MOLLY Thank you for coming to our presentation: Backpack to Briefcase: Connecting Capabilities to Competencies - Just a little bit about this presentation● A lot of research & articles --says that there is employability skills gap between

○ where clients or students are –when graduate College leave our office○ what skills or competencies employee want & see in new hires

● So from the perspective of higher education - The presence of a skills GAP is Debatable – I think we do a pretty good job of addressing foundational competencies –

● That Said, I do think can all do a better job of helping our student- clients ○ understand -what employers are looking for○ Assess and reflect on their own skills – helping them identify gaps○ Practice talk about their own employability skills to potential employers

In this session we want you to walk away with the ability to: ● Define career readiness ● Identify the 7 Career Readiness Competencies Employers are looking for in our

students-clients● Give you Tools to help your students- clients recognizing and articulating their own

employability skills/competencies

MOLLYWe are the only Fully Staffed Career Center in the UA system, we serve students and Alumni from UAA Our goal is to be a leaders in our community on Workforce and Career Development. BECAUSE● We believe that every student has the capacity to adapt to an ever changing

workforce ● find a fulfilling career that aligns with their passion, interests and values. ● We do this work by focusing on student needs, ● recognizing that students come to us at a variety of points in their career

development, ● and offering innovative, intentional programs and services designed to

○ help grow their network, ○ build skills, ○ and expand their experiences

● so they have the ability to identify and participate in opportunities as they arise, ● overcome challenges, ● so they can transition and remain competitive in today’s job market.

MOLLY We have 4 distinct section today-----Talk About ---Career Readiness Research Reveal---NACE Career Competencies Danica -Employers on Career Competencies Courtney – facilitate some Activities on Addressing the Gap

MOLLY So before we launch into this definition – I want to provide some context, background into the build up to the Idea of a “Skills gap” in our economy today. 1. Since the Recession of 2008-almost all new jobs created have gone to college

graduates –○ highschool graduates- need some college to get the job – And that is

perceived as a Skills Gap for employers – we are not graduating enough college graduates

○ its not happening quickly enough to fill the talent void.2. The Dynamic nature of technology, calls for a workforce than rapidly adapt and

learn new technologies○ Someone who is let’s say 50, and not willing or able to learn a new email

system○ And that is perceived as a Skills Gap for employers as companies grow

and change to meet client needs.○ It’s what we call (life long learners) in higher education.

3. Rural companies (even sub-urban), this includes any company in Alaska –Have trouble finding technically skilled workers. For more than a decade Students are moving to big cities for jobs

From the University perspective we’ve been experiencing a real push to examine what we teach and ensure this is align with Employability Skills – but that was fairly undefined until 2014We are members of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).Many industries have associations who work on the behalf of their field to provide

research, benchmark and assessment data, and professional development & Support –Most Career Offices on college campuses. Talk to me later if you want to learn more.But, In 2014 Nace Put a taskforce together of corporate leaders and Higher education leaders and asked them to identify competencies and develop definitions associated with career readiness. ● Because let’s face it, it’s hard to make change without a common vocabulary and

framework.And so here it is: Career readiness is the attainment and demonstration of requisite competencies that broadly prepare college graduates for a successful transition into the workplace.

MOLLY 7 Career Competencies (not including the 8th Global)

○ According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), “career readiness is the attainment and demonstration of requisite competencies that broadly prepare college graduates for a successful transition into the workplace.”

○ Align to what students learn in the classroom Leadership - Leverage the strengths of others to achieve common goals; organize, prioritize and delegate work; use empathetic skills to guide and motivate. Oral & Written Communications - Articulate thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively to a variety of audiences; demonstrate public speaking skillsProfessionalism & work Ethic - Demonstrate personal accountability and effective work habits: punctuality, working productively with others, time management, understanding the importance of a professional work image, and demonstrating integrity. Teamwork & Collaboration - Build collaborative relationships representing diverse cultures, races, ages, gender, religions, lifestyles, and viewpoints; work within team structure; negotiate/manage conflicts.Digital Technology -Select and utilize technology to solve problems and accomplish goals.Critical Thinking & Problem solving - Exercise sound reasoning and analytical thinking; use knowledge, facts, and data to solve problems and make decisions.Career Management - Identify and articulate skills, strengths, knowledge, & experiences; navigate career options and pursue these opportunities.New Global/intercultural Fluency – on your Handout

● Value, respect, and learn from diverse cultures, races, ages, genders, sexual orientations, and religions.

● The individual demonstrates openness, inclusiveness, sensitivity, and the ability to interact respectfully with all people and understand individuals’ differences.

