Families & Caregivers
Welcome to Oregon Employability Skills!
Collaborating with educational experts, industry professionals, and the vibrant Oregon community, we have developed a curriculum addressing the growing demand for a well-rounded skill set beyond academic knowledge. The world is changing rapidly, and the skills required for a successful career continuously evolve. Learners may encounter discussions around employability skills at school, in community organizations, and in the workplace.
What is the Oregon Employability Skills Curriculum?
This dynamic curriculum is designed to equip students with the practical skills and mindsets necessary to transition from school to the workforce. The curriculum focuses on a range of crucial employability skills:
Adaptability: Open to Change
Analysis/Solution Mindset: Problem Solver
Collaboration: Team Player
Communication: Good Communicator
Digital Literacy: Good with Technology
Empathy: Sensitive to Others’ Feelings
Entrepreneurial Mindset: Go-Getter
Resilience: Plans for Success & Handles Failure
Self-Awareness: Self-Understanding
Social Diversity/Awareness: Sensitivity to Differences
As we continue to prepare our students for their future careers and success, we want to encourage open and informative conversations at home. Engaging in discussions about employability skills can be a valuable and enlightening experience for your learner(s).
One approach to facilitate these conversations is to incorporate them into your family dinner time, one-to-one, or small group time with learners. These moments are an excellent opportunity to discuss how employability skills are used in various jobs and to help your learner(s) understand their significance at home and in the workplace.
Here are some tips on how you can make dinner-time conversations about employability skills engaging:
Plan Topics in Advance: Before sitting down together, think about a particular skill you'd like to discuss. It could be communication, teamwork, problem-solving, or any of the Oregon Employability Skills. Here is a link to each of the skills and their four core traits that you may find helpful.
Share Your Experiences: You have a wealth of experiences in your home and the workplace. Share your own stories about how you've used employability skills to complete tasks and work with others. Provide examples of how these skills have benefited you in your career.
Ask Questions: Encourage everyone to share their experiences. Ask them if they have encountered any situations at home, school, or in extracurricular activities where they've applied these skills. Discuss their experiences and encourage them to tell their own story.
Set Learning Improvement Goals Together: Help your learner(s) set goals related to these skills. Ask them how they can actively work on improving their employability skills. Create a supportive environment where they feel empowered to develop these competencies.
Employability skills go beyond the workplace; they are life skills that benefit us in many areas.
Most of all, Have Fun!