Innovative Vocational Education and Training Institute ...SELF – AWARENESS, STRENGTHS AND...

Certificate I in Employment Pathways

Copyright © IVET 2018 Edition 1

Innovative Vocational Education and Training Institute

CERTIFICATE I in EMPLOYMENT PATHWAYS

(22280VIC)

STUDENT WORKBOOK

Student Name: __________________________ Year Level: _____ Class: _____



CONTENTS

PAGES CORE UNITS OF COMPETENCY CHAPTER 1 VU21663 – Develop personal effectiveness 3 – 21 CHAPTER 2 VU21664 – Prepare for employment 22 – 43 CHAPTER 3 VU21665 – Develop an action plan for career planning 44 – 60 CHAPTER 4 BSBWHS201A – Contribute to health and safety of self and others 61 – 90 ELECTIVE UNITS OF COMPETENCY CHAPTER 5 BSBWOR202A – Organise and complete daily work activities 91 – 118

CHAPTER 6 FSKWTG09 – Write routine workplace texts 119 – 126

CHAPTER 7 BSBCMM201A – Communicate in the workplace 127 – 149



VU21663

Develop personal effectiveness

REQUIRED SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE Required knowledge:

• the relationship between different aspects of personal effectiveness and constructive life/work outcomes • the role of personal goals in improving personal effectiveness

Required skills

• Oral communication skills to: o contribute and clarify ideas within a group o seek and provide feedback and use verbal and non verbal communication techniques appropriate to

group interaction o discuss personal goals

• literacy skills to access and use resources and information related to personal goals • problem solving skills to develop strategies to:

o improve personal effectiveness o identify and address potential barriers self management skills to monitor and review goals

• teamwork skills to:

o co-operate with others as part of a group o contribute to discussions

ELEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Develop strategies to improve self confidence 1.1 Describe own personal strengths and limitations 1.2 Identify how self confidence affects personal life and employment 1.3 Identify factors that can affect self confidence 1.4 Identify and apply strategies to develop and maintain self confidence 1.5 Identify possible barriers to the development of self confidence Co-operate with others as part of a group 2.1 Express views and opinions clearly using appropriate communication techniques 2.2 Respond to others in a constructive and positive way 2.3 Contribute positively to a discussion 2.4 Recognise individual differences in others Develop personal strategies for handling conflict and stress 3.1 Identify situations contributing to stress 3.2 Identify and describe personal stress indicators 3.3 Identify and apply strategies for dealing with stress in a range of situations 3.4 Identify the characteristics of conflict situations 3.5 Identify and apply strategies for dealing with conflict Develop strategies for setting and implementing personal goals 4.1 Identify and discuss personal goals with appropriate support persons 4.2 Locate and gather information from a range of supporting resources appropriate to current and

potential future goals 4.3 Prioritise personal goals 4.4 Identify and address potential barriers to achieving goals 4.5 Review goals and make appropriate changes



EVIDENCE GUIDE Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Assessment must confirm the ability to: • develop a range of strategies to enhance own personal effectiveness including:

o improving self confidence o managing conflict o managing stress and promoting well being o participating in a group o identifying, confirming and reviewing personal goals

• identify barriers to the development of personal effectiveness and ways to overcome these barriers

• identify the impact of personal effectiveness on the achievement of personal goals and future directions

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure access to: • appropriate support persons allowing for full participation, such as peers,

mentors • appropriate sources of information relevant to needs and goals

Method(s) of assessment The following assessment methods are suitable for this unit:

• oral and/or written questioning to assess knowledge of the components of personal effectiveness

• observation of participation and interaction in group discussions and/or group work

• portfolio of relevant information such as self assessment activities and action plan to identify and prioritise personal goals

Guidance information for assessment

Potential learner sensitivities which may arise in relation to unit requirements must be taken into account and addressed appropriately when assessing this unit. Some learners undertaking this unit may be reluctant to discuss personal issues related to self confidence and personal needs.

