EVALUATION CRITERIA

  Unless a Parrot has No desire to come out, to enjoy the freedom opening

 The cage will have no effect.

                                                      By Abdul Majid Najar

                                 EVALUATION CRITERIA

·         THEORY

·         PRACTICAL

·         ASSIGNMENT,

·         VIVA VOICE, INTERVIEW

·         PORTFOLIO

·         TEST SCHEDULE

MONTH 1        

TEST 1            2 ND WEEK

IYDP 1            3^RD     WEEK

TEST 2            4^TH     WEEK

MINIMUM 50% REQUIRED

MONTH 2

TEST 3             1^ST WEEK

TEST 4             2^ND WEEK

RETEST             2^ND WEEK    {Saturday}

IYDP 2             3^RD WEEK

TEST 5             4^TH WEEK

MINIMUM REQUIREMENT   60%

MONTH 3

TEST 6                  1^ST WEEK

TEST 7                  2^ND WEEK

RETEST                  2^ND WEEK {Saturday}

IYDP 3                  3^RD WEEK

TEST 8                  4^TH WEEK

 MINIMUM REQUIREMENT 60%

REINFORCEMENT CLASSES AND RETESTS

·         Extra classes conducted after regular classes on weekdays, or weekends

·         Retest is to be scheduled on 2^nd Saturday of the month {excluding 1^st month}

·         Retest results to be recorded and improvement noted

·         When  a student  has not scored  60% or above as overall aggregate, and has scored less than 50% in theory, he/she can sit for the graduation/work readiness module but will not be allowed to apply for a job until they clear the final retest

·         Final retest can be given at the discretion of the facilitator in charge of the course but has to be within 10 days of declaration of final results

WEEKLY TESTS

·         All marks to be calculated and shown out of 100

·         One theory test and one practical test is compulsory every week {excluding the 1^st week of the month and weeks in which IYDP is held}

·         For English tests the above rules don’t apply.

·         At least two assignments one within the  class-room and the other in the field, one viva and one interview have to be given during each module. More than one of any or all of the above, can be given at the initiative of the facilitator

·         Results of  assignments have to be recorded in the week in which  assignment results were declared, and not in the week in which the assignment was set

IYDP

·         IYDP to be individually scored by technical  and English facilitator

·         Average of the scores to be taken

·         IYDP has to be conducted in the third week of every month.

ENGLISH

·          English language skills will be conducted by English facilitator and the marks would be passed on to the other facilitators.

COMPUTER LITERACY AND BASICS OF CUSTOMER RELATIONS & Numeric Skills

Every student who passes through LABS program should have a basic working knowledge of computer application, and basics in customer relations.

LABS Students Performance Assessment Criteria Guidelines

Key √ means satisfactory standard. Key x means unsatisfactory standard.

What would you do if you were the teacher?

Comments on the Test Results

Probably you would be happy about part 1. For part 2 you should advise student A that his standard was not good enough. You should try to make time to explain why his work was not good and also explain how it could be made better. Ideally he should be tested again on this part after he has had a chance to learn.

The results for part 3 show that this is generally poorly learnt. Probably this part needs to be taught again. Here the teacher gets feedback about his own performance – so maybe next year the topic will be taught differently.

Part 4 shows that two students need more guidance – but it would probably be a waste of time to repeat part 4 for the whole class.

If you do everything suggested in the comments, you will find that it will take you a lot of time. This is a problem, but giving students this kind of individual guidance is one of the most valuable things that a teacher can do. You must try to make time. One idea is to spend less time lecturing to the class and letting students learn directly from manuals, handouts and practical experience.

A final point. Notice that this frequent testing and guidance applies equally well to both the knowledge and skills.

A look over the Progress report which was compiled in 2005 gives us an work idea at that time to energises our current employees

After the selections and admissions were completed, the classroom training was started on April 15^th of 2005. In the first week, Induction classes were conducted for five days. During this period, different modules on life skills were taught to the trainees.

The trainees learnt the importance of managing time. They were given a typical day wherein they have to plan and prioritize issues and make complete use of the given time that enables them to organize the day.

The students were given some typical complex situations and were asked to take decisions. They were suggested to first identify the problem, Identify the possible solutions, evaluate each solution and finally take a decision that has most positive outcomes. This helps them to think and analyze the issues rationally rather than being just emotional and impulsive.

The students were made into teams and were asked to participate in the activities through which they have learnt to work in teams and how team work affects the efficiency, productivity and achieving goals. They realized the advantages of team work along with individual performance and that team work is situational leadership.

The trainees also learnt about family, values and perceptions through stories and case studies so that they can relate them to their personal life. They were also told some tricky tales for which they have to answer that enabled them to find creative solutions.

