Work Experience Work Skills Development
Welcome to the City & Guilds Group. This pack contains information relating to your work experience and gives you a place to record your experiences and the activities you take part in during your time at City & Guilds Group. There are also a number of learning activities and compulsory assessments to be completed.
We hope you find this pack useful and you enjoy your experience with us!
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Contents Work Experience Aims & Objectives - Your personal goals - Induction
02 03 03
Accreditation Framework - Work experience learning activities - Work experience assessments
04 04 05
Learning Activities - Activity 1: Getting to know City & Guilds Group - Activity 2: Identifying my skills and qualities - Activity 3: Writing a blog - Activity 4: Extending my vocabulary - Activity 5: Review of my work experience
04 06 07 09 10 11
Assessments 16 - Assessment 1: Write a short biography 16 - Assessment 2: Identify four skills important when working for a company like the City & Guilds Group 19 - Assessment 3: Prioritising work and using positive verbal and non-verbal communication with colleagues 20 Top Tips For Future Employment - Interview techniques
23 24
Your record / notes
28
01
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Work experience aims
& objectives Aims The aims of this work experience are to: • Give you an opportunity to experience working in a real business environment • Help you become more aware of your employment opportunities.
Objectives By the end of your work experience you should: • Know what general skills and behaviours are expected at work • Be able to complete typical daily activities within a team • Be able to prioritise your workload and meet deadlines • Be able to communicate with colleagues confidently and effectively • Understand your strengths and areas for improvement in a work environment.
02
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Your personal goals: It is important that you think about what you want to get out of your work experience. Spend a few moments thinking about what you want to achieve. Set yourself three personal goals that you would like to achieve from your work experience. 1.
2.
3.
Induction Your mentor will go through the key information you need to know whilst on work experience. Let’s check that you have understood the information given by your mentor. Questions – Write your answer in the space provided. Fire: Emergency Exits, Evacuation Procedures What do you do if the fire alarm goes off?
Where is the assembly point?
What is the name of the first aider?
What day and time is the weekly fire drill?
Health & Wellbeing
Yes
No
Mentor initials
Do you know where the toilets are located? Do you know where to get a drink? Do you know who to contact if you are off sick? Do you know what to do if you feel unwell?
03
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Accreditation
Framework
Work experience activities: Staff must be flexible and open to change in order to achieve the best result. This often means work schedules change and tasks need to be re-prioritised. During your work experience you will observe this happen. Your mentor has provided you with a weekly planner. Each day you are required to follow the tasks and activities set. You may find that some of the tasks need to be rescheduled and new tasks may be added. You will need to update your weekly planner as and when any changes occur. If you are unable to meet any tasks you should let your mentor know immediately. To help you and to develop your knowledge and skills, within this pack there are a number of learning activities for you to complete.
Leaning activity 1 Getting to know the City & Guilds Group Learning activity 2 Identifying my skills and qualities Learning activity 3 Writing a blog Learning activity 4 Extending my vocabulary Learning activity 5 Review of my work experience
04
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Work experience assessments: In order to successfully complete the work experience training to receive a certificate you must pass three assessments as follows: • Assessment 1 Task A: Produce a short biography Task B: Answer six questions about the City & Guilds Group • Assessment 2 Identifying important skills that are required at work and explain why they are important • Assessment 3 Prioritising work and using positive verbal and non-verbal communication with colleagues. Your mentor will observe your performance and will provide a written evaluation of their assessment. You should work with your mentor to allocate time to complete activities and your assessments.
05
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Learning Activities
1
Learning activity 1: Getting to know the City & Guilds Group A quick and easy way to get information and learn more about the City & Guilds Group and the wider world of work is to interview your colleagues. Below are some questions you can begin with asking to understand more about their roles and why they chose to work for the City & Guilds Group. You will need this information to help you complete assessment activity 1. Interview a colleague to find out how they started working at the City & Guilds Group. You may want to ask the following questions: a. What are you responsible for/what is your job? b. How do you begin your day? c. What is your favourite thing about your job? d. What is the least favourite thing about your job? e. What job did you want to do when you were younger? f. What advice would you give to young people about their career? g. What route did you take to get your job? h. What experience did you need to get the job? i. Where did you get the experience needed? j. What roles exist in your team? Notes:
You might want to ask other staff about their career journeys.
