Employability Skills

Aims of the tool

This workshop will introduce the meaning of employability skills to participants, create a link between skills needed in the job market and skills developed through volunteering, and support participants in increasing the recognition of these skills.

Description of the tool

The workshop starts with a PowerPoint presentation about employability skills, linking the skills needed in the job market and the skills developed through volunteering. (Presentation is attached).

After that participants are introduced to 6 persons playing the following roles (these persons are the trainers and staff of the project):
1. Human Resources Manager at a company
2. Parent
3. Friend
4. Admission Officer at a university
5. NGO representative
6. Donor/Sponsor
After introducing these persons to participants, each will go to his specific location around the training venue.

Each participant will be given a piece of paper on which the 6 persons are listed with their locations, and will have to visit in a 1 hour time at least 4 persons.

The objective of the visits are:
1. Human Resources Manager at a company: to apply for a job and convince the Human Resource Manager that the skills he/she gained through volunteering are valuable
2. Parent: convince his/her parents that volunteering is not a waste of time and does not affect the school or university grades, and that the skills gained are valuable
3. Friend: encourage a friend to go with him/her and volunteer
4. Admission Officer at a university: convince the admissions officer that the skills he/she gained through volunteering are an added value to his/her university application
5. NGO representative: convince the NGO representative that he/she has the experience needed to join the organization
6. Donor: convince the donor that his/her volunteering experience is valuable and that he/she deserves the funds needed for his/her project idea.

Trainers and staff playing the different roles should try to make the task as difficult as possible for participants.

After participants complete their required visits by making the people sign their paper, everybody goes back to assembly for reflection.

Reflection questions might include:
1. What did you learn from this activity?
2. How difficult was it to make other people recognize the skills you gained through volunteering?
3. Who was the most difficult person to convince?
4. Who was the easiest person to convince?
5. What could we do to increase the recognition of the skills we gain through volunteering (Highlight it in our CV, interactions between the business field and the NGO field, etc...)

Trainers and staff who did the role play can also share the input received from the different participants.