The induction module was an interactive session wherein all the trainees had to participate that enabled them to have exposure to different situations, mingle with others and made them understand the program and comfortable to continue the program.

Then the students were segregated into different courses. The individual strength of each course being Bedside Nursing Assistants – 54, White Goods Servicing – 17, Automobiles – 15, IT Enabled Services – 40, Customer Relationship and Sales – 50. The allotment of courses was done basing upon the aptitude test and their interest. For example, a candidate with some social thinking and outgoing nature and likes to meet and communicate with people will be trained in the Customer Relationship and

Sales. A candidate who has problem solving bent of mind, have some mathematical aptitude and logical thinking will be given IT Enabled Services. A candidate with technical aptitude and interested in operating and working with tools will be trained in White Goods Servicing or Automobiles.

A typical day at LABS starts with Pledge. Then News paper reading in each class room follows. Initially the students used to come either late or at the time of their convenience. But they understood the privilege of being punctual and changed. 160 students are attending the program regularly and punctually. They are keeping their classrooms and premises clean. They decorated their classrooms with charts that carry the topics they learnt. They changed their dress code. They are coming in formals that give them a sense of discipline and dignity.

All the trainees have been taught about the importance of communication skills and the role of English Language in due course of their career progression. Now, after one month of training, the students are able to identify different parts of speech, sentence formation, expressing their daily activities in simple sentences and introducing themselves in English. They are reading English news paper regularly. Now they are able to understand, comprehend and respond to the faculty members when they teach or talk in English. They are putting efforts to speak in English even within themselves so that it becomes a habit to them. This was done by participative method with role plays and pair works that makes them actively involve in the activities instead of passive listening.

CRS Students have been initially taught about fundamentals of Economics such as needs, wants, resources, production factors that open up their mind and makes them think about the nature of human wants and needs and availability and scarcity of resources. This was done by giving real life examples and asking some simple questions on their personal experiences and common observations. Then they were introduced to Marketing Concepts and Variables of Marketing Mix like Product in detail. They understood how Marketing has evolved, its historical background, the changes that took place during industrial revolution, its Impact on human life and on global economy by giving illustrations and examples. They understood what marketing is actually and the process of it. They understood how marketing helps the firm to achieve its organizational goals, how it benefits the consumers by offering quality products etc., and how marketing performs as change agent and value adder in the society. They understood and are able to comprehend frequently used terminology in marketing like Product, Production, Organization, Consumption, Consumer, Customer, Brands, packaging, Labeling. They have been given real life examples and case studies. They also learnt various features of product, its life cycle and strategies and steps involved in new product development. They were given some imaginary situations and were asked to give their solutions and suggestions to make them enable to relate the theories they learnt to the practical issues in business. They have been given practical assignments on the topics they learnt in the class room sessions so that they can learn the application of them in their career. They were asked to give demos on some products randomly chosen to make them comfortable with product presentation, which is one of the most important parts of Sales. The trainees have put their efforts sincerely and seriously and have given nice reports on the work they done and displays their progress and the enthusiasm that is growing up in them which is encouraging.

In the second month, the CRS trainees have learned about some more important concepts in Marketing like Pricing, Sales Promotion, Advertising and Physical distribution.

They understood the importance, necessity of these concepts, tools, steps and methods that firms adapt while planning and implementing and how they are going to be useful in their professional life (Application). These issues were discussed with the help of Case Studies and Professional Magazines. The students also learnt about Rural Marketing as special focus as they are going to work in the Rural Market place. They understood the qualities required for a Rural Salesman. After giving exposure to basic concepts of Marketing, the students were trained in the core skills of Salesmanship like Persuasion, Presentation, Attitude, Approach, and Appearance etc., This was done through expert counseling by visitors from various Business Setups who shared their experiences and given valuable suggestions and guidelines that are helpful for the trainees in their career progression. The students participated in local market study where they have met the local industry people and acquired the information regarding the opportunities and different responsibilities to be handled that enabled them to approach and converse with others and elite people and to understand the market scenario. They were also learnt some specialized skills like Show Room Sales, Field Sales skills for Cellular Services and Automobiles and Tele Marketing etc, through Spl. Orientation Classes.

In the third month, CRS students have completed their work and this has given them a lot of confidence and understanding of their abilities, workplace responsibilities and behavior. During the project work itself some of them have successfully shown results. Then they have undergone work readiness module for four days wherein they have learnt Resume Preparation and Interview preparation. They have prepared simple and elegant resumes. They have also attended Mock Interviews in order to build confidence for Actual Interviews. Later students have been sent for Actual Interviews and got placement at different organizations.

WGS trainees were not aware of anything about electronics at the time of joining. They have been introduced to fundamentals of basic electronics theoretically along with examples of electronic goods with which the students are very much familiar.