06
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
2 Learning activity 2: Identifying my skills and qualities Skills & qualities In job applications and interviews you will be asked to speak about your skills and qualities and give examples of your experience. Think about your experience at the City & Guilds Group and write down some examples which you can easily use in the future. We’ve given you an example below to give an idea of the types of things that you can write about. Skill Example
Outcome
Time keeping
The task was completed within the deadline. My mentor was confident in my abilities, particularly after our meeting in the middle of the week, when I had a chance to check my work with her. The task was completed to a high standard and I have had good feedback.
n my first day I was asked to find O contact details for customers. We agreed a deadline of one week and I set myself targets for how many people I had to find each day. As my work increased each day, I was careful to tell people what else I was working on so I didn’t run out of time. I also agreed to meet with my mentor mid-way through the project to ensure that I was doing what they wanted.
Presentation skills
Team work
Continue on the next page
07
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Skill Example Attention to detail
Time keeping/ working to deadlines
Attitude/Enthusiasm
Communication skills
Using initiative
08
Outcome
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
3 Learning activity 3: Writing a blog At the City & Guilds Group people often blog about projects that they are working on or other things they think colleagues across the business might like to know about. We would like you to blog about your experience during your time with us. Blogs are usually less formal than emails and people tend to keep them short and to the point to make sure that people read them in full. Below is an example to get you going. EXAMPLE: My two-week work experience placement at the City & Guilds Group has come to an end. I’m sad it came to an end so quickly. But I’ve developed so many skills such as confidence, verbal communication, technical communication and dealing with situations within tight deadlines. During the past two weeks I’ve been to many events and have been a part of many debates. I now know what is being done about young people being unemployed and the pledges political parties have made about apprenticeships. This makes me even more thankful for the opportunity to work with the City & Guilds Group. The Corporate Relations team has been nothing but helpful and have supported me through everything which I appreciate a lot. I’ve got amazing advice from the team and Chris Jones, the Chief Executive too. I’ve really seen the benefit of doing my work experience here, I’ve built skills that will benefit me through my working life. I’ve also been able to find different alternatives to university which I will consider when deciding what to do at the end of my A-levels. I’d like to thank everyone in the Corporate Relations team for helping me with my development and Chris and Cath for the amazing advice. Write a draft blog about how you have found your work experience in the space below. Once it has been checked by your mentor, you should upload it up to CityNet.
09
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
4 Learning activity 4: Extending my vocabulary Have you come across business jargon during your work experience? If so, don’t be afraid to ask your colleagues what it means. Keep a list of any new words and phrases you learnt and their definitions:
10
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
5 Learning activity 5: Review of my work experience This activity should be completed on the last day of your work experience. Review your work experience by answering the following questions: Identify two things that could have improved your work experience. 1.
2.
Describe two positive experiences from your work experience. 1.
2.
11
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Review your work experience by answering the following questions: What you have learnt about yourself during your work experience?
What were you good at?
What were you not as good or confident at?
What are you going to improve for the future?
What new skills have you developed or gained?
Have you achieved your personal goals?
12
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Planning ahead: What is your dream job?
Set two personal goals to help you work towards your dream job. Goal 1
Goal 2
13
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Assessments There are three assessments you must complete to pass your training. Assessments 1 and 2 must be completed independently. Please complete these assessments and ensure you hand in your pack at the end of your placement.
Assessment 1 Task A) Write a short biography describing the career journey of a member of staff at the City & Guilds Group. You must include a range of information about the staff member and write a minimum of 150 words to pass. Biography
16
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
If you cannot fit 150 words, you may complete your biography on your notes page at the back of your pack.
Task b) Answer the following questions about The City & Guilds Group: 1. Where is the City & Guilds Group Head office located?
2. Does the City & Guilds Group have any offices overseas? Yes / No
17
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Task b) Answer the following questions about The City & Guilds Group: 3. What type of business is the City & Guilds Group?
