2. Warm-up
Question
What Makes a Great Work Experience?
What was the best summer or after-school job you had
as a teen/young adult? What did you learn from this
job?
What was the most unexciting or unglamorous job you
have ever had? What did you learn from this job?
3. Introduction
How can you use the Work-Based
Learning Plan’s Job Description and the
list of Workplace and Career Specific
Skills to create high quality work
experiences for youth?
4. One of the advantages of
Introduction using the Massachusetts
Work-Based Learning Plan is
that it was developed and is
used by a network of youth
employment programs across
the state. By connecting with
this network and the WBLP
resources, you can get ideas
and inspiration for your
work.
5. Introduction The Work-Based Learning
Plan includes a job
description, a list of
foundation skills (pre-written)
and a list of career and
workplace specific skills
(which you customize for the
specific placement).
There are online resources to
support you in writing high-
quality job descriptions and
identifying skills.
6. Job
Description
The job
description
should be a
brief
description of
the work,
along with
background
about the
organization.
7. Foundation
Skills
The foundation skills,
which are pre-written,
describe basic
professional skills
required by all jobs.
This list provides
a guide for orienting
students to the
workplace and for
defining expectations.
8. Workplace
and Career
Specific Skills
The Career and Workplace
Specific Skills section
allows you to define
specific skills for the work
experience. You can list up
to seven skills in this
section, or focus on just a
few.
Put the skill name in the first
Some suggestions are column of the grid (one or
provided at the top of the two words, generally) and
page, or you can identify write a brief description of
other skills. tasks or performance goals
in the second column.
9. Orientation – Setting Expectations:
Three The job description and the list of
skills/tasks are used to guide formal or
Purposes… informal, group or one-on-one
orientation to the work experience.
Performance Review: The list of skills
is used as the basis for the performance
reviews that are provided at least twice
during the work experience.
Reflecting: Youth may refer to the job
description, skills and tasks in the future
when they are developing portfolios,
writing resumes and applying for jobs
and colleges.
10. About Job Descriptions
• Job descriptions should be
brief, but with enough As hostess in a friendly
information to provide the
“flavor” of the job. restaurant, greet
customers and seat them
• Include details about “who, as soon as possible. Make
what, where and why” them feel comfortable
information in the job and welcomed. Operate
description. cash register and clear
and set tables.
• The job description might
mention the job title, a few
words describing the
organization, a brief list of
tasks, and a few words about
the customers or goals of the
work.
11. Job Descriptions - Sharing Background
• In the job descriptions,
share brief information Work as a landscaping
assistant in the XYZ Park,
about:
which is a 100-year old
- history park designed by landscape
- goals architect Harold Harrison,
- customers visited by thousands of
- or other interesting city residents each
summer. Tasks include
background information maintaining walkways,
about the organization weeding, and providing
and about the work. water for plants during dry
periods of the summer.
12. Job Descriptions - Identifying Projects
Job descriptions may
As a Summer Parks Intern,
include both routine assist Parks Department
daily tasks and staff in daily park
opportunities for maintenance and special
projects. Park maintenance
special projects. tasks include weeding,
watering plants and
maintaining walkways.
Special projects may include
preparing the soil for a new
garden and working on a
signage project.
13. Job Descriptions - Project Ideas
• Projects may provide As a Classroom Assistant,
a chance to build intern will assist with daily
career awareness, try tasks in the classroom and will
prepare and present at least
out skills, and make a one lesson plan during each
longer-term semester.
contribution to the
work of the As a Curatorial Intern,
student will assist in the
organization. development of a new exhibit
to be displayed in the museum.
14. Workplace and Career Specific Skills
The list of workplace and career
specific skills can include: Project Management:
Create a display for the Visitor Center
• Broad skills (project
management, collecting and
organizing information,
applied math, reading); Food Preparation:
Student will plan, prepare and serve
• Specific task-oriented skills healthy and nutritious suppers to
(weeding, park maintenance, children.
food preparation, filing
medical records…);
• Career awareness skills Medical Knowledge (Animal Care)
(career development, To understand a few common medical
understanding all aspects of problems/complications, in order to
the industry, reading about learn to monitor hospital patients. (Ex.
the industry, active learning) signs of low blood sugar in a diabetic
pet).
15. Skills - Expanding on Foundation Skills
The career and workplace specific Health and Safety: Things to
skills should go beyond the know about health and safety
Foundation Skills, providing a while working outdoors include:
focus on more specific and higher
order skills. You do not need to
repeat any of the foundation skills • Water and hydration
in the workplace and career • Sun and sunscreen
specific skills section. • Preventing heat stroke
• When to seek First Aid
However, you may want to expand • Lifting techniques
on some foundation skill areas, • Use of tools, rakes, shovels
such as health and safety
awareness or confidentiality or a • Handling trash
specific dress code for the •Understanding time management,
organization, if there are including a healthy pace of work
particular foundation skill areas and taking breaks
that need expansion or
clarification.
16. Skills - Providing Context
• Wherever possible, when Animal Care:
describing skills, mention the Intern will reassure orphaned animals
goals of the work, the thru petting, walking and talking to
them. This stimulus helps maintain
customer served, or other healthy animals.
information that gives the
“context” of the work. Administrative Skills:
• Like the job descriptions, the - Assist with organization of client
files, copying and faxing.
skill descriptions are - Take initiative to answer phones and
strongest when they include direct calls appropriately.
information about “who, - Provide walk-in clients with
appropriate travel brochures.
what, where and why.”
17. Skills - Resumes and Applications
• Youth can refer to this list of
skills in the future as a guide
for developing portfolios,
resumes or college
applications.