This helped them to understand and relate the theory to the examples given. Then the basic terminology of the science of Electronics has been explained with their meaning and application in brief in order to make them familiar with the concepts and content. Different components of motherboard like Transistors, Conductors, Semiconductors, Resistors, Capacitors etc., have been demonstrated with diagrams and their functioning has been discussed in detail. They are now able to explain different components and their functioning of which they didn’t even heard about a month ago. They are about to start their practical sessions soon. They have been introduced to computer hardware as well, as it is also an electronic good basically, in order to keep their career options wide open. Now they have got enough exposure to basic electronics and confidence to proceed to further sessions that include Servicing of Different Electronic Goods.

In the second month, after getting theoretical knowledge about basic Electronics, the WGS trainees started practical sessions in TV & VCD mechanism. They have been explained about common features of TV & VCD in detail. And the details were shown practically. Each and every individual was asked to operate the machine to make them comfortable and understand the features. These features were demonstrated on different models of latest and older machines so that they can understand the developments in the technology and to make them more comfortable with wide variety of options so that they get the confidence of handling different tasks that are current not obsolete. The students have learnt the key components inside a TV & VCD. They learnt to open the machine and identify some basic problems which are common and frequently occur. Now they are in the advanced phase of learning TV & VCD mechanism and they simultaneously started learning the mechanism of Tape Recorder along with practical sessions. They have done local market scan through which they have learnt the prevailing market conditions and understand workplace environment.

In the third month, WGS students have completely learnt all areas of trouble shooting and servicing of Televisions. They have been given some real time problems related to Television & VCD mechanism and they have successfully sorted out. They have learnt Tape Recorder mechanism as well and apart from this, they have been given comprehensive training in Deck technology as well in order to equip them with multiple skill sets and career opportunities. Now they have become confident of handling different kinds of electronics related servicing. The LABS faculty and external visitors who are expertise in Entrepreneurship have given them exposure and guidelines to Self-Employment situations. Half of the trainees have already started working on their own at their places. Remaining students want to go for apprenticeship for some time so that they can have more experience on troubleshooting issues. They are attending interviews and confident of getting apprenticeship soon.

Bedside Nursing Assistants’ students are getting their training at Govt.Hospital Durg. Initially, before sending them for the actual training, Importance was given to English Language and Vocabulary with a view of making them comfortable with medical terminology. So far they have learnt about role and responsibilities of Nursing Assistants, about their attire, attitude and aptitude, human anatomy and physiology, importance of personal hygiene. They have learnt the basic functions of Nursing Assistants like Bed making, testing temperature etc., that are demonstrated practically by the faculty members. They are visiting the hospital wards along with Senior Nurses and are exposed to real life experiences of their future profession.

In the second month, Nursing Assistants have learnt to understand the health needs of the sick/disabled and providing special care for them. They have done practical sessions on various functions of nursing assistants like Chair Positioning, Physical comfort-

bed, Bed -source care prevention and Lifting and Moving clients They have also learnt the importance of maintaining good health like Nutrition, Recreation, Exercise and Posture etc., They have learnt and done practical sessions on personal care like Hydration, intake of Food-Tube Feeding, Bed Bath-Sponge bath and Care of the hair etc., They were taught about the Eye care, Ear care and Cloth Change as well both practically and theoretically. They have learnt to give First Aid of Emergency cases like Accidents, Drowning and Fire and Burns etc., Practical sessions were regularly done and the involvement of the trainees was monitored closely.

In the third month, the students learnt the techniques and purpose of giving suction and Hot and Cold Fomentation as well. They have also learnt issues in Palliative Care, Need of dying and legal and Ethical Issues. They understood about individual care and coping the Family in such situations. They were trained in Home care of the patient both mentally and physically and maintaining Home environment. They learnt about control and prevention of health hazards like accidents, infection etc., they also learnt and got trained to take care of patients with different complications like Parkinson’s Disease, Cancer and Fracture Patients. Finally they have learnt about Documentation of Cases, importance of documentation, what, when, how and why of Documentation. After completion of training, their overall performance has been evaluated and almost all the students scored well. They are now confident of what they have learnt and trained.

Most of the ITES students were not aware of what a computer is, except that they heard the word computer. Some of them have not seen the computer even by the time they joined the program. Most of the ITES students were not aware of what a computer is, except that they heard the word computer.

