Employability Training Workshops First Hand

Written on 26th, January 2022

Hi, my name is Millie, I’m 18 and I work at Professional Training Solutions as a Digital Marketing Social Media Kickstarter and I am writing a Weekly Blog on my experience of Employability Training.

Before I began my Kickstart Position at PTS I was completely unaware of the Employability qualification and what it entailed, but with Kickstart, I have been able to discover this, in training – for FREE!

Workshop 1

This was a three hour workshop with a variety of other learners in different roles & companies who were all just as nervous as I was to see new faces and begin the ice breakers.  Our Employability Mentor/Coach, Andrew, gave a briefing on what the course would involve:

• Digital Skills
• Communication Skills
• Teamwork Skills
• Skills Forward Exam Qualifications
• Customer Psychology
• SWOT Analysis
• CV Writing Skills
• Job Search Preparation
• Motivational Mindset Masterclass
• Interview Preparation Techniques

This first session involved discussing Digital & Communication skills, Confidence & Teamwork Skills.   Then we were able to complete the 5 Skills Forward Exams ensuring our fundamental knowledge of Maths, English and Digital Skills was adequate.

I learned a lot from Andrew’s presentation and have already become a lot more self-aware within my working environment.  Below is a breakdown of the Skills and Knowledge we reviewed.

Communication Skills

• Physicality – we covered a generic working environment physicality, as well as the difference between physical conduct with your colleagues in comparison to with your manager.
• Vocals – we covered how the formality of different pitches, tones, volumes can have an impact on how people see and respect you in the workplace.

Confidence & Teamwork Skills

• Planning and prep​
• Words of affirmation​
• Power of association​
• Positive thoughts​
• Perspective

Digital Skills

• Creating and Editing
• Communicating and Transacting
• Handling Information
• Website Safety

Workshop 2

This second session with Andrew consisted of discussing Customer Service, Customer Psychology, Customer Needs, SWOT Analysis and Customer Care.

It was a very informative session below is a breakdown of the Skills and Knowledge we covered@

Customer Needs-

• Respect
• Relatability
• Mutual Understanding/Security
• Compliancy/Outline of policies
• Fair Price
• Tailored Advice
• Punctuality
• Supply and Demand
• Social Etiquette
• Accessibility

Customer Psychology-

• Scarcity – can increase sales due to rushed and pressured thought pressure
• Deadlines – can impact the buyer’s decision to be more quick and irrational
• Perceived Quality – people attribute a higher quality to expensive products

SWOT Analysis- (can be conducted both personally and professionally)

• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats

Customer Care with Complaints-

• patience and understanding
• reimbursements where necessary
• request input from higher powers
• complimentary offers
• a serious investigation into an accusation/claim/statement

Workshop 3

This third session with Andrew consisted of discussing Mindset & Motivation  (i.e motivators and demotivators as well as their impacts) and desirable attributes within the Workplace. Below is a breakdown of the Skills and Knowledge covered:

Mindset

Motivators provide a growing mindset where you can take on challenges, feedback and setbacks. They help you to believe in yourself and have the resilience to learn new skills and acquire more effort at the benefit of the company.

• Motivators – Welcoming Culture, Good Pay, Personal Development, Career Aspirations & Incentives.

Demotivators fester a negative mindset where you isolate and block out any challenges, setbacks and take personal offense to constructive criticism. They can lead to you taking on minimal duties and not extending your range of efforts and skills, not reaching your full potential.

• Demotivators – Distractions, Poor Pay, Lack of freedom and responsibility, Other colleagues leaving or slacking & unmanageable workload.

Desired Traits for a positive mindset –

• Honesty
• Resilience
• Discipline
• Efficiency
• Flexibility
• Self-Awareness
• Determination
• Mindfulness
• Conscientious
• Intuitive

Motivation-

• Set yourself interior and exterior goals
• Seek constructive criticism,
• Pre-plan the week ahead,
• Create routine
• Reinforce good habits

Workshop 4

This fourth session consisted of discussing Interview skills and CV-writing. Below is a breakdown of the Skills and Knowledge covered:

Places to look for job opportunities

• Internet – Reed, Total jobs, CV Library, Indeed
• Newspapers
• Social Media – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn
• Personal – Family and Friends
• Job/work coach
• Head Hunted

CV Information

• Personal details
• Personal Statement
• Employment history
• Education
• Hobbies and interests
• References

Preparing for an interview

• Research the company
• Look through Job ad
• Common interview questions and answers
• Plan your journey
• Make sure you have appropriate clothing

Learners Conclusion

Overall the course has proven to be extremely valuable to me for the qualification on my CV, the networking opportunities with other course members & access to all the information my Mentor has been able to offer me.

I have found my coach to be very supportive, asking many questions about how I’m fitting in and what could be improved on the course as well as job role. Equality was pinpointed and I was made to feel very welcomed and respected and felt comfortable voicing my thoughts and feelings.

If you’d like to find out more about our Employability programmes please contact us