Employability Skills: Student Guide to Starting a New Job
Starting a new job can be daunting for teens and adults alike, with 87% of job seekers reporting feelings of new job anxiety. This employability skills lesson is designed to ease those concerns and prepare your students for success in the workforce.
Packed with interactive activities, this lesson covers essential topics like employment agreements, hiring paperwork, and workplace etiquette. Students will examine real-world scenarios that highlight important workplace skills and norms. They’ll learn what to expect and how to navigate their first job with confidence!
What's Inside
⭐Google Slides Presentation: With helpful notes and supplemental resources, you’ll have everything you need to guide your students through the lesson.
⭐Lesson Plan: A clear outline that includes relevant standards, implementation guidance, and handy links to additional materials - saving you prep time!
⭐Employment Agreement Activity: This hands-on activity challenges students to read, annotate, and discuss a sample employment agreement. Practice reading comprehension and critical thinking while prepping them for the documents they’ll encounter in the wild (aka the workplace)!
⭐New Job Checklist: A practical tool available in both print and digital formats, this guide helps students gather the documents and information they’ll need for future employers.
⭐Health Insurance Basics: This section introduces key insurance vocabulary. They'll learn how to compare different health plans and the basic questions to ask HR.
⭐Retirement 101: Introduce the basics, encouraging students to think about their financial future early on, including the benefits of things like employer matching!
⭐Dress for Success Advice: Practical tips on dress codes, grooming, and professional norms.
⭐Workplace Scenarios: Students work together to spot common workplace faux pas and brainstorm solutions.
Why You’ll Love This Lesson
❤️Ready-to-Use, Time-Saving Lesson: This lesson is ready for you to dive right in, saving you valuable planning time.
❤️Relevant, Real-World Content: Engaging, real-world activities keep students focused, making classroom management easier.
❤️Long-Lasting Impact: Skills extend beyond the classroom, preparing students not only for their first job but for a confident career path.
❤️Flexible Structure: Teach it in one session or break it into mini-lessons to fit your schedule, offering a change of pace while still covering core content.
Audience Considerations
This lesson is ideal for high school educators, adult educators, and transition specialists looking to prepare students for employment. It’s designed for high school and adult education students, including neurotypical learners, those with mild-to-moderate disabilities, and English learners. While some parts of the lesson, such as the introduction to retirement savings, may present a bit of a learning curve, these are crucial decisions that employees will face in their careers. If your students are planning to seek independent employment, this lesson will equip them with the essential skills they need to navigate the workforce with confidence.
Still deciding? Check out this detailed preview for a closer look!