Some of them have not seen the computer even by the time they joined the program. Initially they have been introduced to computer by relating it to other machines like typewriter, calculator with which the students are very much familiar. Then they have been explained the advantages of computer over them like memory, saving time and retrieving whenever necessary etc., then they have been taught about how a computer works, input and output devices, processor and display units and their functioning in detail. They have been explained what are the things that can be done with computer like documentation, accounts and designing etc. Later they started operating the computer practically and understood what an operating system is. Now they are able to initiate the machine, create their own folders, files, to save and to retrieve them. Initially they are asked to play simple games in order to make it easy to operate the machine. After they have become comfortable with the process, they learnt to create their own folders and files, saving and retrieving them. They have learnt documentation, entering data, organizing the data in a proper manner using options like setting margins, aligning and changing fonts etc. Now they are able to design different formats of documents like application forms and Bio-Data. They are also learning to fix up and assemble the processor. Major concentration being the speed of typing. They are asked to learn type-writing which helps them improving the speed. They have been given keyboards for practicing to acquaint themselves with the keys. As a result, there is substantial improvement in their speed. Individual attention is being paid to ensure equal progress among all students in all respects.

In the second month, the ITES students have learnt preparing spread sheets using MS-Excel. And they have also learnt to represent data with different kinds of graphical diagrams using the application. They have also learnt to prepare presentations and slideshows using MS-PowerPoint. They were given different kinds of exercises to enable them to use the applications for a wide variety of purposes and to use their creativity. The trainees have also experimented some works of their own to get perfection. Then they have learnt Desk Top Publishing using Adobe PageMaker. They have learnt and practiced different kinds of publications like Letterheads, Pamphlets, Brochures, Wedding cards and Business Cards etc., They were given ample time for practical session and their performance was monitored regularly to ensure improvement in their skills.

In the third month, ITES students have learnt Image Editing by using Adobe Photoshop. They have learnt where the application is mostly used and they have also learnt about different file formats and their differences in usage. They also learnt about image compression and different tools used for photo re-touching and drawing. Then they have learnt about Internet and its origin, technology- how it works and what Networking is. They have learnt about e-mail and created their own e-mail IDs. They understood the importance and widespread benefits of online communication. They also learnt about browsing and surfing various useful web sites those provides valuable information. The same time they didn’t ignore the practice for improving typing speed. After the completion the training, they are very much confident of their speed and skills in different areas like Data Entry and DTP. 

For automobile trainees we have made arrangements with a Nagar Nigam Workshop. The person in charge is a qualified B.E (mechanical) and has an experience of around 15 years. Our candidates go to the workshop and get a practical demonstration of the vehicle .the biggest advantage is that they get to learn by looking, Observing and doing it themselves. They have got accustomed to chasis, parts of a vehicle, wiring, types of tools used, Brakes, Suspension etc. after Lunch session they join us and take up rest of the classes.

 

                                                                   

In its endeavor    for Youth development, LABS started its project at RAJOURI, (J & K) under Swarnajyanti Gram Swarojagar Yojna (SGHY).  The RAJOURI chapter of LABS was inaugurated on 20^th   of April 2006.

Course Commencement:  Induction

                   Induction Programme started on 20^th April. During the induction programme students were guided and detailed on various topics. These included wide range of    topics from Career Orientation, Life Skills etc. The whole environment was friendly with facilitators helping each student to participate and express freely his/her   opinion and clear individual queries. We the facilitators encouraged them to come forward and be more interactive through games Like Follow the Leader, Who am I, Shock game, ad mad show, and Telephone game. Through these games we tried to tap their qualities like leadership, organizational ability, Creativity, Time Management. Communication and encourage them in the whole process to make participative learning.

The trades at our center are 

1. Information Technology Enabled Services

2. Customer Relation and Sales

3. Hospitality

4. White Goods Services

5. Automobiles

Observation: After induction

We observed a sea change in the trainees from day one to the end of induction. They were more confident and free. The end of the induction established a friendly and interactive atmosphere among the students and the facilitators.

Course  conduction and Methodology

The trade wise session started on 1st of May, average strength of the participants on daily basis is around 170.  The regular students were a little less than our target. As some were in jobs and could not come daily, some had family problems. On the other hand there were many students who were very interested but could not make to the first list .So we recounselled many students and selected them .

We have been alloted six class rooms to conduct the training, each trade been has been allotted  one room  and the remaining one is the  Computer Laboratory for Trainees.

Scope of the course was discussed   beforehand between the Facilitators and the coordinator to ensure smooth running of the training.

Courses are being held according to decided schedule and there is active participation and interest among the students who are trying to learn maximum. Here is the brief summary.

Achievements

Hospitality

So far our facilitator for Hospitality Mr. Narinder Abrol has introduced the trainees to concept of hospitality, core elements of service  and related topics. He has also covered important topics like Different departments in a Hotel ; spirit of Service ;Service as a art & assigning duties. The candidates are doing practice for taking Orders at the table, work process at the hotel, etc during the practical sessions. We have also included the terminology related to grooming , Hygiene & table manners.

White Goods Services

Our White Goods Facilitator Mr. Jony kumar has dealt with basics of Electricity, types of electric current, generator, Domestic wiring etc. In Basic Electronics the students have learnt resistance, Condenser, transformer, Millimeter, Soldering iron, Pcb Layout and Radio receiver etc. During the Practical sessions they are doing Soldering and desoldering.

