Employability Decisions
Learning Goals/Objectives:
• Identify factors that influence a person’s employability.
• Compare the employability of two workers.
• Determine how workers can make decisions to increase employability.
Overview:
This activity introduces the factors that influence workers’ employability by analyzing the circumstances of two recently unemployed workers, and student identify decisions each can make to increase their employment options.
Activities:
1. Introduce the idea that each of us has a unique set of skills and knowledge we can use to produce goods and services. In addition, there are factors that influence our opportunities to find employment and adapt to change in the world of work.
2. Distribute Handout 18-1, Employability Options.
3. Students read the two scenarios about John and Rob.
4. Ask the students what the differences are between the two situations. What factors influence how John and Rob will perceive their situations and their options?
John Rob
Age 56 28
Experience 30 years 3 years
Education HS diploma AA degree, plus more
Mobility no yes
Skills minimal newer and more broad
Attitude negative positive
5. Discuss the situations and ask the students to suggest what John and Rob should do.
Ask: Who has more options? Why?
6. Why does Rob have more options? His age and the decision he has made make him more flexible. John, primarily because of his age seems more set in his ways and has fewer options.
7. What do you think is the most important difference?
Student may suggest the age difference. Point out that John, even at his age, can decide to seek training for a new job. Rob has decided to acquire an education and continue learning. It is education that gives him more marketable skills.
8 Suggest that it is education that may be the key difference. Rob had chosen to continue developing his human capital (skills and knowledge).
9. Ask: How can each person increase their employability?
a. Be willing to relocate to another area.
b. Seek additional education.
c. Develop new productive skills.
d. Be positive about your opportunities.
Materials:
Handout 12-1
|
Employability Options
John Johnson John is 51 years old and has worked at a steel fabricating company since he was 21 years old. He always thought he would work there until he retired, when he and his wife of 30 years would live comfortably off his company’s retirement pension plan. What a surprise when the company announced that it was going into bankruptcy and closing his plant. The newer factories will stay open, but they are a long way from home. Finding a new job will be tough, since he has only a high school diploma and really does not know how to do anything else except run the old machinery at his old plant. They have saved for their retirement, but thought it was a long way away. His severance pay will last just a couple of months. The thought of going back to school seems like a nightmare. Rob Roberts Rob is 28 years old and has worked at the Plastics factory for five years. He earned an associate’s degree from a technical school when he was 23 and has been taking classes ever since. Unfortunately, the plastics business has been very slow and Rob has been laid off. It doesn’t look like they will be rehiring for a long time. Rob married Judy three years ago, but they do not have any children, yet. Rob and Judy began an emergency savings plan when they got married, and he will receive some severance pay. Rob and Judy see this as possibly an opportunity to move to a new part of the county and start a new chapter in their lives.
|
Assessment:
• Identify the factors impacting employment options.
• Given a case study, identify the similar and different factor impacting ht options of two workers.
Download:
- Login to post comments