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Course Overview

The world and workforce have changed. Now more than ever, today's employers are seeking more than technical ability; they are looking for real team players who possess strong communication and problem-solving skills, and who demonstrate resourcefulness and leadership in the workplace. Soft Skills High is specifically designed to provide high school students a place and an online program to learn the soft skill curriculum, earn a certificate upon completion of the program, and demonstrate their knowledge in the workplace. Soft Skills High has three distinct learning components that can be used together or independently giving teachers greater flexibility to integrate the course into existing curriculum.

Get Ready. Get Prepped. Go!

Get Ready

Career and Life Essentials Course Curriculum

Aligned with the employability traits framework of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, the Career & Life Essentials (CLE) course is the first step in getting students READY for a successful career and life. Interactive, inspirational, and fun, the course content was created especially for today's high school students. There are 10 CLE modules (module descriptions and learning outcomes are found in Appendix 1.) Each learning module contains the following six distinct instructional and interactive features that keep students continuously engaged as they navigate through the course: (Approximately 1- 2 hours per module) Module Overview At the beginning of each module, students start with the Overview tab. Each module overview gives students a brief outline of what they will need to complete and a description of each module seminar. Seminar Each seminar is voiced-over, interactive and fun. Students can click Pause at any time and replay a previous slide by using the course navigation system. We encourage all students to take notes and use these as study material for the final exam. Quiz Once students feel confident with the knowledge presented in the seminar, they are now ready to take the corresponding quiz consisting of 10 questions. Students have two attempts to pass each quiz with a passing grade of 70%. After they have successfully completed the quiz, they can return to the course materials to begin the next module. Skill Builder Activity The skill builder is another activity allowing students to demonstrate what they have learned from the seminar. There will be a corresponding Skill Builder for each Module. The Skill Builder is worth 5 points. Students receive 5 points for completing them and 0 points for an incomplete activity. Online Discussion The discussion forum allows students to reflect on their experiences and share these experiences with their peers and Soft Skill's High course monitors. There will be a corresponding discussion for each module and they are worth 5 points each. Students are required to post a reply in order to earn the 5 points. Pre and Post Assessment A pre assessment will be given prior to the start of the course. A post assessment will be given once students have completed all 10 modules. Before taking the post assessment, students will be asked to complete a course evaluation. Grading and Special Designation A student must have a minimum grade of 70% to earn the CLE certificate from Soft Skills High. After student's have completed the final exam, their score will be computed automatically, and their final score will be generated. If they receive a passing score, they will earn their online course certificate. A student's final grade will be computed based on the following criteria and weight distribution, for a total of 100%.

Pre and Post Assessment A pre assessment will be given prior to the start of the course. A post assessment will be given once students have completed all 8 modules. Before taking the post assessment, students will be asked to complete a course evaluation. Grading and Special Designation A student must have a minimum grade of 70% to earn the CLF certificate from Soft Skills Middle. After student's have completed the post assessment, their score will be computed automatically, and their final score will be generated. If they receive a passing score, they will earn their online course certificate. (A sample course certificate is found in Appendix 2.) A student's final grade will be computed based on the following criteria and weight distribution, for a total of 100%.

Get Prepped

Career PREP - A virtual Career Guidance Center

Designed to get students PREPPED to enter the workplace, Career PREP is a fun and informative collection of practical workshops and activities. Students put the soft skills studied in their Career & Life Essentials course into practice to create a Career PREP Portfolio that they can carry with them with them when they enter college or the workplace. The Career PREP Portfolio is a summary of the skills, strengths, and abilities students have mastered in the CLE course. (Approximately 5-10 hours) Career PREP Badges include: Self-Assessment Through this workshop students will learn how to identify and maximize their individual personality traits to find their passion and launch their career prep journey. In the Self-Assessment badge activity, students will reflect on their attitude, character, and experiences to highlight their career and life strengths. Smart Goals The SMART Goals badge is all about learning how to create goals for students' career and life that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely. In this badge activity students will be asked to create an achievable SMART Goal Set that will provide the guidance, motivation and direction needed for career and life. Resume & Cover Letter Resumes and cover letters showcase students personal and professional strengths and skill sets. In this workshop, students begin to paint a picture of themselves in words through their career objectives, acquired skills, education, and life experiences. The Resume & Cover Letter badge activity gives students the opportunity to practice creating their own unique resume and cover letter. Interview Skills The Interview badge will help strengthen the interview skills necessary for making that all important successful first impression. In the workshop, students will learn successful interviewing tips and what kinds of questions they can expect during a personal interview. The Activity will allow students to put the tips to practical use as they get ready to become a Soft Skills PRO!

Go!

Soft Skills PRO – Industry Certification

They're ready. They're prepped. And now it's time to GO! Once student's Career PREP Portfolios are complete, it's time to put all the planning into action. The third and final step in the students' Soft Skills High journey to career and life success is the Soft Skills PRO industry certification program. Designed to address the challenges that come with assessing and certifying students in a work-based learning experience, Soft Skills Pro is an easy, effective, and valuable evaluation tool for busy teachers and employers.

Students who can successfully demonstrate these skills in the workplace will earn their Soft Skills Pro Certificate allowing them to show future employers they are proficient in these skills that are so important to workplace success. (A sample Soft Skills Pro certificate is found in Appendix 2.)