For better Understanding they will be working on Projects like calling bell, DC power supply-12V, Disco Light etc.

Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES)

Over here Mr. Hitesh Gupta has started from the scratch. Starting with basics they have been introduced to Windows. The trainees are comfortable with basic operation of computer, like folder, paint to name a few .The theory concepts are immediately followed by Laboratory sessions.

Customer Relation and  Sales

The students have been introduced to elementary topics like scope and types of marketing by our facilitator Mr. Joginder Mongol Customer relation, Customer service., Market Segmentation  etc. Our strategy has been to inculcate these topics with role Plays. We encourage them to take active participation, be innovative and shell out more ideas.

Automobile –Learn by Doing-A Novel Approach

For automobile trainees our facilitator Mr. Abdul Majid Najar has made arrangements with the Authorized Maruti service station, at RAJOURI. The person in charge is a qualified D.A.E (mechanical) and has an experience of around 10 years. Our candidates go to the workshop and get a practical demonstration of the vehicle .the biggest advantage is that they get to learn by looking, Observing and doing it themselves. Till now they have got accustomed to chasis, parts of a vehicle, wiring, types of tools used, Brakes, Suspension etc. after Lunch session they join us and take up rest of the classes.

Spoken English Classes

The English sessions are conducted by the combined efforts of all the facilitators in their respective classes. We started with their introductions. They were given individual attention regarding their problems with English. Our approach is to teach them through Vocabulary Building games, role-plays and Presentations. During the classes grammer concepts are also cleared. The main stress is to encourage them to speak.

Student Creativity and Further Plans

Our students are taking appreciable interests in other activities. Each class has a committee, which deals with the conduction of assembly, discipline and other related fields. Each class has their own notice board, charts with their trade as the theme. They have also developed logos for their trades. Saturday afternoon is reserved for some competition or game, which is held collectively. So far we have organized one Handwriting Competition, one Quiz competition, one typing competition and an individual feed back from classmates. There are plans to expand upon these ideas like inviting parents on the same platform as their wards to make this project more enjoyable and interactive. We the RAJOURI team with the support of participants are moving forward to achieve the objective for the benefit of each individual.

Thanking you for going through the report,

With Regards,

Abdul Majid Najar

Dr Reddy’s

Hyderabad

najar_labs123@rediffmail.com

9697321959

A Real Thought

A Real Thought

 Today people are identifying some people whom they think that they are showing their identity in a wrong way, eg; if some one is dressing in a proper way and the same person is running a small scale business but in the eyes of people he is expressing himself in a wrong way because he is a poor businessman and if the same person is a habitual of internet, reading news paper etc, then it becomes additional mistake committed by such person who is not a Govt. Employee,but I think a person who is studying does not means that another person who is learning some art is not a student,it is misconception of the people.eg if a SSc pass student due to some financial problems discontinued his studies, but the same student is acquainted about internet,Driving,English etc and after some years if the same person purchases a computer for internet purposes as he is habitual and was anxious that as soon as I get the money I will puchase,then again people identify him as mad, because due to his lower education, as per me accepting good habits, cultivating good ideas is a great ideology, it needs no degrees, only a person should be well equipped with positive thinking, who knows what will happen tomorrow except God, so enjoy life today, yesterday has gone,tomarrow never comes, a person should be always down to earth, it does not means he will show his flexibity by wearing such clothes which does not suit to him,he will scare not to prefer luxury as people will start taunting him, but if will prefer such things in a right time by not surfing lavishly I mean to say in the initial he should purchase a simple and not costly, because if God has given him such status he should spent in the right path, many vendors  and big shops in which sales persons are waiting that some dignified persons will come and purchase some items so that along with the salary they will get the incentives, but if we will become miser and forget the Islamic teachings although we are on the good position we forget to give charity. how God will increase in our income. Let’s supplicate to earn more to spend more so that the others will also get benefit of the same, we should not be Conservative minded, we should be vast minded.

Abdul Majid Najar

Gudoora Pulwama

najar_labs123@rediffmail.com

Value of Time Management for the Youth who are from weak Backgrounds and how should today's Teachers impart such Topics with Exemplified means by understanding themselves only as Facilitators-Najar

Time Management

As the youth may come from the backgrounds that do not have an inherent value for time, as it is valued in the workplace, it is important to highlight why time management is important and how it will assist the participants in their everyday lives. The facilitator should link time management with the concept of responsibility, in order to show that only the participant is in charge of their time, and the decisions they make surrounding it. This involves not only time at work, but also time at home. The participants should recognise that they have the right to personal time, including setting their own priorities.

