Werkboek B1 sector Techniek N3-4
English
Herma Klaassen Silvy Schreurs
Auteur Herma Klaassen Silvy Schreurs Eindredacteur Maarten Wijrdeman Vormgeving EnOf Ontwerp + communicatie, Utrecht Opmaak een beeldredactie Imago Mediabuilders, Amersfoort Omslagfotografie Karin Ligthart Website bij deze uitgave www.2020english.nl Over ThiemeMeulenhoff ThiemeMeulenhoff is dé educatieve mediaspecialist en levert educatieve oplossingen voor het Primair Onderwijs, Voortgezet Onderwijs, Middelbaar Beroepsonderwijs en Hoger Onderwijs. Deze oplossingen worden ontwikkeld in nauwe samenwerking met de onderwijsmarkt en dragen bij aan verbeterde leeropbrengsten en individuele talentontwikkeling. ThiemeMeulenhoff haalt het beste uit élke leerling. Meer informatie over ThiemeMeulenhoff en een overzicht van onze educatieve oplossingen: www.thiememeulenhoff.nl of via de Klantenservice 088 800 20 16 ISBN 978 90 06 81538 2 Eerste druk, eerste oplage, 2013 © ThiemeMeulenhoff, Amersfoort, 2013 Alle rechten voorbehouden. Niets uit deze uitgave mag worden verveelvoudigd, opgeslagen in een geautomatiseerd gegevensbestand, of openbaar gemaakt, in enige vorm of op enige wijze, hetzij elektronisch, mechanisch, door fotokopieën, opnamen, of enig andere manier, zonder voorafgaande schriftelijke toestemming van de uitgever. Voor zover het maken van kopieën uit deze uitgave is toegestaan op grond van artikel 16B Auteurswet 1912 j° het Besluit van 23 augustus 1985, Stbl. 471 en artikel 17 Auteurswet 1912, dient men de daarvoor wettelijk verschuldigde vergoedingen te voldoen aan Stichting Publicatie- en Reproductierechten Organisatie (PRO), Postbus 3060, 2130 KB Hoofddorp (www.stichting-pro.nl). Voor het overnemen van gedeelte(n) uit deze uitgave in bloemlezingen, readers en andere compilatiewerken (artikel 16 Auteurswet) dient men zich tot de uitgever te wenden. Voor meer informatie over het gebruik van muziek, film en het maken van kopieën in het onderwijs zie www.auteursrechtenonderwijs.nl. De uitgever heeft ernaar gestreefd de auteursrechten te regelen volgens de wettelijke bepalingen. Degenen die desondanks menen zekere rechten te kunnen doen gelden, kunnen zich alsnog tot de uitgever wenden. Deze uitgave is voorzien van het FSC®-keurmerk. Dit betekent dat de bosbouw voor het gebruikte papier op een verantwoorde wijze heeft plaatsgevonden.
Voorwoord Dit is het werkboek B1 voor de sector Techniek. Dit werkboek bevat 10 hoofdstukken (units) en in elke unit staat een thema centraal. Dit thema heeft altijd betrekking op een situatie die je in je toekomstige beroep kan tegenkomen. De opdrachten in deze unit passen binnen het thema. Elke unit wordt afgesloten met een case, waarin je kan laten zien dat je de geleerde stof beheerst en communicatief vaardiger bent geworden. Na het doorwerken van dit boek beheers je het Engels op niveau B1 van het ERK. Dit werkboek gebruik je in combinatie met het handboek voor de sector Techniek. Het handboek is een uitgebreid naslagwerk waar je zowel tijdens als na je studie gebruik van zult maken. In dit werkboek wordt regelmatig verwezen naar paragrafen in het handboek. Er staat dan bijvoorbeeld: Study your handbook, E27, about prepositions (voorzetsels). Op de website www.2020english.nl vind je de luisterteksten, extra opdrachten en transcripten van het luistermateriaal. Bij dit werkboek ontvang je een voucher waarmee je je licentie voor de website kunt activeren. Let op: de code in de voucher kun je maar een keer inwisselen! De methode 20/20 English is bedoeld om zelfstandig leren en werken te vergemakkelijken. Als je de aanwijzingen in dit werkboek volgt en de opdrachten uitvoert, zul je merken dat je veel vragen over Engels zelf kunt beantwoorden en problemen zelf kunt oplossen. Je docent heeft alle uitwerkingen. Bespreek met haar/hem of je over deze uitwerkingen mag beschikken. Als je alle units en cases aandachtig hebt doorgewerkt, zul je merken dat je je in veel situaties al heel goed kunt redden. Je woordenschat is groter geworden, je kunt gesprekken voeren, teksten lezen en samenvatten en e-mailberichten en brieven schrijven. You won’t be at a loss for words.
