Activity One:

At the beginning of the session, the counselor presents the mechanisms of making career decisions and reviews the steps taken in previous stages. A brief review of previous sessions and the core training modules in the program is conducted. Participant responses are recorded, and a summary is made emphasizing the importance of planning and making informed career decisions. The counselor highlights that the decision-making process requires knowledge and goal setting, mentioning that through previous sessions, participants have deepened their knowledge in skills, preferences, values, and expanded their awareness of the job market, opportunities, and the world of professions.

After this overview, the career counselor presents two videos about future options or what the counselor deems appropriate:

1. Video 1
2. Video 2

At the beginning of the session, the counselor displays an illustrative figure. Participants are informed that understanding themselves and the available opportunities contributes to making sound decisions. The steps for making informed career decisions include self-awareness:

Self-awareness:

1. Self-knowledge and available choices.
2. Reflecting on the positives and negatives of the decision.
3. Suitability of the decision to the individual's reality.
4. Alignment of the decision with the student's values and behavior.
5. Satisfaction of the student with the decision.

Awareness of Opportunities:

1. Knowing the desired profession.
2. Understanding the current status and future prospects of this profession.
3. Understanding the requirements of the profession and the environment in which it is practiced.
4. Recognizing its relationship with other professions and the job market.

The counselor then presents an illustrative figure and asks participants to create a comprehensive file on everything they have accomplished during the period.

 

Skill Development: Employment and Entrepreneurial Skills

This section covers a set of employment skills essential for ensuring students secure suitable job opportunities. The requirements of the job market today extend beyond the professional skills possessed by students, reaching relatively new skills that distinguish graduates and align with employers' standards for available positions. This section presents communication skills, teamwork, adaptability, and learning capabilities. It also covers entrepreneurial skills that provide graduates with the opportunity to start their projects or work independently. The aim is to introduce students to these skills, their importance, and how to develop and possess them. The section provides all necessary tools for skill development.

 

 

Employment Skills
Session One

Objectives:

1. Understand employment skills.
2. Learn how to develop these skills.
3. Differentiate between professional skills and employment skills.

Tools Used:

1. Projector.
2. Whiteboard.
3. Markers.
4. Colored cards.

During the first session, the counselor clarifies the concept of employment skills, how to develop them among students, and identifies four fundamental skills that must be worked on in the upcoming period, which are essential in the employment process.

First Activity:
The counselor creates a table including the professional skills required to accomplish tasks in the same profession and the life skills that students need in the workplace to help them perform professional tasks effectively.

The counselor requests students to answer the question: What is the difference between professional skills and employment skills? Answers are recorded on the board, and a discussion is initiated with students to correct and modify them, aiming to create a list of crucial life skills and professional skills required for the profession.

Students are then asked to record both lists and consult the career trainer to verify the accuracy of the professional skills needed in the profession. Students are required to bring the modified list to the next session.

The counselor refers back to the list of life and technological skills required in the job market, emphasizing that, in this stage, they will focus on personal skills and learning skills, namely:

Personal Skills:
The counselor is required to provide one or more sessions on communication, teamwork, and flexibility (sessions on effective communication, negotiation, decision-making), and working within a team and flexibility.

The counselor is also required to provide one or more sessions on developing the ability to learn, continuous learning, self-improvement, and technological skills for the profession.

 

Skills Required by the Job Market for Employment

Several studies targeting the job market to enhance vocational education and training have indicated a growing demand for graduates of vocational education and training programs and a constant need to employ them. These studies can be referred to in the interactive library on the website.

The results have highlighted the high demand from employers for trained professionals possessing specific skills in the studied sectors. These skills include personal traits, professional skills, specialized professional skills, modern technological skills, and managerial skills. The majority of employers emphasize the importance of having honesty, integrity, and self-confidence as personal traits in trained professionals.

Studies have also shown the job market's need for the following personal skills and traits:

1. Honesty and integrity.
2. Self-confidence.
3. Following instructions.
4. Attention to detail.
5. Mastering communication skills in the workplace.
6. Collaboration with others.
7. Positive attitudes towards work.
8. Ability to work with others within a team.
9. Problem-solving.
10. Flexibility in work.