RANGE STATEMENT CATEGORIES Self- confidence may include:

• sense of self-worth • self-esteem • willingness to take risks • self care and well being • notions of success

Possible barriers may include

• personal feelings and consequences associated with rejection and fear of rejection.

• negative personal and work experiences • negative experiences with schooling • psychological issues • addictions

Personal stress indicators may include:

• difficulty dealing with change • increasing anxiety • sleeping problems • conflict • ill health • intoxication/drugs and alcohol dependency

Situations may include:

• personal • social • work



Characteristics of conflict situations may include:

• aggression • avoidance • constant interruptions

Strategies for dealing with conflict may include:

• assertiveness • negotiation • compromise • seeking advice / feedback of others

Personal goals may include:

• learning goals • further study goals • employment goals • short • medium • long term

Appropriate support persons may include:

• career counsellors • teachers • peers • mentors • family members

Supporting resources may include:

• employment services provider materials • job guides • open days at educational institutions • work expos • websites



CHAPTER 1

Develop personal effectiveness

This course in Employment Pathways is designed to provide you with the information, knowledge and skills to prepare you for employment in whatever field sparks your interests, whether it be a trade, finance, nursing, teaching, retail etc. Throughout this course we will use the term ‘vocation’; this relates to providing and undergoing training in the specific skills that are required to pursue a specific career. Through this course you will learn about employment expectations, preparing to work, examining your strengths and limitations, career planning and job seeking. This first chapter is about personal effectiveness; examining your own skills and building on both your communication and interpersonal skills to improve the way you work with others. This chapter will also provide an opportunity for you to further develop your personal self-esteem and confidence as well as identify your own personal goals. In particular this unit will look at:

• Developing strategies to promote self-confidence • Cooperating with others as part of a group • Developing personal strategies for handling conflict and stress • Developing strategies for setting and implementing personal goals.

SELF – AWARENESS, STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES Self-awareness is being consciously aware of your own feelings, emotions, personality and the way you act and behave. To develop self-awareness you will firstly need to identify your own personal characteristics, strengths and limitations. These are what make you different from everyone else, including your:

• Physical characteristics – ie: how you look, your ethnicity, your hair colour, eye colour, body type etc.

• Attributes and qualities – your qualities and features, characteristics that you possess, for example,

good communication or leadership skills.

• Personal values – what are your beliefs? What is important to you?

• Interests – your likes and dislikes, your passions and what motivates you.

• Abilities and aptitudes – what are your strengths? Your intelligence and natural abilities.

• Strengths and limitations – what are you good at and what are you not so good at, what needs improvement or further development?



MY PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

Create your own personal characteristics chart. Using the following template to list your: • Physical characteristics • Attributes and qualities • Personal values • Interests • Abilities and aptitudes • Strengths and limitations

Personal characteristics, strengths and

limitations

Physical characteristics

Attributes and qualities

Personal values

Interests

Abilities and aptitudes

Strengths and limitations



As well as being self-aware it is important to be able to identify the effect of emotions on the behaviour of others. Often this can be done through observing facial features and body language. The ability to read others and their emotions is an important strength and ability that can come in handy when forming both personal and work-based relationships. People in a workplace environment may feel apprehensive about expressing their feelings, however their behaviours, facial expressions and body language, if read correctly, can tell you exactly how they are feeling.

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

Examine the following facial expressions. Guess the emotion that is being portrayed and briefly describe a behaviour that might accompany this facial expression.

1.

2.

3.

4.

üT1.0



Part of being self-aware is identifying strategies to cope with different feelings and events. These strategies can allow you to be proactive in dealing with, and working through your feelings. Knowing yourself and how you react to certain occurrences, situations and events is important. To increase your self-awareness and in turn increase your personal effectiveness both at work and in social settings with friends and family it helps to take the time to develop strategies for dealing and coping with different feelings that you may experience in response to events that you might encounter in your lifetime. Although developing strategies is beneficial how you will react and deal with certain situations cannot always be pre-empted. Only being faced with the situation will allow you to find a way to cope, such as finding out a loved one is unwell. Strategies for coping with different feelings and events include: • making lifestyle changes, for example, a change of career, moving to another country,

changing your diet or increasing exercise levels.