De auteurs
Gebruiksaanwijzing In elke unit worden de vaardigheden Spreken, Gesprekken voeren, Lezen, Schrijven en Luisteren geoefend. Daarnaast is er aandacht voor Grammatica en belangrijke woorden. Aan het eind van elke unit vind je een Case. Speaking interaction / Gesprekken voeren In dit boek vind je veel oefeningen die je helpen een eenvoudig gesprek in het Engels te voeren. In veel gevallen kun je voorbeelden ontlenen aan de luisteroefeningen bij dit boek. Speaking / Spreken Bij dit onderdeel zul je een presentatie of een monoloog moeten voorbereiden en houden. Listening / Luisteren De vele luisteroefeningen zijn er niet alleen op gericht je luistervaardigheid te vergroten, maar ook om je een groot aantal voorbeeldgesprekken te laten horen die je in allerlei situaties kunt gebruiken. De luisterfragmenten (en videofragmenten) vind je op de website www.2020english.nl. Reading / Lezen Je vindt in deze rubriek een groot aantal leesteksten over uiteenlopende onderwerpen waarmee je te maken kunt krijgen. De teksten worden gevolgd door verschillende opdrachten. Writing / Schrijven In dit deel leer je e-mails en brieven schrijven en formulieren invullen. Grammar / Grammatica Je vindt in dit deel een aantal grammaticaoefeningen bij de theorie uit het Handboek. Important words and phrases / Belangrijke woorden en uitdrukkingen Dit is een lijst van woorden en uitdrukkingen afkomstig uit de unit die je zojuist hebt doorgewerkt. Je moet er zelf voor zorgen dat je deze woorden en uitdrukkingen actief in het Engels kunt gebruiken. Case In de case laat je je communicatieve vaardigheden zien. Het is dus belangrijk dat je de vaardigheden en de woorden en uitdrukkingen uit de voorafgaande unit goed beheerst. Iconen en hun betekenis Speaking interaction / Gesprekken voeren Speaking / Spreken Listening / Luisteren Reading / Lezen Writing / Schrijven Grammar / Grammatica Ga naar www.2020English.nl of de aangegeven website.
Inhoudsopgave Unit 1
The Right Skills for the Job
7
Case 1
Welcome to Our Company
23
Unit 2
Rules and Regulations
27
Case 2
An Internship Abroad
49
Unit 3
Your Best Friends
53
Case 3
The Tool Competition
72
Unit 4
The Twentieth Century
77
Case 4
The Biggest Report in the World
93
Unit 5
Starting From Scratch
97
Case 5
Starting Your Own Business From
120
Scratch Unit 6
Working Together
123
Case 6
Together We Can Solve It
145
Unit 7
The Environment
149
Case 7
Teach Them a Lesson
164
Unit 8
Space
167
Case 8
The Warehousing Business
182
Unit 9
All Over the World
185
Case 9
A Stall at the trade fair
207
Unit 10
Expanding Your Horizon
211
Case 10
The Best Person for the Job
228
Bronvermelding
233
The Right Skills Unit 1 for the Job
To be a good worker, you need different types of skills. At your
school you are trained in a particular field of expertise. This is a
technical field. This unit looks at people who have technical jobs and how they train others to become skilled workers. When you
have finished this unit you will be able to talk about your job and other important jobs in your field of work in short English sentences.
