Do you remember the email Marie Collins, Badger High School's Community Education and Career Tech Ed Director, sent last month as a follow-up from the National Career Pathways Conference she attended in Indianapolis?
The subject is worth repeating and exploring.
Student Soft Skills Need Work!
The takeaway from the conference was that employers are more than satisfied with the career and technical skills of recent grads, but they are shocked by their lack of work ethic and things that many of us would consider basic courtesies, like calling in if you're sick; showing up on time; working well with others; and being respectful towards your boss.
Nothing can replace real-life work experience, but as a study of recent hires and employers show, fewer and fewer students hold jobs, and many have never even had chores to do at home. As such, employers are increasingly looking to schools to help bridge the gap between "hard skills" (i.e. job skills) and "soft skills" (i.e. life skills).
So how can Lake Geneva Schools help?
Our strategic plan objective of "Developing the Whole Learner," and our dedication to
enhancing curriculum offerings and providing balanced growth opportunities for all students will certainly help. And we can all continue to look for ways to embed employability skills into our everyday lessons,
at every age and in every content area.
Resources...
The following links are designed to help educators incorporate soft skills into lesson plans. They provide examples of skills needed, offer lesson plans ideas to complement existing curriculum, and provide materials to make for "game" type role play.
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