• accessing community support services, for example, seeing a counsellor or psychologist, accessing a Facebook support group (for example, ‘Midnight mums’ for mothers) or attending a group meeting such as Alcoholics Anonymous or anger management sessions.

• joining a social group or club, for example a footy club, dance lessons, netball competition,

scouts or fitness group.

DEVELOP COPING STRATEGIES

Using the strategies highlighted above as well as any others that you can think of, develop a strategy to cope with each of the following events.

Social isolation

Divorce

Loss of a loved one

Loss of job

Change of school

Moving house

Health problems

Financial problems

üT1.1



DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE SELF CONFIDENCE

Self-confidence can be described as the trust and assurance that you have in your own judgments, thoughts, qualities and abilities. It is your ability to feel comfortable with who you are, what you stand for and how you behave and conduct yourself. Your level of self-confidence affects both your personal life and your employment. Employers want to hire people who are confident and sure of themselves and the role that they take on. Self-confidence is made up of a range of components including: • sense of self-worth • self-esteem • willingness to take risks • self-care and well being • notions of success

You can build and maintain your self-confidence through a range of strategies. It is important that you find which strategy works best for you. These strategies include: • Looking at what you have already achieved and being proud of it. Write a list of all of your

achievements and look at it when you are doubting yourself or feeling low in confidence. • Focus on your strengths and what you are good at instead of dwelling on what you are not so

good at. • Use positive self-talk. Talk yourself up to yourself and be your own motivator. Constantly remind

yourself about all the positives in your life. Tell yourself that you are going to overcome the negatives and that these negatives won’t be there forever.

SELF-CONFIDENCE

Describe how each of the following components of self-confidence might affect an individual’s personal life as well as their employment. Once you have completed the following table, complete the questions.

Components of self-confidence Affect on personal life Affect on employment Self-worth

Self-esteem

Risk-taking

Life skills such as self-care and wellbeing

Notions of success



QUESTIONS 1. Identify two actions that could impact on another person’s self-confidence. 2. How would you describe the relationship between your behaviour and how others react? 3. Describe two factors that could affect self-confidence. 4. Identify two ways to develop and maintain self-confidence. 5. Identify three barriers that could affect the development of self-confidence.

CO-OPERATE WITH OTHERS AS PART OF A GROUP

Working effectively with others is critical to a successful business, organisation or other workplace environment. To work effectively requires the cooperation, support, clear communication, consideration and care of all those working within the organisation. When there is a sense of cohesion amongst the workgroup, the workgroup can achieve its goals. A business as a whole, and its individual employees, can gain job satisfaction, achieve financial success and create future opportunities when there is a system in place to ensure that the day to day operations of a business are managed effectively; this includes the way people work with each other. Working effectively with others and co-operating with others, as part of a group requires the development of effective workplace relationships. At all times participation from all group members and employees should be encouraged. This fosters a sense of teamwork where each individual feels part of the group, while allowing them to offer something positive to the organisation and feel that they are valued by the organisation for their hard work. To co-operate with others as part of a group it is important to:

• Express views and opinions clearly and reasonably using appropriate communication techniques. • Respond to others in a constructive and positive way. • Contribute positively to a discussion. • Recognise individual differences in others.

HOW TO CO-OPERATE?

Highlighted in the section above are four ways to ensure group co-operation. For each of the points above suggest how you, as part of the group would ensure that you are doing them.

Express views and opinions clearly and reasonably using appropriate communication

techniques.



Respond to others in a constructive and positive way.

Contribute positively to a discussion.

Recognise individual differences in others.