14222_Unit openers.indd 1
01-05-13 17:10
Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
Speaking interaction Exercise 1 Every profession has its own skills. For example, a plumber works with tools, he knows all about working with water and knows how to fit pipes together so they don’t leak. Work in groups of four. First, translate the professions into English. Find the correct English names for them. Then fill in the chart below. Write down two skills or tools that belong to that profession. For example:
lasser welder works with tin knows how to use fire responsibly
automonteur
timmerman
elektricien
aannemer
schilder
metselaar
Exercise 2 Work in groups of four. Person A thinks of a profession. Use the professions from Exercise 1 or think of a new profession. The other persons in the group can each ask a question to find out more about this profession. Person A can only answer yes or no. The person who guesses the profession first wins.
Reading Exercise 3 In many cases skilled craftsmen are their own boss, but they could use a little help in organising their work. This is what guilds are for. Guilds offer a hallmark (keurmerk) and help with administration or finding work. Guilds have been around for a long time. They are related to what we now call trade unions, where workers join a group to receive benefits. Read the short article on the history of guilds.
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Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
The Origins of Guilds The word Guild, used since the Middle Ages, comes from the German word ‘Gilde’. This word was used for a number of people, usually self-employed craftsmen, who organised themselves into a group so they could share tools and have meetings to agree on certain rules for their particular craft. The group would gather in a guildhall. This was usually a large building where the magistrate, who ruled 5 the town, would also have his office. The Saxon translation of the word guild means ‘to pay’ and that is what a guild was originally all about. You paid a fee to join a guild. In return you received a membership that included protection and shared services. You could see a guild as a form of trade union that looked after its members. England still has many active guilds today. The oldest have been in existence for over a thousand years. 10 They still play an active role in the community. Guild members receive benefits and the majority of craftsmen are members of a guild.
The following words can be found in the text. Find out what these words mean by reading the text. When you have finished reading the text and still have no idea what some of the words mean, you may use a dictionary to look them up. You can give your answer in Dutch. 1 origins 2 organised 3 gather 4 rules 5 craft 6 magistrate 7 originally 8 in existence 9 majority 10 benefits
Writing Exercise 4 In the previous exercise you found out the meaning of a number of words. The following step is to use them in different sentences. Take the following five words from Exercise 3 and write a new sentence with each word in the present simple (onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd – o.t.t.). For example:
gather Craftsmen gather at the city hall for their third annual guild meeting
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Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
1 benefits 2 originally 3 rules 4 majority 5 to organise
Reading Exercise 5 An apprentice is someone who works for a skilled craftsman and learns all about the work. Read the text about apprentices in England and the following statements. True or false?
Apprenticeships and Apprentices An apprentice is someone who learns a trade from a master or a craftsman. Most of their training is done on the job and they learn while they work. An apprenticeship is a job where you learn your skill while you work for a company. It is a paid job and you receive the same benefits as you would in any other job. The only difference is that you receive more 5 intensive training in job-specific skills. For more advanced apprenticeships, some theoretical study is included and the apprentice takes a course or trains at a technical college or a training facility. The apprentice and the employer sign a contract. The contract says that any additional education is paid for by the employer and the apprentice states that he or she will work for the employer for a specified amount of time. An apprenticeship usually takes between one 10 and four years. You can apply for an apprenticeship when you are over 16 and are not in full-time education. More information about apprenticeships can be found at your local career centre.
1 You have to pay for your own school tuition when you become an apprentice. 2 You can apply for an apprenticeship when you are 15 or older. 3 You will receive a full salary when you are an apprentice. 4 All apprentices have to sign a contract stating that they will stay with an
true
false
□ □ □ □
□ □ □ □
□
□
employer for a few years. 5 You have to be in school full-time when you want to become an apprentice.
Writing Exercise 6 Does an apprenticeship sound attractive to you? Finish the following sentences and write about your own experience or what you think about apprenticeships.
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Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
1 I want to become / don’t want to become an apprentice in my field of work because…
2 Doing an apprenticeship could be very useful for me because…
3 Four years is too long / too short to be an apprentice because…
Grammar Exercise 7 Study your handbook, E30, to learn about the present simple (o.t.t.). There are a lot of funny pictures on the internet about craftsmanship. Here is an example. Look at the cartoon and write down five things about this picture. For example, what the person in the picture is wearing and what he is doing. Try to use the present simple as much as possible. 1 2 3 4 5
Speaking interaction Exercise 8 Work in pairs. Discuss why the picture in Exercise 7 is meant to be funny. What makes the picture funny? Write down your notes here.
