Center for Workforce Development and Research
Workplace Basic Skills - An Employability Skills Training Curriculum
This interactive curriculum will provide Human Resource managers, training professionals and educators with a dynamic training program that can be delivered in segments or as an intensive training program. The Workplace Basic Skills are divided into twelve modules, each of which can be delivered in 60-75 minutes. Upon completion of the modules, participants will possess the basic skills and knowledge to be successful employees and to increase their potential to move to the next level in their organization. When presented at the secondary school level, students will be better prepared to make the transition from school to employment, enter the labor force ready to work, and be aware of requirements to advance to a supervisory level.
Former United States Secretary of Labor, Elizabeth Dole, created the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) in 1991 to identify and define a common core of skills that constitute job readiness in the current and future economic environments. Specifically, the SCANS report defined the basic skills needed for employment by identifying three foundational skills and five workforce competencies necessary for effective work.
The three foundational skills are basic skills , comprised of reading, writing, mathematics, listening, and speaking; thinking skills, comprised of creative thinking, decision making, problem solving, conceptualization, knowing how to learn, and reasoning; and personal quality skills, comprised of responsibility, self-esteem, self-management, and integrity.
The five workforce competencies identified by SCANs are resource competencies, interpersonal competencies, information competencies, systems competencies and technology competencies.
The modules that comprise the Workplace Basic Skills were written based upon the three foundational skills and the five workforce competencies, and initially funded in part by a School-to-Work Opportunities Grant from the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor. The project was designed in response to an employer survey study conducted by the Center for Workforce Development and Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The survey confirmed that businesses in Nevada considered the SCANS report as adequately identifying the skills and competencies needed for entry-level employment in their businesses.
The modules that comprise the Workplace Basic Skills are the following:
Business Planning: An overview of strategic planning, developing organizational goals and corporate strategy. Understand and practice the steps of creating a business plan and budget.
Communication: Fundamental strategies to enhance written business communication. Basic guidelines and rules for corporate correspondence including memo writing, basic proofreading and completing paperwork.
Critical Thinking: How to use critical thinking to make effective decisions. The steps of using critical thinking for logical and effective problem solving and how to put these strategies into action.
Decision Making: Decision making as a skill-based procedure. Enhance skills by understanding decision making styles and learn techniques for making successful individual and team decisions.
Integrity: Demonstrate integrity on the job and avoid possibly problematic behaviors. Focus on strategies for professional improvement and avoiding negative thinking.
Leadership: Explore several leadership theories and apply useful principles to the workplace. Learn to lead your team to greater profits, better customer service, and greater support of your company's mission.
Math: Basic math skills important to job performance including analyzing and solving word problems. Refresh and sharpen the following skills: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and decimals.
Negotiation: Practical negotiation techniques to manage conflict effectively in the workplace. Tactics to create winning outcomes and build professional relationships.
Responsibility: Successful companies value responsibility in each team member. Learn to cultivate and exhibit responsibility on the job.
Self-Management: Use goal setting techniques to improve career direction and professional and personal productivity. Put proactive behavior and positive mental attitude tactics into action.
Time Management: Specific and useful steps to maximize productivity and effectiveness. Practical methods for achieving a better balance between work and home life--more organization, less stress!
Working with people: Capably navigate in today's diverse workforce with enhanced interpersonal skills and focused career objectives. Learn smart strategies for respecting others and understanding different cultural backgrounds.
For more information, please contact:
Department of Educational Leadership
The Center for Workforce Development & Research
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
4505 Maryland Parkway Box 453053 Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-3053
(702) 895-4397 (702) 895-4269 fax