The Insiders in the Classroom
Assessing Personal Qualities
Objectives: to identify key skills and assess personal qualities; to set personal goals; to create strategies for developing individual skillsets
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Suggested activities:
- Using a skills checklist, students identify and list what they think are their own personal skills and qualities – put these to one side
- In pairs or groups, students select one of the career profiles from The Insiders – ensure that the full set of 6 careers are covered
- Using the blogs and Videos to gain insight into the profiled career they have selected, students identify the personal qualities and range of skills that they feel are needed for their selected career
- Students get into pairs and individually list their top 3 career interests. Students swap within their pairs and identify what skills and abilities they think are needed for each of these careers.
- Pairs swap back and discuss these amending where they think necessary
- Students now look back at their initial list started at the beginning of the activity. Which skills match up? Which don’t?
- Students identify what skills are missing from their own skillset. Select 3 and create an action plan to start developing these skills
Extension Work: If your students have completed work experience, each student must compile a report on the effects of this work experience - Has it changed their career plans? Did they develop new skills or build on existing skills? If students are preparing to embark on work experience, students compile an action plan and set some goals for themselves – e.g. setting targets for developing new skills; targeting an identified weakness etc.
Post 16: students prepare a portfolio of key skills and identify goals for the next 3-5 years. In this they should evaluate their past performance and identify strategies for overcoming weaknesses
Activity 2Problem Solving at work
Objective: to understand the challenges that the day to day experience of a job can create; to learn about rights and responsibilities of both worker and employer
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Suggested activities:
- Choose one of the profiled careers from The Insiders project (the Teacher would be a good choice for this activity)
- Watch the video diaries of the selected profession (to access these click on the Meet The Insiders link on the homepage and then click on Video menu on the left of the screen - scroll along to select a video diary of your choice or play them all as snap shot of the day to day life of profiled professional
- In pairs students then read the blog entries that accompany the video diaries. Using the information in the videos and blogs, students list the kinds of problems faced by the profiled Insider. How does the featured Insider deal with problems facing him/her?
- Feedback to class and list the problems which could come up in any job situation
- In groups students list what 1) employees have a right to expect at work 2) what employers have a right to expect from their employees)
- Go back to the list of problems identified by class. Discuss strategies and action plans to deal with the identified problems
Extension Activity: 1) Research the role of a human resource staff (work) and Student Support (Education) 2) Research the issue of Health and Safety at work – what does the law state on this subject? What are the employer’s responsibilities towards their workers?
Project work: students create a game or quiz based on the kinds of problems discussed in the main activity with multiple choice answers on ways of dealing with problems. This can be played in class
Activity 3Career Routes
Objectives: to evaluate perceptions of selected careers; to explore the range of progression routes available in the pursuit of the profiled careers; to apply research skills independently to own career research
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Suggested activities:
- Students look at the 6 careers profiled on The Insiders website and discuss their perceptions of the following:
Pay potential: qualification requirements: training: conditions
- Divide class into groups and allocate one of the profiled careers per group
- Using the downloadable Workplace Guides (appears at the bottom of each bio page from the link Meet the Insiders) each group researches the pay, required qualifications and possible training routes to achieving their allocated career. Each workplace guide also contains information for external websites which students can use for further information e.g. www.nhscareers.co.uk Using the blogs and other information they can find on the website, each group also decides the types of conditions likely to be experienced in their allocated career (i.e. average working hours, pressure, strains, demands etc.)
- Each group feed back results from research. Did the realities match up to their initial perceptions at the beginning of the activity?
Extension task: Each student selects a career they are interested in pursuing. Using some of the techniques and skills learnt in the main activity, Students research the pay potential, qualification requirements, training routes (all) and conditions
Post 16: Students to complete the above but add in specific information about HE/FE institutions where the appropriate training for their chosen career is available. Using The Insiders’ Workplace Guides as a template, research and draw up an action plan on what they might need to do to enhance their chances of success i.e. work experience, volunteer wok etc.
Activity 4Stereotyping and Misrepresentation
Objectives: to recognise stereotyping and misrepresentation of people, careers and work; to recognise how these prejudices can influence decision making processes about career choices; to think about forms of discrimination which may happen within the workplace
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Suggested activities:
- Students look at each of the professions profiled in The Insiders project
- In pairs, students discuss the ways each professional is represented (each career profiled uses the experiences of real people but represents them using an aspect of their working lives)
- Discuss with class what stereotyping and representation mean. Taking the 6 profiled professions, students get into groups and discuss what popular stereotypes are attached to each.
- Feedback to rest of class
- In pairs, students take two headings:
Jobs for the Girls Jobs for the Boys
- In pairs, students list jobs mainly associated with specific genders – they can collect images of ‘men’s jobs’ and ‘women’s jobs’ and prepare a montage
- Feedback to class and discuss why certain careers and jobs are often defined by gender and whether there are any creditable reasons why this should be
- Class discuss other forms of stereotyping within the workplace
Extension task: Using the activity as a starter, students research into the different types of discrimination that may exist in the workplace (i.e. on grounds of race, age, gender, sexual orientation etc. What types of legislation are in place to prevent discrimination? What are issues relating to pay inequality? Look into the role of Equal Opportunities Policies and what action might be taken if you feel discriminated against in the workplace
Activity 5Enterprise (Post 16)
Objectives: to consider opportunities for developing Enterprise; to evaluate the alternative options to Higher Education such as advanced apprenticeships and work based training; to begin to learn about risk taking
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Suggested activities:
- Students begin by looking at the profiled careers on The Insiders focusing in particular on the actress and the musician
- In groups students decide on the different types of employment status e.g. freelance, self-employed etc and the benefits and drawbacks of each
- Feedback to rest of group and decide which categories the actress and the musician fall into. Using evidence from The Insiders project, students discuss different ways of financing these types of careers
- Students then look at Channel 4’s Education project Year Dot. Amongst the 15 young people profiled within this project, Tom Mursell, 19, has set up his own business as an alternative to Higher Education, www.notgoingtouni.com. Read his blogs and watch his video diaries on www.yeardot.co.uk. What experiences has he had setting up his own business? Find other examples of young people and Enterprise. What specific skills does Tom Mursell have?