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Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
Reading Exercise 9 Apprenticeships are a very common way to work and learn at the same time. In England there are many apprenticeships available. You can find more information about them on the website of Apprenticeships: www.apprenticeships.org.uk. This website is part of the NAS (National Apprenticeship Service) and regulates and promotes apprenticeships throughout the UK. Read the following text from the Apprenticeships website.
Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Making things (manufacturing) and making things work (engineering) – that’s what apprenticeships in this sector are all about. Naturally it’s an extremely broad field, so there’s a good range of apprenticeships to choose from. Some of the main manufacturing industries covered include textiles, food, furniture, glass, metals and printing. You 5 could be doing anything from operating huge machines in a factory to working with hand tools in a small workshop. All of these industries (and others) require complex machinery that needs to be designed, built and maintained – which is what you’ll learn about on an engineering apprenticeship. Engineers come in all shapes and sizes, specialising in particular areas, such as construction and electronics. 10 One major part of engineering is the motor industry. After an apprenticeship in this area, you might spray paint new sports cars, fix cars that have broken down, rescue stranded motorists, or even become a train driver. Depending on your employer, you could be working in a very specialised field, or learning a broader range of skills and techniques. An apprenticeship in this sector could see you doing anything from hand stitching 15 a leather saddle to decommissioning a nuclear reactor – very different jobs, but both requiring high levels of skill, precision and concentration. Manual and technical skills are important in this sector, and maths, IT and science are often relevant. You need to be good at following instructions and working as part of a team, but engineers in particular often need to use their own initiative to solve problems.
Answer the following questions about the text. For example:
What are apprenticeships all about? Answer: Making things and making things work.
1 What is a major part of engineering?
2 What can you do after an apprenticeship in this area?
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Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
Exercise 10 The following words have been taken from the text in Exercise 9. Write down the meaning of the words. You may use a dictionary or the internet to look up any words that you don’t know. 1 apprenticeship 2 textile 3 to maintain 4 range 5 to require 6 stitching 7 to decommission 8 to rescue 9 (to take) initiative
Writing Exercise 11 Some difficult words from the text in Exercise 9 have been left out in the following sentences. Complete the sentences using the following words that you can find in the text. Two of the words have not been used in the sentences. huge (heel groot)
covered (bestrijken / bedekt)
precision (precisie)
field (werkveld)
manual (handmatig)
initiative (initiatief)
broad (ruim)
stranded (gestrande)
particular (specifiek)
area (gebied)
1 Willow Tech college in Alabama is a state of the art school that only admits students with a very high grade average. 2 The green party
, which stated that all schools in the United States
should have plants in the canteen so the students have more oxygen, was supported by students from many colleges in the United States. .
3 People always choose a plumber or a building society in their local 4 If I get this job, it will be a
opportunity for me. It means I can buy
myself a new car. 5 Every workman should stick to their
of expertise.
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Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
6 The
motorists were really happy to see the AA van. It was getting
dark and they had run out of petrol. 7 It takes great
to make an authentic Swiss clock. The clock’s parts
are really small and fragile. 8 The whole car is
in little flowers from the tree that I parked it
under. I should wash my car tomorrow.
Exercise 12 When you talk to someone from England, they may not always understand what you mean. In situations like this it is a great help if you can describe what you mean in other words. The following words come from the text. Describe these in your own words. You can look them up in the text to find out what each word means. 1 factory 2 initiative 3 concentration 4 engineer 5 a nuclear reactor
The United Kingdom Many Dutch say ‘England’ when they talk about the United Kingdom, but this is wrong. Also, the United Kingdom is not the
3
same as Great Britain. The United Kingdom consists of the island of Great Britain and of Northern Ireland (4), which lies in the northeastern part of the island of Ireland. The United Kingdom has an area of 244,111 km2. The island of Great Britain, in turn, consists of England (1), which occupies the southern two-thirds
4
of the island, Scotland (3), which occupies the northern third, and Wales (2) in the west. All these parts of Great Britain have very strong identities: the people who live there, feel English, Scottish or Welsh, rather than British. You can imagine that someone from Scotland may feel insulted when you call him or her English...