• Generally, the skills listed in
the first column of the grid Will include
should be 1-3 words long and screenshot and link
“resume-friendly” such as: here
– Accounting skills
– Animal care
– Blueprint reading
– Customer service skills
– Critical thinking
– Data analysis
– Etc.
18. What Career and Workplace
Specific skills are selected most?
1. Time Management
2. Project Management
3. Collecting and Organizing Information Most common skills from
4. Interacting with Customers or Clients WBLPs, July 1, 2009
5. Equipment Operation through June 30, 2010.
6. Teaching and Instructing
Project
7. ManagementTechnology
Computer
8. Leadership
9. Collecting and
Problem Solving
Organizing
10. Understanding All Aspects of the Industry
Information
11.Teaching and Analysis
Research and
Instructing
12. Interacting with Children
19. Career and Workplace Specific
Skills – More Examples
1. Web Design Principles
2. Gardening Techniques
Selected examples from
3. Human Rights and Dignity WBLPs, July 1, 2009
4. Hand Tool Nomenclature through June 30, 2010.
5. Animal Care Skills
6. Project Evaluation
7. Installing Computer Software
8. Creativity and Inventiveness
9. Color Choice
10. Community Interaction
21. Who Writes the The job description and
Job Description skills/tasks can be written by
the employer or program staff
and Skills/Tasks?
or both in collaboration.
In some programs, the interns
work with a teacher or
program staff to write their
job descriptions and
skills/tasks.
The Online WBL Database
allows staff, interns and
employers to collaborate on
developing a WBLP.
22. Where Can I Ideas for writing are available
Find Examples in several places:
• In the Online WBL Database in
and Ideas?
the bank of sample job
descriptions and skills/tasks;
• Online in articles in the resource
pages at http:// skillspages.com;
• From the employer from written
job postings, job descriptions,
company profiles, websites or
other materials.
• Definitions of many of the skills
are available in the “youth”
PowerPoint in this series.
23. Studies of samples of Work-Based
Learning Plans show that youth
How Long whose Work-Based Learning
Should It Be? Plans had longer-than-average
word counts, on average, had
higher levels of skill gain.
This doesn’t mean that you should
just “write more” when
developing a Work-Based
Learning Plan.
But it DOES suggest that a
thoughtfully-written job
description and list of skills/tasks
will result in a better work
experience for the youth.
24. Youth Consider youth development
concepts when designing
Development youth employment
Concepts experiences.
Teens and young adults are
generally in a period of rapid
growth in areas such as
creative and critical thinking,
problem solving,
communication, interpersonal
skills and technology skills
and more…
25. Youth ….while also needing guidance
Development as they develop basic
foundation skills as they enter
Concepts professional workplaces for
the first time.
26. Youth development theory emphasizes
Youth assets rather than deficits. It makes the
point that too many social programs
Development today are “deficit-based” and focus
attention on deficits and risk factors in
Concepts the lives of youth and their
communities. (i.e., focusing on lack of
opportunities, lack of work skills, or on
summer jobs as a way of “keeping kids
off the streets.”)
But youth employment programs
are especially well-positioned to
be “asset-based,” emphasizing the
positive impact of work experience as
an opportunity for youth to develop
skills, gain experience, explore career
options, build resumes, and contribute
to the work of the organization and the
community.
27. Youth Therefore youth development theory
suggests some important ideas
Development about job design, suggesting that a
Concepts diverse blend of tasks, skills and
responsibilities make the best
work experiences.
The exact mix of tasks and skills
used will depend on the type of
job, length of the placement, pay
status (paid, unpaid, etc.), and
other factors.
But in all cases, the work experience
can follow these basic youth
development concepts.
28. Job Design for In unpaid internships, in lieu of
pay, employers are required
Paid and Unpaid by law to provide an
Experiences equivalent value of
supervision, mentoring and
training as compensation for
the work done by the intern.
In paid experiences, employers
are encouraged to provide a
blend of tasks and
opportunities, so that the
experience provides
opportunities for both
learning and productivity.
29. Building When you are designing a
Learning and work experience, think about
what the youth can do during
Productivity the work experience both to
productively contribute to the
work of the organization and
to have a rich learning
experience.
30. Supporting Think about how the youth
Skill can be supported in
developing and practicing the
Development basic foundation skills needed
in the workplace while also
exercising higher order,
technical, academic and
career-related skills.
31. Where to Look for 2.) In the resource pages
at http:// skillspages.com/masswbl
Examples and Ideas look for the article on
“Characteristics of Quality Youth
Employment Programs.” This
article describes real examples of
work experiences, with examples of
skills and tasks.
1.) While using the online WBLP,
look for the navigation buttons for
“Bank of Sample Job 3.) Read the Skills Pages Youth
Descriptions” and “Bank of Employment Blog at http://
Sample Skills/Tasks.” You can skillspages.com/blog for articles
click on the examples, copy into about workplace skills. There are
the WBLP you are writing, and articles about leadership, problem
modify as needed. solving, time management, customer
service, active learning, health and
safety, creativity, critical thinking,
and other workplace skills.
32. What Makes a Great Work Experience?
Work
Experience
Thinking about the warm-up questions….
what do you think makes a great work experience?
33. What Makes a Great Work Experience?
Sense of
Interesting Formal and
accomplishment
challenges informal Image of
(customers, mentoring the job
technology, etc.) conversations
An awareness of
Work what you learned
Building relationships and what you
Experience accomplished
Getting a glimpse
Feeling like part of of what you want
a community. (or don’t want) in
the future Building a
resume
Some of the elements of a quality work experience
