacy practitioners can use the OSP: • to enhance classroom relevancy; • to strengthen school-work connections; • to engage learners; and • to help them build their Essential Skills and work habits. • Employers can use the OSP: • to assess and record an individual’s demonstration of Essential Skills and work habits; and • in their recruitment and training practices. We finally have a common language that helps connect people and supports successful transitions… LET’S USE IT!!!

27. Thank you! For more information, contact: Chantal Locatelli Senior Policy Adviser Ministry of Education 900 Bay St., 4th Floor Mowat Block Toronto, Ontario M7A 1L2 Tel: 416-325-7886 Fax: 416-327-6749 chantal.locatelli@ontario.ca