14
2
1
Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
Listening Exercise 13 Craftsmen are highly respected in England. There are even awards for the best craftsman of the year in every craftsman’s category. Listen to track 1.1 and answer the questions. The audio track is about Ian who won an award for contractor of the year. 1 Ian was voted ‘contractor of the year’ by: a the public b the city council c his two apprentices 2 What is the key to winning the award? a giving discounts b being honest to your clients c working hard 3 What is Ian’s first tip? a always get a contract b always ask more than one contractor c always ask for references 4 What is Ian’s second tip? a always create a drawing b always create a detailed plan c always use a specific typeface on your paper 5 Should you pay the whole amount before you start? a Yes, and only in cash. b No, you should pay the whole amount afterwards. c No, you can pay a deposit before you start. 6 What about extra work? a Extra work should be well documented and signed by both parties. b Extra work is agreed upon after the work has been done. c Extra work should not be necessary.
Speaking interaction Exercise 14 Ian mentioned four tips in track 1.1. Work in groups of four. Everyone in the group should make a list of the four tips and put the most important one at the top, then the second most important one and so on. Do you all have the same result? Make a group list together.
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Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
Writing Exercise 15 Use the tip your group thought was most important in Exercise 14. Now write a short advice blog entry about this tip. Give your blog a nice catchy title. You may even include a photo and a profile of the person who is writing the blog. Use a computer.
Grammar Exercise 16 Study your handbook, E61, to learn more about question tags. Complete the following sentences using the correct question tag. (Choose: have you / haven’t you, are you / aren’t you, etc.) For example:
My bike is made of steel, isn’t it?
1 It’s a beautiful day,
?
2 These books are heavy,
?
3 You haven’t got a car,
?
4 You can play the piano,
?
5 You don’t know where Chris works,
?
6 You use a safety helmet when you are working,
?
7 You are going home after school,
?
8 That car has a 2.0 litre engine,
?
9 He is a very skilled driver,
?
10 He reminds you of someone,
? ?
11 A skill is something you can learn, 12 My work here is done, 13 I am a good student,
16
? ?
Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
Exercise 17 Study your handbook, E30-E32 and E45-E47, to learn about the present simple (o.t.t.) and the continuous. Also study E61 about question tags. Write a correct English question with the given words. Use question tags. For example:
majority / to vote The majority of the people vote against, don’t they?
1 to ask /a question / she / him / right now
2 to break up / a marble floor / they
3 to fix / new cars / these garages / only
4 to walk / the dog / every night / he
5 to build / houses / you
Reading Exercise 18 Fill in the gaps in the text. Use the following nouns. Two words have not been used in the text. garden – stairs – boss – years – heart – sad – tools – wife – doors – materials – wood
A carpenter was old and he was ready to retire. He told his
(1) the contractor,
that he was ready to quit his job and enjoy the last remaining 5 life with his
(2) of his (3),
children and grandchildren. He wanted to spend some more time on his The contractor was a little
(4). (5) that his best worker,
who had always delivered excellent work, was leaving and that he had to find a new carpenter to
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Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
10 assist him. The contractor asked the carpenter if he could just build one more house for him. Even though the carpenter agreed to help his boss one more time, he didn’t put his (6) into it, he used second class
(7)
and didn’t finish the job as well as he would have done before he decided to retire. When the house was finished, the contractor came to look at the house. He walked inside and saw the work (8) did not fit into the openings
15 that the carpenter had done. The properly. The wooden
(9) were a bit crooked. The contractor didn’t look
too pleased with it...
Writing Exercise 19 The text in Exercise 18 is a short story about an old carpenter. Does the story end well or badly? Write an ending to the story in approximately 150 words. Write in correct English sentences. Use a computer.
Speaking interaction Exercise 20 What would you have done? Would you have forgiven the old carpenter if you were his colleague or would you have told him that what he had done was not right? Discuss in pairs or in groups of four.