Module Descriptions

Module 1 Attitude It is not your aptitude but your attitude that will determine your success in and after high school. A positive attitude is the essence of life and career achievement, which is why the most successful companies hire for attitude and train for aptitude. Life produces extraordinary rewards for those who give in extraordinary ways. This seminar will show you how to soar to new heights with an attitude of gratitude that sees life challenges as opportunities. After completing this module, students should be able to:

Define a positive attitude and explain how it impacts you, your family and your classmates.
List ways to improve yourself and improve your attitude.
Discuss the importance of a positive self-esteem and identify ways to build your self-esteem.
List and describe the eight guidelines for developing a positive attitude.

Module 2 Character Good character does not just happen. We develop this, each and every day, by the choices we make in all we do. After completing this seminar, you will appreciate the importance of developing positive character traits and be able to explain their benefit in the workplace. You will also be able to recognize personality and behavior flaws that causes difficulties in all areas of our life. After completing this module, students should be able to:

Explain the importance of developing positive character traits.
Identify desirable character traits and explain how they can be used in life and career.
Recognize problematic character behaviors that can cause difficulties.
Discuss the one guideline or rule that you can use to help build your character

Module 3 Diversity and Cultural Awareness The process of cultural understanding challenges us to stop jumping to conclusions and stop making judgments about other people from our own set of cultural values. Instead this seminar encourages you to learn about cultural differences so that you can understand why other people behave the way they do. Once you understand and appreciate differences you can begin to more effectively socialize and work with people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and bridge the cultural gap rather than make it even greater. After completing this module, students should be able to:

Discuss the importance of understanding diversity and cultural awareness in today's world.
Explain cultural diversity and diversity in general.
Describe the negative impact of prejudices, biases and stereotyping.
Identify the guidelines to understanding and celebrating diversity.

Module 4 Communication and Listening To effectively communicate, it is important to make certain that the people you are talking to clearly understand both your words and your actions. This seminar will focus on both verbal and nonverbal skills and present the essential elements of communication to help you become confident when communicating with others during school, work and life. After completing this module, students should be able to:

Explain the importance of good communication.
Explain the three "V's" of interpersonal communication.
Identify the ten listening blockers that breakdown communication.
Identify ways that you can send strong verbal and nonverbal messages.

Module 5 Appearance and Etiquette Studies have shown that thirty seconds is all it takes for someone meeting you to form an entire list of impressions about your character and your abilities. In this seminar we will discuss the importance of appearance, grooming, hygiene and etiquette in your everyday life. After completing this module, students should be able to:

Discuss the importance of a positive first impression.
Identify the key tips for impeccable appearance.
Define Etiquette.
Explain the importance and impact of etiquette.

Module 6 Time Management In this seminar, you will learn about the essence of time. Those who manage their time wisely lead well-rounded lives, accomplish more personally, as well as professionally, experience less stress and feel better about themselves. This seminar helps you develop strategies for delegating tasks, prioritizing, and increasing your efficiency. After completing this module, students should be able to:

Understand the importance of good time management.
Explain the importance of goal setting in order to manage your time more effectively.
List the five guidelines for managing yourself and time more effectively.
Understand how self-management plus time management equals life management.

Module 7 Teamwork The ultimate goal of any school, organization, or workplace is to achieve overall effectiveness. In other words, the sum should be greater than its parts! Of course, we all want to succeed as individuals, but our primary focus should always be on the success of the organization as a whole. This requires teamwork. This seminar will discuss how you and the teams you are part of work together to display the "a ha!" - Amazing Highschool Attitudes. After completing this module, students should be able to:

Discuss the importance of teamwork in order for an organization to perform effectively.
Identify the skills needed when developing effective teams.
Explain the importance of respecting and valuing team members' differences in the workplace.
Identify steps to follow for building a successful team.

Module 8 Critical Thinking and Problem Solving The ability to think critically is one of the most important Career and Life Essentials tools you can have on your belt, because good thinking leads to a better understanding of the world around you and your place in it. In this module you will learn how to better think critically by asking questions and cultivating a genuinely curious attitude. You will learn that having your own point of view will help you make decisions, solve problems and communicate effectively. After completing this module, students should be able to:

Define the term "critical thinking."
List and explain the six core skills of critical thinking.
Explain what it means to think independently
Understand the 10 steps of problem solving

Module 9 Work Ethics Good work ethics tell future employers what they might expect from students on the job. This module will introduce students to the importance of cultivating solid principles starting now. They will discover that a good work ethic can be the determining factor in how successful they are in school and in life today, and in the workplace tomorrow. After completing this module, students should be able to:

Define Work Ethic
Understand the importance of a good Work Ethic
Know the 10 characteristics of a good Work Ethic
List 5 ways to cultivate a good Work Ethic

Module 10 Personal Leadership A leader is effective because of who he or she is on the inside, and how those qualities are reflected on the outside. In this last module, you will learn that you don't have to have a special set of talents to take a leadership role in your life. Leadership is shown through your everyday action and interactions with others. You will see how this is achieved by leading with the little "l." After completing this module, students should be able to:

Begin thinking what difference you want to make in your life and career.
Understand the difference between a Big "L" leader and little "l" leader.
Understand that your overall choices you make today defines your future.
Explain why leadership is action and not a title or position.