DANICA● An article called “Employer-Preferred Skills and Attributes” states that “College students

entering the job market often find it challenging to demonstrate their soft skills in applications and resumes and in interviews. Yet, it’s the acquisition and application of these soft skills that can make all the difference for success in the workplace” (Mackes, 2017, p. 4-5).

● In order to stand out in today’s job market, our students and clients need to be able to identify, practice, and provide explanations for their career competencies.

DANICA● Why are they important? (7 minutes max)

○ “More than 70% of employers have consistently identified leadership, teamwork, written communication ability, problem solving, and work ethic as key resume attributes. Teamwork, verbal communication skills, and problem solving skills are the skills employers consider important for success.” (Mackes, 2017, p. 8).

○ Only 11% of business leaders and 14% of the general public felt strongly that students graduated from college with the skills that are needed for success in the workplace (Lumina, 2013).

○ Example: I recently had an appointment with a nursing student and I was helping her with her cover letter. I suggested that she include examples of the times she’s used the skills that she listed in her cover letter to have a more convincing second paragraph. When I asked her to tell me about a specific time that she had to problem solve, her response was “I know I did problem solving in my previous job because part of my job was to help customers but I can’t think of a specific example.” We spent almost 30 minutes trying to think of just one specific time and I tried asking about different types of scenarios and her consistent response was “I was just doing my job.”

○ As mentioned earlier by Molly, we believe that our students and clients have these career competencies, it’s just a matter of being able to clearly communicate to employers that they have them.

DANICA ● These are the top 4 essential career competencies according to the NACE Job Outlook

2018 that was published in 2017. ○ Professionalism/Work Ethic

■ 100% of the employers that responded consider Professionalism and Work Ethic as essential so on a five-point scale, they indicated that this competency is either “essential” or “absolutely essential”

■ Only 42.5% believe that recent graduates are either “very” or “extremely” proficient in Professionalism and Work Ethic

■ That’s a 57.5% gap ○ Critical Thinking/Problem Solving

■ 99.2% indicated that Critical Thinking and Problem Solving as important ■ Only 55.8% believe that recent graduates are either “very” or “extremely”

proficient in Critical Thinking and Problem Solving ■ That’s a 43.4% gap

○ Teamwork/Collaboration ■ 97.5% indicated that Teamwork and Collaboration as essential■ Some good news is that 77% believe that recent graduates are either

“very” or “extremely” proficient in Teamwork and Collaboration ■ So that’s only a 20.5% gap

○ Oral/Written Communications ■ Lastly, 95.9% indicated that Oral and Written Communications as

essential■ A competency that we use on a daily basis and only 41.6% believe that

recent graduates are either “very” or “extremely” proficient in Oral and Written Communications

■ That’s a 54.3% gap ● As educators, regardless of what population we serve our overall goal is to help our

students and clients become competent adults that contribute to society. Whether their career path consist of working after graduating high school, joining the military, continuing their education, going abroad, whatever it may be these competencies are vital for each and every student and client.

● Courtney will now tell you how to address these gaps.

The full graph of all of the 7 Career Readiness Competencies from the NACE Job Outlook 2018. This was not shown during the Alaska CAN presentation but shows the full graph that was discussed in the previous slide (Slide 8).

COURTNEY

COURTNEY● Co-curriculars, such as clubs, student jobs, student government, and job shadowing

are all well-rounded activities for students to learn the desired skills employers seek like communication, organization, and leadership

● Many universities use internships or practicums to promote further development into their specific discipline but also refine the skills that are seen after graduation in the work place, such as communication and problem-solving

COURTNEY

COURTNEYGroups of 7 Courtney will prepare at least 6 “job positions,” 4 sets of the 7 career competency signs, 4 to 6 balls of yarn.

COURTNEYCompetency Connections Activity(CES will divide you into groups)

Group A: Career Competency SignsPlease choose a Competency Sign and place it around your neckStand around Group BGroup B: Set of Scenario Cards and Ball of YarnChoose 1 scenario (#1 to #6) cardIdentify who will toss the ball of yarnMake sure to hold onto the end of the ball of yarn

How to Play:Group B will work together to identify Career Competencies in a Scenario CardWhen Group B identifies a Career Competency, (holding onto one end of the yarn) will toss the ball of yarn to the Career Competency.The Career Competency (holding onto the yarn) will toss the ball of yarn back to Group B and so on. (Each toss equals a connection and the person will keep a hold of the yarn before throwing it)Identify as many Competencies as possible in 30 secondsAt the end, Group B should be in the middle of a web like structure created by tossing the ball of yarn to a career competency.