Saying no to a request is often difficult, especially if the request comes from someone in a position of authority or respect. The facilitator should approach the subject of saying no, by first acknowledging that it is all right to say no to a request if there is no time to fulfil it. Offering an alternative time is a good way to approach requests that cannot be filled, meaning that the request will be filled but at a more appropriate time. Learning to say no is an important component of time management as it ensures that people do not become overwhelmed and burdened, by prioritising how they will spend their time.

How the participants choose to spend their time will decide how efficient they are, and how well they manage their responsibilities. As they will soon be getting jobs, they must learn how to manage their time in such a way that their work is not compromised. The facilitator should talk about the benefits of having a diary/calendar that is used regularly, and should suggest to the participants that they begin using one now.

J A typical day

Materials: Markers and flip-chart paper

Objective: To provide an opportunity for participants to learn some time management strategies and apply them to their own life.

Steps:

*        Explain to the participants that if they do not organise the time they have in each day, then they will not be able to get everything that is important, done. They will be confused and overwhelmed, feelings that are not pleasant to feel, and which can be avoided.

*        Explain that if they do not organise their time, then they will make mistakes that will negatively affect their work.

*        Have the participants make a list of all of the different things they will have to do in one day (it may be easiest to have the participants think about their current responsibilities in a typical day at present, and then add the new things that they will be doing in a typical day once they start working). Make sure participants include everything they normally do in a day, including eating meals, talking with friends, going to movies etc.

*        Explain that there are two things to think about when deciding what to do and when:

·       Identify which things are the most important

·       Identify which of these important things can only be done at a specific time (appointments, shopping, paying bills)

*        Bring the participants together and write down all of the different things that have been listed, on a piece of flip-chart paper, marking which ones are important and which ones need to be done at a specific time.

*        Create an imaginary schedule for a working day, using some of the examples that have been written down. Use the participants’ input to create the schedule, and explore different ways of organising one’s time.

Abdul Majid Najar

Gudoora Pulwama

najar_labs123@rediffmail.com

or Search Abdul Majid Najar in Google

work readiness module

What is work readiness module?

Work readiness module enables students to understand about work culture and cope with problems arising at work place This is the final and crucial stage of the skilling program. It is like fine tuning with skills that are required to cope in any work setting. It also helps them to balance personal and professional life. Apart from technical training, students are trained in resume preparation, workplace expectations, dressing and grooming and mock interview sessions etc. through this they gain enough confidence to join the work force.

Why “Work Readiness”?

·        To understand the Entry Level Job Scenario and analysis

·        To understand the corporate world expectations

·        To understand the Quality and Ethics at the work place

·        How to handle typical and difficult work place responsibilities

·        How to prepare your resume and attend the interviews

·        To get a placement and sustainability in the corporate world

The following steps should be facilitated to the students to make them work ready:

Ø       Dressing and grooming

Ø       Workplace expectations

Ø       Portfolio

Ø       Resume preparation

Ø       Mock interview sessions

Dressing and Grooming

Dressing is important to getting any job. Generally people are judged by the clothes they wear. It not only gives a good first impression to the employer, but also boosts the self confidence of the person.  If the LABS students are aiming at jobs in the new economy they have to be accepted by the employers. 

Grooming gives a distinct personality to the person. It improves the self esteem and the confidence of a person.  Grooming includes personal hygiene, way of walking and talking, basic etiquettes (polite social behaviour).

DOs

At the time of attending an interview:

Ö         Wear light coloured plain shirt with dark trousers and tie. Tuck in the shirts.

Ö         Smart and clean dresses with small prints may be worn.

Ö         Always wear ironed clothes.

Ö         Clean hair with no oil.

Ö         Hair should be properly combed and trimmed

Ö         Boys should have a clean shave.

Ö         Wear neatly polished shoes with clean socks (compulsory for boys).

Ö         Wear presentable foot wear.

Ö         Nails have to be trimmed.

Ö         Use mouth fresheners to avoid bad odour.

Ö         Avoid exaggerated  gestures

DON’Ts

At the time of attending an interview:

×        Don’t wear flowers in your hair.

×        Don’t wear heavy jewellery.

×        Don’t have heavy makeup.

×        Don’t wear shabby and untidy dresses.

×        Don’t chew beetle nuts and Pan masalas.

×        Don’t use strong perfumes.

×        Don’t wear sunglasses.

×        Don’t fold your shirt sleeves.

×        Don’t argue but reason.

Portfolio

A career portfolio is a portable means of storing, tracking and presenting samples or artifacts which demonstrate skills and abilities. Individuals can use portfolios to show others what they have accomplished, learned or produced. The portfolio offers a framework for individuals to guide and capture all aspects of their career development, including self-assessment, goal-setting, skills identification, career and educational transition, getting and keeping work, and lifelong professional development. As an ongoing, developmental process, the career portfolio provides documentation of the past and offers a guide to the future.

