1. BTEC L3 Extended Unit 1 – Communication and Employability Skills for IT

2. What is the Unit About? Deal with “soft skills” rather than technical skills: – What do IT employers value in employees? – How to improve your communication skills – Use IT as part of your role – Personal development Help prepare you for the workplace

3. Unit 1 – Learning Outcomes 1.Understand the personal attributes valued by employers 2.Understand the principles of effective communication 3.Be able to use IT to communicate effectively 4.Be able to address personal development needs Refer to unit specification on Moodle for more details

4. Assessment and Grading To achieve a pass grade the evidence must show that the learner is able to: To achieve a merit grade the evidence must show that, in addition to the pass criteria, the learner is able to: To achieve a distinction grade the evidence must show that, in addition to the pass and merit criteria, the learner is able to: P1: Explain the personal attributes valued by employers P2: Explain the principles of effective communication P3: Discuss potential barriers to effective communications M1: Explain mechanisms that can reduce the impact of communications barriers P4: Demonstrate a range of effective interpersonal skills P5: Use IT to aid communications P6: Communicate technical information to a specified audience M2: Review draft documents to produce final versions D1: Evaluate interpersonal and written communications techniques P7: Produce a personal development plan M3: Explain how an awareness of learning style can aid personal development P8: Follow a personal development planD2: Review progress on a personal development plan, identifying areas for improvement Refer to unit specification on Moodle for more details

5. Assignment Schedule Assignment 3 – Personal Development: – Hand-out ws: 23 rd September 2013 – Runs the length of the unit – Hand-in ws: 13 th January 2014 Assignment 1 – Employment Attributes and Communications: – Hand-out ws: 21 st October 2013 – Hand-in ws: 11 th November 2013 Assignment 2 – Communications and Interpersonal Skills: – Hand-out ws: 16 th December 2013 – Hand-in ws: 13 th January 2014 This schedule will be on Moodle

6. Get Organised… Create a new folder on your personal network drive: – Unit 1 Communication and Employability Skills for IT Make sure that you have the means to take notes! Keep them in a folder and on your network drive Backup memory sticks and USB drives!

7. Review of Moodle Moodle 2 is the current version we use Review what is there Understand what is expected of you

8. Personal Development Plans What is a personal development plan, PDP? Links to GST sessions, Vicky Includes objectives from other units and lecturers Includes personal objectives

9. Thinking about Personalities What type of personality do you have: What types of personalities are there Why is it important to know and understand them?

10. Personality Types

11. Personal Attitudes Think back to the session that we did on personality types: – Many types – No one type is better than another – Employers match roles to personality types – Interview tests of the type that we tried at www.similarminds.com Personality types can indicate what attitudes and how much Determination Problem Solving Leadership Tolerance

12. Personal Characteristics Attributes: – Personal Attributes Personal Attributes – Passionate – Organised Personal Skills, e.g.: – Personal Skills Personal Skills – Speaking clearly about a subject – Everyday maths – Writing – Sports Qualifications: – Formal qualifications that you have – Qualifications that you are working towards – Qualifications that you aspire to achieve

13. Session Summary Introduced Unit 1 – What it covers? – How it is assessed? – What is on Moodle? Introduced PDPs: – Strengths, Weaknesses – Skills and attributes – Personal objectives – Tracking objectives – Blogging Next time: – PDP creation and record keeping