Soft Skills Business Partnerships successful Employment outcomes APSEMO EMPLOYMENT SuMMIT

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Soft Skills Business Partnerships
successful Employment outcomes APSE-MOEMPLOYMEN
T SuMMIT

• TRANSITION

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Training Objectives

• What are soft skills?
• Why are they important?
• Making it real for students
• Business Networking / Employer Relationships
• Internships
• On-the-Job Training
• Tax Incentives
• Resources
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Missouri Career Centers / MERIC
• Resume Development
• ODEP Office of Disability Employment Policy

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What are Soft Skills?

• Appropriate Behavior
• Appropriate Dress/Appearance
• Personal Hygiene
• Timeliness
• Respect for Co-workers
• Respect for Supervisors
• Appropriate Communication
• Taking on Responsibility
• Problem Solving

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US Department of LaborConference Board
Interviewed 461 Employers

• The three Rs are fundamental, but Employers
  view soft skills as even more important skills.
• Professionalism or work ethic
• Oral and written communication
• Teamwork and Collaboration skills
• Critical thinking or problem solving skills

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Missouri Skills Gap 2008

• Missouri Economic Research and Information Center
  (MERIC) surveyed employers to determine if there
  are gaps between their needs and the applicants
  seeking employment. The greatest discrepancies
  were noted in soft skills.
• The top four shortcomings of applicants were
• Lack of a positive attitude
• Poor Work Ethic
• Poor Customer Service Skills
• Poor Communication skills

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Competencies Most Important to Employers

• Interpersonal Skills 94
• Habits (Punctuality/Good Hygiene) 94
• Managing Time Wisely 88
• Acquiring/Using Information 85
• Leadership 65
• Specific Technical Skills 52
• Computer Literacy 48
• Based on NOW Jobs Entry Level which account
  for 94 of the available openings.

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In an another study, employers sited these skills

• Safety Being conscientious about safety
  practices
• Courtesy with co-workers and customers
• Honesty -
• Reliability Does what they say they will do
• Flexibility The ability to adapt to change
• Team skills Working together for a common goal
• Eye contact Signifies confidence and truth
• Communication skills Ability to speak clearly

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Businesses are telling us Soft SkillsMatter!
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Employment Expectations Whos Responsible

• Educational System

• World of Work

• Advocacy
• IEP team
• Parents
• Illness
• Parents call school
• Educators prepare assignments
• Planning/Problem solving
• IEP team
• Parents
• Educators

• Advocacy
• Student/Employee must explain their needs
• Illness
• Employee calls in
• Employee must make up missed work
• Planning/Problem Solving
• Employee must manage time
• Employee must pursue help
• Employee must be independent

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Employment Expectations Whos Responsible

• Educational System

• World of Work

• Time off
• Christmas Break
• Summer Break
• Early dismissal days
• Shorter school day
• Monday - Friday

• Time off
• 2 weeks off / one year of employment
• Christmas Day Off
• 8am to 5pm 1200 to 9pm 7pm to 4am
• Weekends?

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What? A Job!
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How can We Prepare Todays Youth for the
Transition to Work?

• Teach the skills What do the skills look
  like?
• Make it real
• Mirror, Would you hire me?
• Dress for an interview
• Have the individual present a five minute
  commercial advertising themselves
• Ask businesses to speak in classrooms
• Make courtesy part of your expectations
• Have students/applicants plan and present at IEP
  meetings or CRP/SESP staffings

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Preparing Todays Youth for the Transition to
Work (cont.)

• Have the young adult contact their Vocational
  Rehabilitation Counselor directly with questions
• Have the individual initiate contacts with other
  adult service providers rather than soley relying
  on educators or parents
• Informational telephone interviews can help
  applicants learn to speak with employers and/or
  adults outside the educational setting.
• Fill out blank applications
• Create a cheat sheet which includes reference
  names and numbers, etc.

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Role Playing Video interviews

• Invite businesses or other stake holders to do a
  mock interview.
• Record a staged interview and stop as it plays
  along to point out key items Bad example
  followed by a corrected example
• Eye Contact
• Clarity of speaking
• Attitude
• Willingness to learn

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Role Playing Video interviews

• Have students role play potential responses to
  situations like observing someone cheating
• Provide a list of potential interview questions
  and have the client complete their responses for
  homework
• Dress for an interview and
• Provide feedback
• How many earrings are too many?
• Suggestive vs. professional clothing

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The Challenges are Great
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Keeping their attention..
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How can we Teach these skills?

• Who wants to be a Success?
• Job skills made into a game for young people
• Formulate questions relevant to interviewing,
  appropriate work behavior
• Decision making
• Problem solving

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2 Retail Associate
Question? Your co-workers are horsing around
while working. You should
A Join in on the funS
B Go complain to your manager
C Continue doing your job and ignore them.
C Continue doing your job and ignore them.
D Yell at them so they stop
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4 Construction Worker
Question? If you have a headache before you go
into work, you should
A Take some aspirin and go to work.
A Take some aspirin and go to work.
B Call in sick in sick.
C Go into work and complain to boss
D Complain to everyone at workplain your entire
shift to whoever you see.
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This is Jeopardy
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Meeting Business Needs

• Vocational Rehabilitations Business Network
  Initiative

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http//movers.dese.mo.gov/
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Benefits for Business

• Recruitment Retention Education
• Business Solutions for Evolving Business Needs
• Internships The Nebraska example
• On-the-job training
• Tax incentives
• Work Opportunity Tax Credit
• Employers can earn a tax credit equal to 40 of
  the first 6,000 paid in the first year (up
  to2,400 per newly hired eligible employee).

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Other Employment Resources

• Missouri Department of Economic Development
• http//ded.mo.gov/
• Missouri Workforce Development
• http//ded.mo.gov/wfd/
• MERIC Missouri Economic Research Information
  Center
• http//www.missourieconomy.org/
• Missouri Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
• http//dese.mo.gov/vr/
• Office of Disability Employment Policy
  Interviewing Skills
• www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/interviewing111507.htm

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Thank You!

• Barb Hoelzer
• Regional Director
• Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation
• 314-877-1910
• barb.hoelzer_at_vr.dese.mo.gov