In a nut shell every portfolio should bring out the competencies and the learning of every student during the LABS training program. It should include Assignments, Surveys, Field Visits, Projects, Assessment records, Learning Curve etc,.

Examples:

A writing portfolio could include writing samples demonstrating growth in critical thinking, interdisciplinary thinking, an unsatisfying piece, and a favorite piece selected by the student.  It might also include a student’s reflection describing his or her experience as a writer. 

Resume Preparation

The resume is important because it is usually the first impression you give to a potential employer.  If your resume is not good, you won’t have the opportunity to move on to the interview phase where you can show off your skills and personality first hand.  The resume, than, must highlight your skills and experience and make the person doing the hiring say, “I want to meet this person.”

A sample pattern of a resume’ is given below.

	Name
	Address, Contact Phone Number, email ID
	Career Objective
	Educational Qualification
	Technical Qualification
	Field Assignments
	Project Details
	Job related Experience
	Work Experience
	Strengths
	Hobbies
	Personal Profile:                                 Father’s Name:                                 D.O.B:                                 Place of Birth:
	Languages Known
	References
	Portfolio

Note to the Facilitators:

 Please do not spoon feed!!

Please work on the resume’ through an activity.  There is a tendency for students to adopt a standard format for writing their resume’, But this should be discouraged and the students should create their own unique and interesting resume’.

Interview: Preparation

Once the resumes have been delivered to the companies, it is important to think about the next step in acquiring a job.  This is the interview phase.  While the resume is the first opportunity to give an impression to the hiring company, the interview is usually the first chance to leave a face-to-face impression.  It is important to prepare because, as the saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

The first thing to consider in preparing for an interview is your appearance.  Hold a discussion with the group about the different types of clothing and what are appropriate to wear to a job interview.  You can talk about why certain clothes are not appropriate and where the youth might be able to find clothing to use if they have an interview to go to. 

Activity #1: How do you dress for an interview?

1)     Divide the group into pairs.

2)     One of the youths will be preparing to attend an interview, while the other will be giving feedback about his/her appearance.

3)     The two youth will stand facing each other.

4)     The youth preparing for the interview will be given the following list of questions and will ask each to his partner in turn:

·         Is my hair clean and well combed?

·         If necessary, have I shaved?

·         Have I brushed my teeth?

·         Am I clean?

·         Do I smell badly or am I wearing strong perfume?

·         Are my hands clean?  My fingernails?

·         Are my clothes clean?

·         Do my clothes have any holes to repair or buttons to replace?

·         Are my clothes wrinkled?

·         Are my clothes appropriate for a job interview?

·         Am I wearing inappropriate jewellery or too much jewellery?

·         Are my shoes clean and shined and free of holes?

The facilitator needs to ensure that the youth are honest in this activity, but that they are not insulting. 

Once this exercise is complete, the facilitator should let the youth know that these are the questions they ask before every interview.  The questions can be asked to a friend or family member, or the youth should stand in front of a mirror and ask the questions to him/her self.

Review with the youth what they learned in this activity.

Activity #2: How can you arrive on time for an interview?

1)     Prepare for this activity by finding 3 or 4 businesses where youth generally like to work.  Write down the addresses since the participants will need to figure out how to get to these places if they were to have a job interview there.

2)     Ask the participants to form groups of 2 or 3 people and give each group a piece of paper and markers.

3)     Explain to the group that they will be pretending to have a job interview at a business and they will have to figure out how to get there.  They will need to figure out where they are going, how they will get there and how much time it will take for them to arrive – before going to the interview.

4)     Give one name of a business and its address to each group.

5)     Explain that each group must write down how they will get to this address at least 10 minutes before their interview time, which is 11:00 am the next day.

6)     Afterwards, ask the group to present their directions.  You can discuss with the groups how they made their decisions using questions like the following:

·         How did you know where the business was located?

·         What time did you have to arrive there?

·         How much time will it take to get there?  How will you go – by bus, taxi, walking?

·         If you are taking the bus, which buses do you need to take?

·         How much does the bus cost?  How much money do you need for the trip in total?

·         Are there different ways to get there?  Which ones take more time?  Are faster?  Are more direct?

·         If you need help along the way, who do you ask?

Ensure that the youth are aware of the importance of planning their route, ensuring they arrive on time for their interview and that they plan ahead for problems that could possibly arise.

It is important to remember that dress and hygiene are not the only two characteristics that send a message to the interviewer.  Body language is also very important.  Start this exercise with a discussion of how the youth felt before their mock interviews the previous day.  It is expected that youth will mention that they felt anxious or nervous because of the stress of the interview.  Explain that these feelings will often translate into their body language, so they don’t leave the best possible impression. 