DEVELOP PERSONAL STRATEGIES FOR HANDLING CONFLICT AND STRESS

STRESS Stress is a major concern in many workplaces, with increasing demands and often unrealistic deadlines and work goals being placed on employees. It is important for your own health and wellbeing that you develop strategies for handling stress. Depending on the nature of your employment there are a number of factors that may contribute to stress in the workplace and their effects. Sources of stress within the workplace can include complex tasks, cultural issues, and workload as well as work and family conflict. It is important to identify signs of stress before they get worse and significantly affect your physical, mental, social or spiritual health. Employee stress levels can be detrimental to any workplace. Stress interferes with an individual’s ability to complete their work tasks, which impacts the organisation’s productivity and likelihood of success. Stress management techniques should be implemented in every workplace. Employee wellbeing should be at the forefront of decision making around the allocation of tasks, timeframes for job completion and targets (work, sales etc). The effects of stress can vary from person to person. Everyone has his or her own signs of stress. These may include: • difficulty dealing with change • increasing anxiety • sleep problems • conflict • ill health • intoxication/drugs and alcohol dependency

It is important to be aware of your personal stress indicators and implement strategies to manage and reduce your levels of stress. You can manage stress through:

1. Sleep – getting enough sleep at night is important. It will

help you see things more clearly and can help you cope with potentially stressful situations at work. It will also help you to stay physically, emotionally and socially healthy.

2. Exercise – physical activity releases endorphins; these

cause you to feel happier and more positive. Exercising can allow you to feel more relaxed and calm and it can also help you to sleep more soundly.

3. Limit alcohol intake – alcohol is a depressant drug. It slows down your central nervous system and will make any situation feel worse. It is a temporary fix for work stress and anxiety; regular use can lead to dependence or abuse.



4. Eat healthy foods regularly – not eating causes low blood glucose levels and this can cause you to feel lethargic and irritable. Eating healthy foods, high in fibre will cause blood glucose levels to rise slowly over a long period of time; this allows you to feel more energetic for longer.

Situations with the potential to cause stress may be personal, social and/or work related.

DEALING WITH STRESS

TASK 1 Identify five situations that could contribute to stress in a person’s life.

§ __________________________________________________________________________________ § __________________________________________________________________________________ § __________________________________________________________________________________ § __________________________________________________________________________________ § __________________________________________________________________________________

TASK 2 Provide a brief description and/or example of each of the following personal stress indicators:

Personal stress indicators Description

Difficulty dealing with change

Increased anxiety

Sleep problems

üT1.2



Conflict

Ill health

Intoxication/drugs and alcohol dependency

TASK 3 Suggest ten positive strategies for dealing with personal, social or work related stressful situations.

§ Go and pamper yourself - get a massage, pedicure, manicure, facial etc

§ _______________________________________________________________________________________

§ _______________________________________________________________________________________

§ _______________________________________________________________________________________

§ _______________________________________________________________________________________

§ _______________________________________________________________________________________

§ _______________________________________________________________________________________

§ _______________________________________________________________________________________

§ _______________________________________________________________________________________

§ _______________________________________________________________________________________

§ _______________________________________________________________________________________



CONFLICT At some stage while working you will come across a conflict situation, which you will need to use your knowledge and skills to deal with. Conflict can be defined as a disagreement or contest between two parties or people, each with opposing needs, ideas, beliefs, values or goals. Conflict is unavoidable in any workplace, business or organisation. When it occurs it is imperative that it is dealt with so that both parties (people) can move on from the situation and can continue to work productively.

Conflict is not always a negative thing; conflict can also have positive effects such as:

o Providing a release for anger o Promoting a healthy competitive environment o Assists in clearing the air o Allows for new ideas o Presents opportunities to learn, grow, build trust and make necessary changes in social, working

and family relationships.

You can often identify a conflict situation through a range of associated behaviours including, aggression, assertiveness, non-assertiveness and avoidance. These behaviours can be both positive and negative to a conflict situation.

CONFLICT CHARACTERISTICS

For each of the characteristics of a conflict situation highlighted above suggest one advantage and one disadvantage.