Grammar Exercise 21 Study your handbook, E9, to learn more about nouns (zelfstandige naamwoorden). The following sentences are descriptions of a few nouns. Read the descriptions and fill in the correct noun. You can choose from the following words. Two of the words don’t match a description. apprentice – pipefitter – contractor – welder – field – majority – initiative – plumber – guild – crane driver – car mechanic – magistrate 1 Someone who makes sure everyone in a town obeys the law.
2 Someone who operates a heavy machine that can lift heavy materials, or even lifts them to great heights.
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Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
3 Someone who joins two pieces of metal together with the help of a special substance.
4 Someone who knows all about automobiles.
5 A petition or a plan that is presented to someone in politics in order to change something.
6 An area of work that someone is specialised in.
7 Someone who fixes your bathroom or your toilet when it leaks.
8 An organisation where people with the same work skills can unite by paying a fee for insurance and benefits.
9 A person who learns a specific skill on the job. Usually by working and going to school at the same time.
10 When most of the people have voted against something they have the...
Exercise 22 A noun is a word that describes a person, a thing, an animal or a plant. A noun can be changed into a verb when it describes an action. A noun can also be changed into the name of a profession. When a noun can describe a person, an action and a profession, you call this a word family. Fill in the following chart. Look at the example.
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Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
Action
Person
General profession
to weld
welder
welding
to fit to mason to manufacture to engineer to drive to paint to train
Exercise 23 When you use words from a word family you need to know if you are talking about the noun (person), the verb (the action) or the noun that describes the profession. Fill in the correct form of the word. When you are using the verb, be sure to use the present simple (o.t.t.). For example:
them together.
To connect two pieces of lead together, you need to To connect two pieces of lead together, you need to weld them together.
1 The
(paint) creates a piece of art by using every colour of the
rainbow. (engineer) you have to be good at
2 If you want to get a job in mathematics. 3 How many
(work) are
(work) in the plant down the street, do you know? 4 If we can
(fit) this pipe just a little bit tighter then we will be
sure that it won’t leak. 5 Today I received a letter telling me that I have been admitted to a (train) programme for welding. 6 China is the largest
20
(manufacture) of toys in the world.
Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
Listening Exercise 24 Listen to track 1.2. You will hear a newsflash from the eight o’clock news. There are three news stories in the newsflash. Make sure to make notes while you are listening. Write a short summary of the newsflash in your own words in English.
Speaking Exercise 25 An important skill to practise is re-telling a story. Choose one of the three stories from track 1.2 and explain to your neighbour or one of your classmates what this story is all about. Be sure to keep it short and simple.
Writing Exercise 26 Use your own notes about the newsflash. Now reproduce two of the news stories as a twitter message. Each message has a maximum of 140 characters. Tweet 1
Tweet 2
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Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
Listening Exercise 27 Listen to the short conversation from track 1.3 and answer the questions. 1 What kind of job was Peter talking about? Explain in your own words.
2 Peter found a way to describe his work in very simple terms, even though it sounded very nifty (deftig). Describe your profession in simple terms.
Important words and phrases Make sure that you know how to use the following words and phrases in English. They can all be found in unit 1. bouwkunde/machinebouw
lasser
vervaardigen/maken
metselaar
leerlingwezen/stage
elektricien
vakman
precisie
de meerderheid van de
initiatief nemen
mensen aannemer
op een speciďŹ ek gebied
werkveld
een vak leren
handmatig
voordelen
bediening
bestrijken/bedekken
zware machines
kraanmachinist
gebied
verantwoord omgaan met vuur
timmerman kleine werkplaats
22
beroep
Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
Case 1 | Welcome to Our Company This case is all about orientation and presenting yourself. You will hear about what companies have to offer to future apprentices and employees and how you can get the attention of companies. Many people apply for positions at large companies, but only the few who have done the research and who stand out, will get the job. Make sure you put all the exercises from the case in a portfolio, which you can hand in to your teacher for approval. Use a computer for your portfolio. The following should be present in your portfolio: 1 The summary of the presentation by Nick Dowry. 2 The answers to the questions in the Speaking interaction exercise. 3 The motivational letter. 4 The points of your presentation. You can also add a feedback form from your presentation.
