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Background (Next Skills):
Employers from high-growth sectors in Sacramento, throughout California, and across the nation have identified inter-related skills which workers must master if businesses are to increase their competitiveness and fully realize the potential of their employees. A lack of these often misnamed "soft skills," better defined as "next generation" or "Next Skills", often prevent employees from remaining employed, being promoted, or pursuing career paths. A review of eleven workforce studies identified eight categories of skills that were most frequently reported by up to 82% of employers surveyed as "most important." These eight categories have now been developed into the following eight, 8-hour (not-for-credit) training modules for workplace training (also available as a 3-unit course at Folsom Lake College):
Next Skills Training Modules: (Click here for course descriptions.)
- Creativity and Innovation for Everyone
- Valuing Diversity at Work
- Navigating Technology @ Work (Aka "CANDO" = Computers, Applications, Networking, Devices-on-the-go, and Operating safely)
- Effective Listening
- Verbal Communication for Working Professionals
- Employability Skills
- Service Orientation
- Interpersonal Skills for Building Teamwork
The Next Skills curriculum is unique:
- The curriculum is customized for the diversity of Greater Sacramento & California. In not only the Diversity course, but also the Listening and Interpersonal Skills courses, participants see the link between people's differences and the value those differences offer.
- It continually re-integrates soft skills usually offered individually in similar programs, like critical thinking, decision making, problem solving, and collaboration.
- It adds two, key, higher-level skill areas: creativity and technology and introduces essential sub-skills workers will need, like emotional intelligence, time management, and managing conflict.
- The dynamic training materials are enriched by abundant hands-on activities, case studies, engaging videos, discussions, surveys, and checklists.
Target Audience:
People who...
- need certain skills to retain their jobs
- want advancement opportunities, or
- who want to have jobs
Course content is...
- contextual
- workplace-relevant, and
- immediately applicable
Benefits and Value for Employers:
- Increased job productivity and employee retention
- Less conflict and tension on the job
- Reduced expenses for recruiting and training
- Having a pool of actual or potential employees who are certified in the Next Skills Proficiencies
Certification:
By the end of training, only those participants who demonstrate to the instructor that they have mastered the content and skills taught in all eight Next Skills modules will receive the Certificate of Next Skills Proficiency. (Mastery is determined by a combination of objective pre-/post-tests AND instructor evaluation of behavioral class activities.) Employers are asked to support and value this certification by providing a competitive advantage to certificate holders in terms of hiring, promotion, salary increases, or other recognition.
Scheduling:
Modules can be taken in any order, and sessions can be scheduled any day and at a time that is most convenient to the client. Each session can be offered as one eight-hour day (recommended) or divided into four-hour time blocks and offered over the course of days or weeks.
Pricing:
Training is provided at an hourly instructional rate plus the cost of materials. ETP-funded training may be available for qualifying employers.
For More Information:
Contact Next Skills Institute / Workplace Learning Director Valerie Carrigan
(916) 563-3253 carrigv@losrios.edu
Find more resources by visiting the...
Sacramento Workplace Learning Resource Center
Statewide Workplace Learning Resource Center
Development of this project was a collaborative effort between Los Rios Community College District and Sacramento Employment & Training Agency (SETA) / Sacramento Works. Development of NSI curriculum was funded by the Los Rios CCD Workplace Learning Center through a grant from the California Community Colleges Economic & Workforce Development program.
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