Components of a Path to Work
Advice, Assessment and Action Planning are core components of Employability Development. They are often delivered as a package rather than in a sequence – assessment of employability may be reviewed at various stages during the implementation of an action plan and advice should be available at all stages.
Signposting and Advice
The simplest forms of advice involve signpo
sting to the range of services available using the Directory and other information sources.
Careers advice concerns an informed choice of employment options and the preparations necessary for them. Careers Scotland is a key source of this.
Advice covers a wide range of other topics, in fact all of the issues relevant to getting a job (see Action Plan). Some organisations specialise in particular types of client groups – these can be found through searching the directory. Search results will show whether the relevant advice is from an organisation which has employability expertise as well.
All advice available should be impartial and based on the needs of the individual concerned. An assessment of these needs is therefore necessary to support more in-depth and personalised advice
Assessment
The assessment referred to here is about whether the individual has characteristics which an employer needs for them to be employable – both in general and for specific jobs. It involves identifying the positive qualities which will help getting work, as well as barriers to getting a job. The individual contributes with the support of the adviser and the outcome is an assessment of the factors which may need to be worked on to get to the point of successfully applying for the kinds of jobs the individual is seeking.
Assessments should lead to creation of an Action Plan through which the individual will gain the skills needed and deal with issues identified. They should be reviewed in light of progress with the action plan.
Action Plans
The action plan is the list of things which the individual and the adviser agree will be done to improve employability, to find the right job and then successfully apply for it. Each item should have a timescale and it should be clear who is responsible for achieving it. The Action Plan should be regularly reviewed.
The list of possible actions is long and the order in which they are done should depend on the individual’s circumstances. In order to help the search process, the Directory contains two such lists. The front page of the Helping Job-seekers search has a simplified list of types of services available:
- Signposting to employment services
- Employment advice
- Employability development (advice, assessment, action plan)
- Basic skills (literacy and numeracy)
- Skills training
- Jobsearch assistance and matching
- Support in work, aftercare
- Employability Case Management
In order to provide a fuller description the records of each programme contain a longer drop-down list of activities. This can be taken as a list of possible components of an action plan but most action plans will be much simpler; and the list is not exhaustive.
Help with getting and keeping a job - Jobsearch and matching
This includes helping a jobseeker find a vacancy for which s/he is suited, prepare them and help with the application process. Organisations which offer this will be able to sift through a wide range of vacancies and be able to draw on the contacts with employers which they and other organisations have built up.
Employability Case Management
These activities may be part of most of the employability programmes listed in the Directory. They are however all core elements of the offer of Employability Case Management – such programmes make sure that the individual is helped to find the right jobs to apply for, given active support during the recruitment process and assistance, if necessary, after starting work.
Keeping a job and support in work
When someone who has not worked for some time starts a job, support for them and their new employer may be needed to help them stay in the job. At its simplest this involves keeping in touch and helping iron out any problems which may arise with, for example, money or travel or dealing with problems in a constructive way. This is often called Aftercare. At the other end of the spectrum Supported Employment offers Job Coaching and ongoing support at work.