Activity #3: How can you improve your confidence and reduce your stress before a job interview?

1)     Choose a volunteer from the group.

2)     This volunteer will be playing the part of someone being called for an interview, while the facilitator plays the interviewer.

3)     The volunteer will then be asked to leave the room and to return when called, for his interview.  This will include entering the room, greeting the interviewer and sitting in the interview chair.

4)     The remainder of the group is to watch the volunteer’s body language.  Once the exercise is complete, initiate a discussion as to what the volunteer did well and what can be improved upon.

5)     Repeat this exercise with two or three more volunteers.

A large part of confidence is demonstrated through posture.  Ask the group members to stand as they would normally stand.  Then ask them to begin focusing on each part of their body in order to improve their posture.

·         Begin with your feet: Are they separated a little with your weight distributed evenly between them?

·         Push your big toes down towards the floor in order to bring your weight forward.

·         Bend your knees slightly.

·         Keep tension in your legs.

·         Hold your stomach in.

·         Lift your ribcage slightly.

·         Imagine you have a steel bar running down the length of your spine.

·         Drop your shoulders and hold them back.

·         Relax your hands and hang them to the side.

·         Lift your head so it your eyes are looking directly forward.

·         Imagine your head is touching the ceiling.

Explain to the group that this is how you stand so people see how confident you look.  If they remember these steps when they are in a stressful situation, it will help them feel more confident.

Interview: Practice

While it is great to understand the theory of how to act during an interview, there is no better learning experience than actually participating in interviews.  As a result, it is important that each student be provided the opportunity to sit through a number of practice, or mock, interview sessions.  This process will be designed to resemble an interview in the outside world as much as possible.  To ensure this, the following steps will be taken:

a)     Interview rooms will be provided separate from the other students.

b)     Interviewers will not be LABS staff, but rather professionals from industry.

c)      The students will be asked to provide a resume and dress as they would for an actual interview.

To prepare for the interviews, the facilitator should run through a list of “Commonly Asked Interview Questions” with the students the day before the interviews begin.  While this list will give the students some idea of the questions that could be asked, remind them that the list is not inclusive and that the interviewers will be developing the questions all on their own.  So, be prepared for anything.

Since interviewers have different styles, it is key that the students sit with at least three different professionals over the two-day period.  Once the interviews are complete, it is important that the professionals sit with the students and explain what was done well and what needs to be worked on.  This will provide an opportunity for the students to ask questions of the interviewers as well, to clear up any doubts and to increase their confidence as they enter into real life interviews shortly.

Workplace Expectations

There are many situations that arise in the workplace that will be unfamiliar to you.  This is simply due to lack of experience and is a natural part of beginning the work process.  But, it is also important to prepare for what will be expected of you are work and possible problems that may arise.  To ensure that we are helping with accurate situations, some of the scenarios will be similar to actual events that have occurred with LABS graduates over the previous batches.

Activity #1: How do you handle difficult situations at work?

1)     Divide the group into pairs.

2)     Each pair will be asked to present a role play based on one of the following scenarios:

·         Two weeks after starting a new job, your family is insisting that you return to the village with them because your Grandmother is ill.  If you choose to go, that would mean that you would miss four days of work, and you might be fired.  If you choose not to go, your family will be upset.  Show all the different ways you could handle this situation as well as the consequences of making each choice.  Which is the best choice for you?

·         After completing the LABS training, you found a job immediately with a good company.  You committed to work there for 6 months, but after 3 months, you are offered a very good job with another company for a larger salary.  Show the possible ways you could handle this situation and the consequences of each choice.  Which is the best choice for you?

·         Your boss asks you to deliver a package to one of your clients.  After dropping it off, you run into some of your friends and they ask you to go for a movie.  You really want to see the movie and you know your boss is expecting you to be gone for a while anyway.  Show all the different ways you could handle this situation as well as the consequences of making each choice.  Which is the best choice for you?

·         You have been hired as a scanner at a large company.  On your first day there, your boss tells you that you are responsible for making and distributing tea for the rest of the staff.  You don’t feel that this should be part of your job.  Show the possible ways you could handle this situation and the consequences of each choice.  Which is the best choice for you?

·         One month after finishing your course at LABS, you still don’t have a job.  Finally, you are offered a position at a small company for Rs1200/- per month.  Some of your classmates have similar jobs in larger companies and are paid Rs2000/- .  Show all the different ways you could handle this situation as well as the consequences of making each choice.  Which is the best choice for you?

3)  After each of these role plays, the facilitator should initiate discussion with the remainder of the group to see if they can think of other ways to deal with the situation and explore which way they feel is best.  Areas to focus on include communication with family, friends, LABS and employers, respect, thinking of long-term consequences of behaviour rather than short-term and setting priorities.

Abdul Majid Najar

Gudoora Pulwama