Reference no: EM133697032

Building Employability Skills

Assignment - Advanced Skill Planning

Overview

Part A - Review and Demonstrate Skills
Compare your pre and post career learning experience skill self-assessment and demonstrate your skill set throughthe use of example.

Part B - Advanced Skill Planning
Consider employability skills for advanced development with consideration to the future world of work and set tangiblegoals for achievement.

Part C - Networks, Mentors and Showcasing
Identify industry networks and mentors with the view to presenting your development plan and seeking objectivefeedback on your employability skill planning. As part of this, consider how you might present yourself and skills toyour network through the development of an e-portfolio.

Part A - Review and Demonstrate Skills

Task 1

Post ExperienceSkill Self-Assessment:
This first section of the assignment requires you to reflect on the learning you have engaged with in your career learning experiences(workshops/courses) and demonstrate your current skilllevel as a result.

In the table below, rate your understanding and confidence to demonstrate each skill area. Mark the relevant box with an X and include a comment on why you chose this rating.

Task 2

Compare and summarise the changes between your ‘pre' and ‘post' career learning experience skill self-assessment tables.
• Refer back to the same table from Assignment 1 and compare your ratings.
• In analysing - discuss any notable changes in the three employability skills your learning experience courses focused on and then any other skill areas of note.

Task 3

Based on your ratings in the post experience skills table above:
• select your three (3) stronger employability skills and
• your three (3) weaker/more challengingemployability skills and complete the activity for each below.

STRONGER skill:
1stskillI feel confident in demonstrating is:

The reason I selected this skill as a strength is:

(Use the STAR method to provide your example and give enough detail to demonstrate your skill knowledge and/or your capability for applying the skill in a work or study context):

An example of when and how I demonstrated this skill is:

Situation

Task

Action

Result

Part B - Advanced Skill Planning

In this last section you will use your planning skills to focus on your career and advanced skill development as a Murdoch graduate and beyond.

Your career is your lifelong relationship with the world of work - you will change, your skills will change, and the world of work will change with you.

As you engage with skill planning and select the skills important for you to further develop, keep in mind the emerging and ongoing issues of the world of work we have covered in this unit.
Articulate why particular employability skills might be useful in contexts impacted by casualisation or automation, for example. It is essential that you can demonstrate your industry knowledge!

Task 1
Based on your responses to the skills self-assessment activities:

Identify three employability skills you will choose to develop further and explain why.

You can choose to:
1. Advance your strengths. Demonstrate your skill knowledge and be specific about which aspect of the skill you want to work on and why. (For example, if you choose communication skills narrow down what you will specifically work on. Will it be writing - creative or academic? Will it be presentation skills - will you work on harnessing your nerves or developing the format for pitching ideas?)
2. Work on developing the more challenging skills you are less confident in demonstrating.
3. Or do a little of both.

In crafting your response:• Reflect on the field you aim to work in and, your current skill capabilities.• Comment on how your proposed skill development addresses at least one of the major challenges you are likely to face in the world of work (i.e., 4IR, casualisation, automation, alienation).

Task 2

Outline the specific actions and milestones you will undertake to further develop your skills. This development may be through a combination of activities and learning experiences, including formal and informal modes of study and learning.

• Be specific about the career learning experiences you plan to do and relate them to the skills you want to develop (i.e., if it is an online course - research the actual course you will do and provide the name and platform (URL or web address).
• If it is a volunteer gig - name the organisation you plan to approach.
• Relate your choices to your skill capacity, your industry, and any changes occurring in the future world of work.

Task 3

Choose ONE of the employability skills you have nominated above to develop through a specific career learning experience.

Then, produce a SMART goal mapping this 'next step' toward your advanced employability skill learning.
(See Glossary of Terms for SMART goal definition and SMART goalinfographic to help shape your response. Provide any relevant links (URLs) to organisations or courses).

Part C - Networks, Mentors and Showcasing
So far, the tasks in this assignment have enabled you to:
a) identify and construct a clear plan on employability skills that need further development and,
b) understand and utilise the SMART goal method to initiate opportunities that will help you achieve this development.
However, with any career planning, SEEKING FEEDBACK is important and is part of developing your communication and self-management skills.

Task 1
In consideration of all elements of your employability skills development plan -
• who could you discuss this plan with and seek objective feedback from?
• How do you plan to approach your professional network for feedback?
• How could they best support you in advancing your skill development?

You might consider speaking directly with your teachers, colleagues, mentors, friends, or family, and/or you may wish to share your ideas, skills, and plans through a wiki or an e-portfolio. It is also important to draw on information and seek guidance from members of your professional network.
In crafting your response, please identify at least one source of objective feedback (a potential mentor) from an industry expert or professional from outside the personal network of your family.

Task 2 E-portfolio*
A professional online profile and e-portfolio is a useful way to reach out and create a professional network, seek mentorship and to showcase your skills.
There are many varied and free (and some not so free) e-portfolio platforms to consider using to demonstrate your work and provide evidence (such as certificates) to your industry.

Your last taskfor MSP200 is to explore the range of e-portfolio platforms available to you. In the section below select at least two platforms that you think will be the most useful for creating your professional profile and to showcase your employability skills (e.g., your newly earned certificates).
(a) If you don't have an online professional profile, how do you think developing one would be beneficial to your professional profile and network? Consider the information you would need to include and/or any additional skills you will need to develop to create an effective professional profile/ e-portfolio.
(b) If you already have an online professional profile, outline why you have selected this particular portfolio platform and how it has been beneficial to your career development. Are there any changes you need to make, or areas that need further development to enhance the effectiveness of your professional profile/ e-portfolio.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY - for now or before you graduate

Murdoch University provides students with lifelong access to
PebblePad (e-portfolio platform) upon graduation.
• This allows you to create a professional profile and have an ongoing reflective space for your learning and development.
• It is also a useful space to upload certificates and showcase your study and work achievements.
• You can even connect it to your LinkedIn or other compatible e-portfolio accounts.