Sky-High Construction Ltd. Nick Dowry is a manager from a company called Sky-High Construction Ltd. He is in the Netherlands looking for potential apprentices. They offer a full placement with further education to students from technical colleges in the Netherlands. He gives a short presentation about the company.
Listening Listen to track 1.4, the presentation by Nick Dowry. Write a short summary of his presentation on a computer.
Speaking interaction Work in pairs or in groups of three or four. Discuss the following questions. 1 Why would a manager from an international company come to your school to look for apprentices? 2 What skills should the person that they are looking for have? 3 Are these skills that you learn in school?
Reading The following text is the company profile of Sky-High Construction Ltd. A company profile describes what the company does and has to offer to clients. The profile gives the history of the company as well as its values and goals. Usually, it also lists the projects the company has worked on. Read the text and answer the questions.
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Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
Company Profile Sky-High Construction Ltd. Sky-High Construction Ltd. is a sister company of L.J. Rheims Construction Ltd. Offices and Recruitment, which was established in 1980 by Frederick Dowry. The company now directly employs 75 people in the main office, including admin staff and facility staff. Sky-High Construction Ltd. was established in October 1998 as a registered company in England and Wales, 5 company number 0063374. The company was established by Frederick’s brother James, who still runs the company. Sky-High Construction Ltd. was established to carry out larger commercial, public sector and project management works. This is what we value most: 10
■
Honesty and integrity in all our relationships.
■
Pride and care in all the things we do.
■
Exceeding our clients’ expectations.
■
Innovation and outstanding teamwork.
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Reliability, dedication and a constant drive towards perfection.
The company has been growing steadily in the last five years and employs 55 employees and regularly 15 sub-contracts to a large pool of competent tradesmen who have been formally assessed regarding their skills, service, quality and health & safety compliance. We have over four years of excellent experience in educating apprentices from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Some of the employees are still with the company today. Skills 20 We offer a diverse skill set. We aim to have everything you need, or else we know where we can find everything you need. We work with all kinds of specialists in the field and have many connections to be able to offer a total solution. The company has encouraged and assisted sub-contractors in achieving onsite Assessment & Training NVQs in their particular trade. They are encouraged and supported to employ apprentices and develop their training needs. In achieving onsite Assessment & Training in their particular 25 trade they are encouraged and supported to employ apprentices and develop their training needs. Projects include:
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Industrial unit construction.
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Factory conversion.
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Commercial.
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Healthcare.
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Local authority.
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Listed buildings / barn conversions.
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Restoration & Refurbishment.
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Design & Build.
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New build.
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Nursing homes.
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Educational properties.
1 When was Sky-High Construction Ltd. established?
2 Who established Sky-High Construction Ltd.?
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Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
3 What do they value most? (Name two points.)
4 Why was Sky-High Construction Ltd. established?
5 How many employees does the company have?
6 How many years of experience in educating apprentices do they have?
Writing Study your handbook, C40, to learn more about motivational letters. It is important that your motivational letter demonstrates that you have done your research about the company. Your following task is to write a motivational letter to Sky-High Construction Ltd. Use the following questions and answers for your letter. 1 What are you studying at the moment? Translate this into English.
2 Mention four skills that you will have gained when you ďŹ nish your education.
3 Explain where you want to work after you have received your diploma.
4 Mention why you would like to work for a foreign company or even work abroad.
5 Mention at least three speciďŹ c points of Sky-High Construction Ltd. that appeal to you in particular.
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Unit 1 The Right Skills for the Job
Speaking Good presentation skills are very important when you apply for an apprenticeship or have a job interview. Prepare a 2-minute presentation for Sky-High Construction Ltd. to show them why they should hire you as an apprentice. You can use the company profile to mention any specific information. Here are some points that you can use in your presentation: ■
Start with a short introduction. ‘Hello, my name is…’
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Mention why you want to work for a company like Sky-High Construction Ltd. ‘I want to work for Sky-High Construction Ltd. because…’
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Mention something about your skills. For example that you are good at drawing sketches or that you like to work with wood.
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