- Class discuss the concept of ‘risk’. What does it mean in different contexts? Are there ‘good’ risks and ‘bad’ risks?
- In groups students list the different kinds of career paths open to them. The tutor may wish to allocate one per group e.g. Advanced apprenticeships, Higher Education, starting your own business, pursuing non conventional careers such as those profiled in The Insiders project etc.
- Feedback findings to rest of group in presentation form and prepare slide handouts with information or the rest of the group
Activity 6Personal Finance
Objectives: to learn about financial decision making and money management
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Suggested activities:
- Student, in pairs or groups look at the profiled careers on The Insiders website and using the information given in their biogs and in the Workplace Guides list the different incomes generated by each of the careers
- Feedback to class – what comments can they make about the different incomes of the profiled professions? What are the popular beliefs about the earnings of actors and musicians? Is the reality true? In what ways are the musicians and the actress supporting themselves financially? What are the benefits/disadvantages of pursuing these types of careers?
- Divide class into groups and give each group one of the following financial topics and send away to research their topic with the brief to provide a clear explanation to the rest of the class. Alternatively use further sessions for research:
Savings; pensions; national insurance and tax; debt; budgeting; employment variations (i.e. self employment, freelancing, PAYE)
- Each group presents back to class. Discuss each topic carefully , teacher filling in any gaps and ensuring there is a basic understanding of each of these areas
- Practice some simple budgeting exercises
Extension activity: students research the various options available to them in student financing as part of their other training and career plans
Differentiated Activities
Gifted and Talented ActivityThe Dragon’s Den
Objectives: to learn about enterprise
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Suggested activities:
- Students look at The Insiders website and research the different types of careers profiled. The can also look at www.notgoingtouni.co.uk, a site set up by young entrepreneur Tom Mursell (also featured in Channel 4’s Year Dot project)
- Students get into groups and develop a business idea. This should be at local level i.e. offering a service in school/college
- Each group creates a business plan, a name and brand etc and prepares a presentation or ‘pitch’ about how they would go about setting up this new business venture
- From within the group, select a team of Dragons who have money to invest in a business venture (if the group is small ten teacher/tutor can act as the Dragon) – the group can take turns in taking on these roles – and allow each group to ‘pitch’ their ideas using any means of presentation they select – including a prototype product!
- Each group awarded a notional ‘stake’ based on the effectiveness of their ‘pitch’
Extension task: Take it one step further – students put their business plans into action and operate their local business for a short period of time. This could be done in conjunction with a school/college charity week and proceeds go towards the designated charities; or it can be operated to support expeditions such as a World Challenge fund raising venture
SEN Activity (Functional Skills)CVs, Interviews and Letters of Application
Objectives: to prepare a targeted CV and a letter of application; to prepare for and have a mock interview
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Suggested activities:
- Class watch videos of one of the professionals featured in The Insiders project and read the associated Bios (accessed through Meet the Insiders link on the home page)
- In pairs students discuss the type of job they have an interest in or think they might be suited to
- Students initially list as much information about themselves using standard CV categories
- Students go back to their pairs and peer assessment to add further detail to this initial ‘draft’ and to suggest ways in which their partner can emphasise the information/personal qualities and skills etc which are needed for their career choice.
- Students prepare CVs using templates to help them
- In different pairs students swap CVs and each come up with a job they would like to apply for – teachers may want to bring in a selection of real job advertisements
- Each student within the pair prepares questions based on the requirements of the job and the other’s CV
- Role play the scenario in which each member of the pair interview each other. Showcase some to the rest of the class
- Discuss the benefits of targeted CVs
Extension Activity: 1) students look for ‘real’ job advertisements in their chosen field – the teacher may wish to bring in newspapers, trade publications etc. Students draft and prepare letters of application using peer assessment and their prepared targeted CVs to help them 2) students look at the Workplace Guides of the profiled careers on The Insiders project and decide what kind of work experience might be needed to enhance their chances in their chosen field. Prepare letters requesting work experience using the same method in 1)
Family LearningWhat do They Say?
Activity
Objective: to gather together as much information about a wide variety of different jobs; to find out about the highs and lows in people’s working lives; to find out about career pathways
- Look again at the Workplace Guides in The Insiders website and create a template based on the guide – you can add other categories too i.e. likes/dislikes, benefits/ drawbacks; What I’d wish I’d known….; How I got into it… etc.
- Interview working friends, family and members of your community – at least 6 and from a wide variety of different working backgrounds
- Use the information from your interviews to complete a Workplace Guide for each of the jobs you have found out about, adding information about training courses and different career paths etc.
- Feedback to rest of group and disseminate copies to other students to help them build up a career portfolio
Extension Task: 1) Compile the whole group’s Workplace Guides in to Careers Advice Manual for other students to use. The Benefit of this would be that you would have much more insider information 2) get one of your interviewees to record a video diary for a working week. Share their experiences with your peers
- Level:
- 14 – 19yrs: KS3; KS4; Post 16; S1-6
- Curriculum Relevance:
- Careers; Citizenship; PSHEE; English; Functional Skills
- Benefits:
- uses the real experiences of real people in real jobs to reveal the highs and lows of working life
