First Job Survival Skills Unit 2 Teaches Essential Skills as Determined by the Experts.

In 1990, the Secretary of Labor appointed a commission to determine the skills our young people need to succeed in the world of work. This commission was known as the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS). The commission's fundamental purpose was to encourage a high-performance economy characterized by high-skill, high-wage employment. Although the commission completed its work in 1992, its findings and recommendations continue to be a valuable source of information for individuals and organizations involved in education and workforce development.

In 1995, the New York Association of Employment and Training Professionals (NYATEP) conducted a survey (the New York Employer Survey of Workplace Skills) of over 2,500 employers throughout New York State to identify the workplace skills and competencies that employees must either have prior to beginning employment, or will need to advance in their occupation. They found that there are eleven soft skills essential to success in the workplace:

1. Trustworthiness
2. Cooperativeness
3. Appearance
4. Language
5. Sociability
6. Tolerance
7. Self-Control
8. Self-Esteem
9. Focus
10. Customer Friendliness
11. Responsibility

The James Stanfield Company used the findings of the SCANS, as well as the 11 essential workplace soft skills above, to develop First Job Survival Skills Volume II: Job Performance and Moving Up. Each section of Volume II focuses on specific skills necessary in the workplace. Volume II, when used in its entirety, teaches all 11 soft skills as well as the necessary workplace skills as determined by SCANS.

Learn more about the SCANS findings.

Unit 2, Module 1: Who's Gonna Know?
Soft Skills #1, #6

Part 1: Being Trustworthy
SCANS: PQ-F17
Students will learn why being trustworthy is rated by employers as the #1 personal quality employees must have to be retained or advanced. They will see that honesty is the best policy when relating to the boss, from both an ethical and pragmatic viewpoint.

Part 2: Being Ethical
SCANS: PQ-F17
Students will learn that bosses often view employees as being with them or against them. Not reporting dishonesty, should the boss discover it, is viewed with suspicion. They'll learn that bosses look at passing blame as a lie or a sign of weak character.

Part 3: Being Tolerant
SCANS: PQ-F14
Being able to work with people from diverse backgrounds is a must in today's workplace. Students will learn that expressing racial, gender or religious bigotry is absolutely unacceptable as they watch a boss respond to a new employee's request not to work with - believe it or not - him.

Includes:
· 1 DVD or 3 VHS tapes
· teacher's guide

Module 1: $299
Order No. 1067.1

Unit 2, Module 2: I Look Out For #1
Soft Skills #2, #7

Part 1: Being Cooperative
SCANS PQ-C9
Students will earn why being cooperative is rated the #2 personal quality employees must have to be retained or advanced. Employers want staff who can get along and work as a team . While at work, it's harmony the boss looks for, and it's respecting , not necessarily liking, that matters.

Part 2: Being Helpful
SCANS: PQ-C9
From the boss's point of view, the best way to look out for #1 is to look out for the team. Being able to switch gears and offer help to co-workers when it's needed is essential. Students will learn why the boss sees helpful co-workers as more than just doing them a favor.

Part 3: Being Self-Controlled
SCANS: PQ-F16
If employees can't control their own emotions, particularly anger, they will be disruptive to co-workers, insulting to customers and disobedient to supervisors. Students will learn why it is so important to keep a lid on anger at work.

Includes:
· 1 DVD or 3 VHS tapes
· teacher's guide

Module 2: $299
Order No. 1067.2

Unit 2, Module 3: Gotta Be Me!
Soft Skills #3, #4, #5

Part 1: Dressing Appropriately
SCANS F16
Students will learn that bosses judge how seriously employees take their jobs by how they dress. Neatness, grooming and adherence to company dress codes tell the boss that a worker cares enough about his or her job to prepare for it before the workday begins.

Part 2: Talking Appropriately
SCANS: C7
Students will learn that street language, off-color jokes and swearing are off limits in the workplace. Respect for the boss, customers and co-workers is conveyed through polite "professional" speech and courteous modes of address.

Part 3: Behaving Appropriately
SCANS: F15
Goofing off, horseplay, and intimate touching are not only distracting, they can raise legal and safety issues on the job. Students will learn that bosses quickly weed out employees who treat the workplace as a playground and the people in it as playmates.

Includes:
· 1 DVD or 3 VHS tapes
· teacher's guide

Module 3: $299
Order No. 1067.3

Unit 2, Module 4: Customers Are a Pain
Soft Skill #10

Part 1: Being Welcoming
SCANS: C11, F15
Ignoring or being rude to customers at first contact is a surefire way for any company to lose business. Invaluable employees set an upbeat, positive atmosphere that lets customers know they are valued and important the moment they walk in the door.

Part 2: Being Professional
SCANS: C11, F15
Rudeness, sarcasm and unconcern are communicated through tone of voice and body language. Show your students how to set the stage for positive customer interaction by creating an atmosphere of courtesy, friendliness and concern.

Part 3: Handling Customer Complaints
SCANS: C11, F15
Keeping cool and finding solutions are the keys to dealing with customer dissatisfaction. Teach your students the fundamentals of meeting the needs of the unhappy customer.

Includes:
· 1 DVD or 3 VHS tapes
· teacher's guide

Module 4: $299
Order No. 1067.4

Unit 2, Module 5: Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
Soft Skill #9

Part 1: Listening
SCANS: F5, P13
Students will learn to use active listening skills and to display cues that they are fully engaged when taking instructions. The art of asking clarifying questions and the use of focused body language, eye contact and tone of voice are modeled in detail.

Part 2: Being Focused
SCANS: F5, P13
Every small task is vital to a business. Balancing the big picture with attention to detail can be a challenge for new employees. Show your students how sweating the small stuff can make them invaluable in the workplace.

Part 3: Being Thorough
SCANS: F5, P13
Teach your students the basics of planning, organization and neatness as well as the importance of quotas and deadlines, standardized procedures, following orders to the letter and choosing the right tools for the right job.

Includes:
· 1 DVD or 3 VHS tapes
· teacher's guide

Module 5: $299
Order No. 1067.5

Unit 2, Module 6: The Boss Will Understand
Soft Skills #8, #11

Part 1: Being Responsible
SCANS: F13
Personal problems, bad moods and complicated social lives that spill over into the workplace can destroy productivity and harmony. Students will learn how highly bosses value employees who can park their personal lives at the door and put the job first.

Part 2: Being Positive
SCANS: F13, F14
Gossiping about co-workers, complaining about assignments and undertaking tasks reluctantly can create a negative workplace. Teach your students how to create an infectious "can do" environment that motivates co-workers and impresses bosses.

Part 3: Living the Work Ethic
SCANS F13, F14
Students will learn to take their jobs personally, becoming their own quality control supervisor and taking pride in a job well done. In answering the Ancient Employee Riddle, they will see that success at work depends on commitment and hard work.

Includes:
· 1 DVD or 3 VHS tapes
· teacher's guide

Module 6: $299
Order No. 1067.6

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