EMPLAY Planner, App, Board Game and Handbook

Aims of the tool

To develop awareness and reflect on one's own employability competences (personal competences and job search competences)
To engage in exercises and activities that promote competences development

Description of the tool

EMPLAY Planner is an interactive tool with activities, exercises and suggestions to work on employability competences. It also includes a 6-months planner (dates to be defined by user).

It's a tool that allows users to develop their employability competences and skills in a spontaneous and creative manner. Activities and inputs rely on 5 key themes: WHO AM I? (social and personal competences); WHERE DO I WANT TO GO? (employability plans / self-development / lifelong learning); WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO GET THERE? (job search); Organisational elements; Inspiration and Motivation.

The Planner was conceived as an individual tool but it can also be used as a support instrument for coaching or career advice.

EMPLAY App is a personal mobile phone tool, available for Android and IOS, that can be used at one’s own pace and will. Its mobile interface is attractive and interactive and it relies on principles of gamification to motivate users to fulfil challenges that promote the awareness and /or development of employability competences.

The app includes a pool of 80 different challenges, created by the partners, of different sorts: questions about yourself or your environment; questions about work issues; tasks to complete away from the device. The variety and sequence of challenges are motivating and engaging.

It can be installed for free from Play Store and App Store

EMPLAY Board Game is an engaging way to develop employability, through group interaction and personal reflection around the various dimensions of employability. Players engage in questions, group activities and discussions that make learning exciting.

The game includes a board with 12 segments ("employability dimensions"), 50 job cards, 132 EMPLAY Cards (10 cards for each dimension + 1 blank card for each dimension) and the Facilitator’s Guide.

The EMPLAY Cards are the main learning source in the game. They were conceived to promote reflection, group discussion and awareness of the various issues involved in employability. For some of their questions, there is a clear ‘correct’ answer. Others are open reflective questions with neither a correct nor wrong answer. Some cards suggest an action to be performed right during the game. Facilitation is recommended.

The game can be played in groups of 4 to 5 players (or by up to 5 teams with a maximum of 3 players each – 15 players). It takes 1 to 2 hours. Variations of this educational game include using it as a one-to-one coaching tool or even as an individual exercise.

EMPLAY Handbook for Employability Workers is a practical manual that presents the rationale behind EMPLAY tools, suggestions on how to use the tools and a selection of group activities to work on employability with groups.

Tools can be downloaded at www.emplay.eu (languages: EN, IT, NL, PT)