4. What are the City & Guilds Group’s values?
5. What is your team responsible for?
6. What are the businesses within the City & Guilds Group?
18
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Assessment 2 Identify four skills important when working for a company like the City & Guilds Group. 1.
2.
3.
4.
Select one skill and explain why the skill is important in the workplace at the City & Guilds Group.
DECLARATION I confirm that the evidence produced for my assessment activities is all my own work. Name:
Signature: Date:
19
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Assessment 3 You are required to apply your understanding of how to prioritise work tasks and how to communicate effectively with colleagues. You should use feedback from your mentor to help you achieve this assessment. This should be completed on your last day. You are required to: a. Prioritise your work and meet deadlines set b. Communicate with colleagues Your mentor will use the observation record to assess you have achieved this assessment activity. OBSERVATION RECORD (completed by mentor)
I confirm that completed work experience from
to
Please comment whether the following criteria was achieved: Prioritised the majority of daily work activities in order of importance?
Achieved / not achieved
Most deadlines met?
Yes/No
Planned daily activities?
Yes/No
Entered some activities in daily calendar?
Yes/No
Comment:
20
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
OBSERVATION RECORD (completed by mentor) Used positive verbal and non-verbal communication skills with colleagues.
Achieved / not achieved
Contributed in some discussions with colleagues
Yes/No
Appropriate tone used
Yes/No
Avoided inappropriate language
Yes/No
Turned to colleagues when spoken to
Yes/No
Open body language used
Yes/No
Displayed enthusiastic attitude when communicating
Yes/No
Comment:
Additional comments to help you in the future 1. Punctuality 2. Tasks completed during the work experience 3. Appearance 4. Attitude 5. Other
DECLARATION Mentor Name:
Signature:
Date:
PLEASE NOTE THIS MUST BE SENT TO THE SUSTAINABILITY TEAM LOCATED ON GS4 ON THE TRAINEE’S LAST DAY. 21
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Congratulations on completing your work experience! You should write down key information about what you did, the skills you developed and details about how you felt about the work you were involved with. This will be helpful in building your skills and making sure you get the most out of your work experience. Interviewers will often ask you if you have any questions at the end of the interview. It is a good idea to have a few questions up your sleeve to show your enthusiasm and interest in the job. Some useful questions are: • What do you see as the big priorities for the business in the next five years? • How does this team fit into the wider business? • What benefits do you offer employees? • Is there any opportunity for workplace training? They may ask you for your views on these questions, so it is a good idea to think about how you would answer too. We hope you have enjoyed your time with the City & Guilds Group and gained some really great skills to help you start your career. Please keep in touch- follow us on Twitter on @cityandguildsac and on LinkedIn. Good luck for your future!
22
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Top tips for future employment
This is just the start of your career journey and we hope that you’ve had the opportunity to learn and develop new skills. Here are some top tips for your future work ambitions: Stay in touch
CV writing
Before you finish your work experience, it’s a good idea to take down contact information and stay in touch with your mentor. By staying in touch, your former colleagues can give you advice on future decisions, tell you when there are internship or job opportunities in the company or in the sector, and also provide a reference for any future job application.
Jobs are advertised on LinkedIn and it is also a tool used by recruitment agencies to find new employees. If you have not done so already, create a LinkedIn profile and add the people that you worked with as connections. They will be able to publish references and endorsements on to your page, which may improve your chances of employment in the sector.
When describing your job, every point you make should demonstrate a skill rather than just describing what you did. For example rather than just ‘I delivered a presentation’, you should say ‘I demonstrated my confidence in public speaking by delivering a presentation’ to demonstrate not only what you did but also the skills that you used.
23
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Interview
techniques
We know that interviews can be really scary but if you prepare beforehand, they can be a lot less daunting. As you move into the world of work, you will get used to interviews and gain experience of how best to handle them. In the meantime, here are a few handy tips:
Before the interview You should always:
Research the role and the employer
Know what you will wear
Make sure that you have read the job description and understand exactly what the role entails and the type of skills they are looking for. If you need to double check, why not give them a call or email?
I f you are not sure what the dress code is, there’s no harm in asking. Make sure that your outfit is ready the night before to save you time in the morning. In general it’s best to dress smartly.