Additionally, studies have highlighted the job market's need for general professional skills and traits, such as:

1. Reading and writing in Arabic.
2. Accuracy in analysis.
3. Attention to quality.
4. Computer skills.
5. High productivity.
6. Ability to learn new skills.
7. Understanding drawings and diagrams and using them.
8. Ability to use modern technology.
9. Speed in accomplishing tasks.
10. Theoretical knowledge related to the job.
11. Ability to assemble without causing faults.

Moreover, studies have emphasized the importance of general managerial skills in the job market, including:

1. Ability to manage individuals.
2. Goal-setting.
3. Planning.
4. Evaluation and work development.
5. Self-initiative.

In addition to basic financial skills, studies have demonstrated the importance of specialized professional skills for each occupation for graduates to secure job opportunities or establish their own projects.

Furthermore, studies have shown the job market's need for technological skills, including:

1. Computer usage skills.
2. Social media usage skills.
3. Software usage skills related to the profession.
4. Usage of modern technology associated with the profession, with continuous monitoring.

In conclusion, employment skills, including life and entrepreneurial skills, in addition to technological and managerial skills, are considered 21st-century skills that everyone should possess.

Entrepreneurial Skills and Traits

Studies have indicated that 32% of graduates, 49% of school students, and 49% of parents of school students hope that students enrolled in vocational education and training can establish their own projects after graduation. They have identified it as one of the most important reasons for joining vocational education and training. Therefore, entrepreneurial training assists graduates in creating and managing their own projects. Learn about entrepreneurial skills through the features and traits of an entrepreneur attached and through Bader Online.

Various studies have shown the job market's need for practical field training, where students familiarize themselves with the work environment and can perform the tasks required by the profession before graduation. The results also highlighted shortcomings in monitoring training, both from students, sometimes from trainers, and from the training institution. This deprives students of the opportunity to benefit from skills. Success stories of graduates have shown that their focus on this aspect led to the development of their skills and experiences for entry into the job market. Studies have indicated that pre-graduation training is among the top reasons leading graduates to secure employment, especially for female graduates. Therefore, focusing on this aspect before graduation is crucial for obtaining job opportunities and professional development.

It has been revealed that personal, professional, managerial, and entrepreneurial skills and traits in field training are among the most important qualities that graduates should possess to enter and thrive in the job market. Market studies and the required skills can be obtained from the Gateway Library.

Entrepreneurship Features and Traits

Entrepreneur: An entrepreneur is someone who jumps from the top of a mountain slope and, on the way down, builds an airplane to fly high.

Entrepreneurship Definition: Entrepreneurship is the creation of a new project or the development of an existing project by providing new resources and ideas, organizing work and resources to achieve a successful and income-generating project.

Entrepreneur Definition: An entrepreneur is someone who starts a project, paves the way for others with this initiative, and is the person who initiates the creative idea, races to plan a project based on innovative and new ideas, focusing on development, risk-taking, and profit.

Entrepreneurial Features:

1. Clear and defined goal for opening a private project.
2. Possession of new ideas and thoughts supporting the pursued goal.
3. Clarity of vision seeking to achieve the goal.
4. Self-strengthening, supported by optimism and hope to work on achieving various goals.
5. Clear and planned vision to transform goals into a tangible reality.
6. Taking the initiative to reach the stage of success.
7. Ability to make different decisions.
8. Possession of positive and organized thinking.

Entrepreneurial Traits:

1. High risk-taking ability compared to the hesitant traditional person who fears taking risks.
2. High ability for perseverance and continuity.
3. Knows where, when, and how to start a project.
4. Always brings something new and innovative.
5. Confronting problems and not avoiding them.
6. Entrepreneurs tend to be independent in their work.
7. Entrepreneurs have a high sense of responsibility.
8. Able to understand reality and the work environment accurately to solve problems.
9. Able to find multiple solutions to one problem.
10. Maintains energy, commitment, and persistence at work.
11. Maintains balance, especially under work pressure.
12. Manages time with high precision.
13. Chooses the appropriate time to add more ideas.