1. Demand-oriented method “Building a town”
Discovering Competencies – Tools for Your Future
Training Workshop Athens, June
Dr. Anja Lietzmann 1

2. Demand-oriented appraoches
„Building a Town“ = example of an observed group exercise
Developed in Germany
Demand-oriented approach, market-need based
Systematic observation and assessment of individual competencies towards required qualifications, knowledge and skills in a specific work context
Assesses ‚hard skills‘ connected to a specific job as well as personal and social competencies

3. Background of demand-oriented approaches
Concerns regarding labour market demands
school performance
physical characteristics
behaviour
core competencies
teamwork
communication skills
conflict management
etc.
Can the applicant work with others on a task?
Is the applicant open for compromises?
Is the applicant able to integrate into a group?
Possible measurement method:
Assessment Center exercises

4. Objectives of „Building a town“
Identify vocation-related potentials – thereby identifying personal and social competencies as well as motor and methodological skills
Improve confidence and self esteem
Reduce insecurity and fear connected to the Assessment Centre Method – fun aspect

5. Contents of observation
Methodological competences
language competences
Social competences
interpersonal skills
teamwork
communication skills
conflict management
politeness
empathy
Psychomotor features
motor skills
reaction rate
physical properties
Personal competences
concentration
flexibility
patience
accuracy
diligence
perseverance
independence
stress management
Activity competences
ability to learn and to plan work processes
motivation
initiate action / impetus

6. General feature of „Building a Town“
Task: to design a city consisting of buildings and infrastructure out of a set of provided materials (cardboard, paper, cartons, cloth etc.) within a certain period of time (3 hours)
Working in observed groups of 4 to 6 young adults

7. Scenario of „Building a Town“
Imagine you are a team of urban planners and architects. Next year a small town is to be built near your town. You have been asked to plan a city and construct a model of it.
Keep in mind that a few thousand people will live and work in this town, that they will need various public facilities and want a variety of leisure time activity venues.
Objective:
To optimise your team’s chance to win the commission to build the town, the town you design must possess all the important and necessary facilities. The new town should be a nice place to live in and offer something for every age group.
After the completion of the model, your team will present the new town to the rest of the group.
Time: 3 hours (including short breaks)
Tips:
- Take your time for planning and discussion.
- Begin building your model as soon as possible.
- All the material provided for the project may be used.
- Also think about how your team will present the model of the town.
And now have fun building your town together!

8. Implementation of „Building a town“ - requirements
Time
3 hours
Staff
one moderator, observer ratio 1:2
Material
square meters of cardboard per group
coloured construction paper and cardboard cartons, cloth scraps. glue, scissors paint, thick markers
task requirements
Venue
A large room with sufficient space for construction work
Content, methods, process, evaluation
Discuss content and task objective.
Form groups of 3 – 4 participants (e.g. by random selection).
Construct a town with buildings and infrastructure from material provided.
Participants are observed with regard to certain characteristics
Present group results, evaluate personal skills and capacities in a questionnaire
Strengths-and-weaknesses profile
Feedback talk

9. Implementation of „Building a town“ – Processes
1. Introduction
Presentation of exercise, objectives, and schedule
Explanation of the assessement process
Answering questions
2. Realisation
Formation of groups of 3–4 participants
Participants work in small groups
Observation: by at least 2 assessors, documented in a detailed form
Fill in observation sheets
Change teams at half time
3. Presentation of the group results / the „cities“
4. Group evaluation
5. Feedback
Self-evaluation of the participant
Accompanied by external evaluation: observers’ conference to summarize observation results
Individual feedback talks with participants
Certification entailing a summary of results

10. Role of the moderator Preparations
- Introduces contents and objectives of the exercise to participants
- Explains purpose of the exercise (no competition but demonstration of personal skills) and contents of observation
- Explains a) implementation conditions and b) evaluation procedure
Implementation
- Sets up working groups
- Explains the task: Task understood? Purpose clear?
- Assigns observers, ensures clarity about what skills and traits will be observed
Support during the process
- Deals with occurring problems (missing material, framework conditions)
- Ensures role of the observers (stay in background, remain neutral etc.)
4. Involved in final assessment and feedback to participant

11. Evaluation 3 steps: Each participant undergoes a self-evaluation
External assessment by the observers in the assessor meeting
General satisfaction with the task and perception of the observation situation
Evaluation of the group work
Work process: planning, decision making, use of material
Personal contribution to the overall result
Discrepancies between results of self-evaluation and external observation
Face-to-face feedback talk for each participant which presents results of assessment
Documentation of the assessment findings in the observation form
Highlights strength and weaknesses of the participant
Interpret the results in terms of significance and meaning with regard to specific job or training objectives

12. Feedback Multiple ways of feedback:
Participants provide feedback to each other (peer evaluation)
The whole group provides feedback on the entire process
Participants receive a thorough review during the feeback talk

13. Documentation - Evaluation form (social competences)
(there are equivalent forms for all types of competences)

14. Documentation - Evaluation form (overall evaluation)

15. Feedback Talk – Example
General acceptance, enjoyment or dissatisfaction with the task
Did you like the exercise “building a town” in general? If not, what exactly did you dislike? Reasons?
Review of the observed situation
How was it for you to be observed? Could you ignore the observer?
Communication and cooperation in the group
How did you find the composition of your group? Do you think your group worked well together?
Planning phase
Do you think your group took enough time to plan the town?
Decision making
Utilisation of material/tools
Shifting between individual and group work
Personal contribution to the overall result
Discrepancies between self evaluation and external observation
Possible significance of the talk for career decision making

16. Challenges of the approach
Combine playful character of the exercise with its seriousness concerning the evaluation
From the beginning of the assessment process, trustful relationship between particpant and observers/assessors needs to be established
Creating a trustful atmosphere in the group to faciliate creativity and to minimize fears of competition
Considerations of potential language problems
Intercultural competences, target group oriented language, patience and empathy (own migration background is an advantage)

17. Advantages and disadvantages of the approach
Critical points
Standardized procedures and forms lead to „objective“ results
Individual interaction between the participants and the observers in a detailed feedback interview
„Fun“ exercise
Praxis oriented
Can be successfully applied to young adults with migration background if adapted to their needs (language issues etc.)
Methods of AC are perceived by the participants as selection process per se
Mistrust towards purpose and use of the results
Excersise is difficult to communicate due to potential barriers of language
Gender or culture-dominated role behaviour can cause different results