Check that you understand what the employer does. Why not do some research online to find out what they have been up to recently?
Practice, practice, practice
Find out how the interview will take place ill it be with one person, a group or panel? W Finding this out first will help you prepare.
Plan your journey Make sure you have a clear idea of the route that you need to take and how long it will take you to get there. You might even want to visit the location beforehand just to be safe.
24
It might seem silly but a great way to make sure that you are ready is to practice your answers. You should be able to guess some of the questions that they might ask so get a friend to run through these with you.
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
During the Interview During your interview there are two main types of questions that you might be asked:
Knowledge based questions Asking you about what you know about the role and tasks you will need to do.
Competency based questions Asking about your experience and skills that will be relevant to the role. Interviewers will expect you to describe the experience, skills and knowledge you used and how you have behaved in different situations. The interviewer will ask you to tell them about a particular situation or to give specific examples.
Knowledge/technical questions
Competency based questions
Measure your knowledge in a particular area
The interviewer is looking for evidence of past successes in order to work out what you will be like in the role
e.g. “Please define X”, “In scenario x what is the process?” If you can’t think of specific answer talk around the answer e.g. if you can’t think of a precise definition discuss the context of when you would use the term
e.g. “Give me an example of a time when…”, “Can you talk me through a situation when you…” Be specific – one incident or example Be detailed Always talk about “I” not “we” – I did this, I suggested that Open questions – looking for longer answers, and for you to explore the topic Closed questions – yes or no, specific info, check facts Probing questions – talk about the situation in more detail, step by step.
25
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Structuring your answers There are lots of ways to answer interview questions – however, one really easy and good way is to use the STAR approach. This is a model that will help you to structure your information when addressing the questions and relaying your example. This approach will help you think through and plan your answers. Be careful – it is important to stay focused and try to allocate equal time to each step when giving your answer.
STAR approach
The model
Situation OR Task
• Set the scene, providing the context, describing the situation • You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalised description of what you have done in the past • What tasks were you working on at the time or what task did you identify needed to be done? - E.g. If you’re give an example of dealing with a difficult customer – how did you meet them and why were they being difficult?
Action you took
• What did YOU do? What did YOU accomplish? • Even if you are discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did - not just the efforts of the team • Don’t say what you might do, say what you did
Results you achieved
• What happened? • How did the event end? • What did you accomplish? • What did you learn?
26
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
EXAMPLE: To see what this means, let’s look at how Jo answered a question in an interview Q: Tell us about a time you acted as part of a successful team to accomplish something. What part did you play in making this team successful? What were the biggest challenges you found working as a group and how did you overcome them? A: My last job was working in a call centre. The boss asked a team of us to arrange a summer fair at a local school to raise money for the football team. We were all from different departments so didn’t know each other very well, so to begin with, I suggested that we had a meeting to plan and share out the tasks. Once we had decided what needed to happen, I suggested that everyone wrote down which aspects of the fair they were interested in helping with. The only problem was four people wanted to do the marketing and no one was interested in setting up the tables on the day. That was the first challenge, so we discussed it as a group and everyone agreed that as setting up the tables was the worst job, we would all chip in so that everyone also got a chance to do the bits they were interested in. My part in the organisation was setting up the team meetings and emailing everyone what we had agreed beforehand. I also arranged for the DJ and lights for the disco room at the fair which took some time. I managed to get the DJ to agree to work for free, by emphasising that it was for charity. On the day I helped everyone set up the tables and then I stood on the lucky dip stall and the coconut shy. We had another challenge on the day as one person was late and then didn’t really help at the fair so my friend and I took them to one side and explained the impact their attitude was having on everyone else. After that they were really helpful for the rest of the day. In the end the day was really successful, we raised £319 for the school football kit and all the kids and parents had a great time. They said it was the best fair there had been. Our boss was really pleased too because there was an article about it in the local paper so it looked good for our call centre.
27
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Your record / notes:
28
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
29
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
Your record / notes:
30
Work Experience Work Skills Development V1
31
We hope you enjoy your work experience at City & Guilds Group
City & Guilds Group 1 Giltspur Street London, UK EC1A 9DD www.cityandguildsgroup.com