Conflict Characteristics

Advantage Disadvantage

Example: Aggression

• Shows passion

• Can demonstrate a lack of control

Assertiveness

Non-assertiveness

Avoidance

üT1.3



Conflict resolution can be achieved using many different strategies, depending on the situation, what needs to be achieved and who is involved. It is vital that the most effective conflict resolution strategies and communication skills are used to manage conflict and develop solutions. An effective conflict resolution strategy should encourage all points of view, acknowledge them and treat them with respect. Most often resolving conflict will result in one of three outcomes, a win-win, win-lose or lose-lose situation. In a win-win situation both parties come away from the conflict situation satisfied with the resolution. In a win-lose situation only one party comes away from the conflict situation satisfied with the resolution and in a lose-lose situation the conflict is either avoided or the parties are unable or unwilling to compromise on an outcome.

Strategies for dealing with conflict may include: • assertiveness • negotiation • compromise • seeking advice / feedback of others

Assertiveness is a vital skill when working through a conflict situation and trying to find a solution. You must be clear and direct on the reasons for the conflict and the resolution you want. Being assertive is about standing your ground and confidently verbalising your needs, wants and feelings. Being assertive is the key to successfully managing a conflict situation although it is important that assertiveness does not turn into bullying, aggression, irrational comments or statements as this cannot only damage the opportunity to resolve the conflict and make it hard to maintain a working relationship with the individual or party. To be assertive you need to respect the comments and feelings of others as well as ensuring that you clearly outline your own needs. You can do this through using assertive language such as “I feel” and “I think”. It is also important that you don’t interrupt the other person while they are speaking or try to interject and speak over them. Actively listen to their comments and consider each comment carefully. Work together with the individual or party to brainstorm a possible solution or way to manage the conflict, taking on a problem solving approach. Being assertive is also about body language; you need to be relaxed and show this through standing upright, relaxing your shoulders and face, and maintaining eye contact. Also ensure that your voice is clear but not overly loud and consider the tone of your voice so that you do not appear to be superior or patronising, as this can be frustrating for others and may make it harder to reach an agreement. Negotiating is a skill that helps you resolve conflict. Negotiating aims to reach a win-win resolution, where both parties involved are satisfied with the outcome. Negotiating is about finding a compromise; a solution that allows both parties to get what they want. Negotiating involves each party “giving and taking” so that a middle ground can be found between their two extremes. To negotiate successfully first consider the goal of the negotiation, possible alternatives, desired outcome, relationship between you and the person/party you are negotiating with, possible solutions as well as possible consequences if the negotiation does not go as planned. You need to consider what you are willing to compromise on or give up as part of the negotiation. A simple example of negotiating would be two children swapping football cards, one child may want the limited edition Carlton football card from his friend and he may give up four other football cards to obtain the one. Compromise - in this approach each party needs to “give-and-take”, finding solutions that bring some degree of satisfaction to both parties; a middle way between two extremes. In a conflict situation compromise should be used if both parties need to win, you are in a deadlock situation as no agreement can be reached and it is vital that the relationship is maintained.



Seeking advice/feedback from others is also a positive conflict resolution strategy. Asking others for their input can allow you to view the situation from another person’s perspective. Others could include counsellors, mediators, senior or other staff members.

• Counsellors assist individuals to identify and define physical, emotional or mental issues that they may be having both within themselves and with others. Counsellors can be useful in managing conflict as they can assist each person to clearly identify their own issues that are contributing to the conflict and find a way to deal with or control these issues through a range of strategies. Counsellors can be particularly helpful if the reason for conflict cannot be solved or changed, for example, a new policy handed down by management regarding employee pay and conditions. Counselling can be a way for the individual to deal with the frustration and learn to accept and work within the situation.

• Mediators are often engaged to work with two parties (individuals or groups of people) who have

a disagreement over something in order to resolve the conflict amicability. Mediators are used to conduct a mediation where they talk about the source of the conflict, both parties air their issues and if successful a solution is found and the conflict is resolved.

Mediation is particularly important when the relationship between the two parties needs to be preserved. Mediation often results in a compromise where a solution that brings some degree of satisfaction to both parties is found and agreed upon.

