The British Army: Employability Skills Workshops

A real-life context for learning

http://army.mod.uk/armyineducation/workshop.aspx

Aim

To create relevant, practical activities for students aged 14 – 19 with the focus on Employability Skills. This resource is an extension of Army in Education, a long standing, continuous project which we have been involved with for 4 years.

What did we do?

We created a suite of engaging and interactive workshops and accompanying resources which fulfil schools and FE requirements to deliver Employability Skills, for delivery by an Army Careers Adviser (ACA).

The Employability Skills Workshops offer real-life context for learning and development by combining interactive materials, practical activities and presentations. The workshops were designed to be adaptable and so can be delivered as standalone, or all together – and are therefore offered as a 30 minute session, or provided as a half-day suite of activities.

The Workshops are split into 3 key areas:

• Employability Skills Presentation –Soldiers demonstrate how they use and develop their Employability Skills, such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving, in both their work and leisure time.
• Employability Skills Reflection and Goal-Setting Activity – Students reflect on the skills they already have, how they use them in their everyday lives and how they can be developed to stand out against the crowd.
• Skills in Action: Operation Tellus – Students put their employability skills to the test as they undergo an interactive workshop taking on the responsibility of civilian aid workers responding to the devastation of an earthquake.

Motivational and highly creative physical kits were developed for each ACA, to support them in delivering truly memorable workshops.

Results

We have received a large number of positive feedback reports from schools and colleges since the Workshops launched in September 2011.