• Other staff members and senior staff can be used as resources when managing a conflict

situation in a variety of ways. They can be used to assist in decision making and brainstorming ways to handle a difficult customer, colleagues or special request in the workplace.

Senior staff can be particularly helpful with managing customer complaints as they are often more experienced and have the authority to make decisions regarding returns, refunds, deliveries etc to satisfy the customer.

CONFLICT – IDENTIFY AND MANAGE THE SITUATION

Read each of the following conflict related case studies. Identify and justify what strategy you would utilize to manage each situation.

CASE STUDIES HOW WOULD YOU MANAGE THE SITUATION?

CASE STUDY 1: Kelly is a lifeguard at her local pool. She gets into an argument with Tim a fellow lifeguard when he comes back 30 minutes late from his lunch break.

CASE STUDY 2: James has just been made redundant from his job. He is very angry and upset. He is becoming increasingly agitated and banging his fists on the table, refusing to leave the premises.



DEVELOP STRATEGIES FOR SETTING AND IMPLEMENTING PERSONAL GOALS

When employed it is important for you to have your own personal goals to achieve within the organisation/business and within your own job role. These personal goals may relate to your employment, or to further study or learning that you wish undertake to develop your knowledge and skills. It is important to develop some goals: short-term (to be achieved within the next 3 -6 months), medium-term (to be achieved in the next 6-12 months) and long-term goals (to be achieved in the next 12-18 months). You should identify your personal goals and discuss them with appropriate support persons such as career counsellors, teachers, peers, mentors and family members, who might be able to assist you in taking the steps to achieving them. A range of supporting resources could also assist you in achieving your current goals and any potential future goals. Supporting resources may include employment services provider materials, job guides, open days at educational institutions (e.g. TAFE, University), work expos and websites. The S.M.A.R.T. technique can be used to develop your goals: Specific – Make sure the goal is precise. For example, instead of setting a goal “to make money,” be specific, such as “to make sales of $400 a day”. Measurable – Ensure that the goal is measurable; this will keep employees on track. If targets can be set and improvement can easily be seen, people are more likely to remain motivated. Attainable – The goal must be achievable; this is why it is often beneficial to have both short and long term goals. Realistic – All goals should be realistic; goals are realistic when the group believes that they can achieve them. Timely – Goals should always have a time frame assigned to them in which they should be achieved. Without a deadline there is no motivation to achieve the goal in the near future.

S.M.A.R.T. GOAL SETTING

1. Write a list of five personal goals for yourself to achieve. Make sure that you include at least one

short term, medium term and long-term goal. 2. For each goal explain how it meets at least one of the criteria for being a S.M.A.R.T. goal. For

example, the goal to ‘Read six pages of my English/Literacy novel tonight’ is specific, attainable, timely and realistic.



3. For each goal identify an appropriate support person that you could discuss it with. 4. Prioritise your personal goals. 5. Identify a range of supporting resources that could assist you in achieving the goals you listed in

part (1). 6. Identify at least one barrier to achieving each goal. For example, a barrier to ‘Reading six pages

of my English/Literacy novel tonight’ might be that you forget your novel in your locker at school. 7. Describe how you could review your personal goals and make appropriate changes.

GATHERING INFORMATION

Using a range of sources, gather information to answer the following questions. 1. List the dates/times of three university/TAFE open days in your local area.

2. Using the Australian governments Job Guide website:

www.jobguide.thegoodguides.com.au/occupation/search

Search the following occupations. For each occupation, list at least three tasks that may be part of the job and three personal requirements that a person should have, to work effectively in the occupation. Use the table below to record your answers and then complete the questions below.

Fitness Instructor Tasks:

Personal requirements:



Hairdresser Tasks:


Landscaper Tasks:


Nurse Tasks:


Chef Tasks:


Fireman Tasks:


Innovative Vocational Education and Training Institute ...SELF – AWARENESS, STRENGTHS AND...

Documents

Transcript of Innovative Vocational Education and Training Institute ...SELF – AWARENESS, STRENGTHS AND...