| Activity Identification | Dimension | Number of Participants | Duration (minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Competence Tree | WORLD KNOWLEDGE | 8 - 12 | 60 |
The aim of the Activity
To help each participant get a clearer view of their soft skills and competencies and of their opportunities in a future job or education.
When each participant focuses on and analyses the various skills regarding a specific job or education, it enables him or her to turn weaknesses and threats into opportunities and to create strategies for getting the job or education.
Preparation
Sheets of cardboard (or paperboard A0 size), different coloured Post-its (e.g., yellow, green, orange) and different coloured felt tip pens.
Instructions
- Present to the participants to the meaning of soft skills and competences (See support information).
- Ask the participants to name as many skills and competencies as they can remember and write them down on the board. Discuss with the group the meaning of each one of them.
- Give each participant some paper and a handout with the Competence Tree.
- Ask the participants to draw their own tree. One trunk for each job or occupation they are considering (maximum 3).
- For each trunk, ask the participants to draw 1-6 tree branches. At each branch, the participants should write down the competencies they have and are connected with that job/occupation (relevant competencies).
- Nearby each branch, the participants should put a Post-it (e.g., yellow) and indicate situations from the past in which they succeeded using that competence.
- After this, ask the participants to write down on (e.g., green) Post-its, situations from the future, linked to the job or occupation and where that competence may be useful. Stick these Post-its to the branches.
- At the bottom of each trunk, ask the participants to draw two more branches, where they should indicate two more competencies that they need to work on to succeed in that job/occupation.
- How may those competencies be useful in the future?
- Finally, ask the participants to write down on (e.g., orange) Post-it’ how they plan to develop these competencies even further.
- Invite each participant to present their own tree to the group.
Observations / Suggestions
If the participants are not able to indicate competences, the facilitator may help them by giving some examples from the Support Information.
If new competences pop up during the activity, the facilitator should add them to the board.
In the Supporting Information sheet, you can find examples of soft skills that the facilitator can present to the participants. The facilitator can encourage them to come up with other competencies.
It is very important to note that skills do not belong to the contexts, they exist by themselves, and it is possible/recommendable to transfer them to other situations/contexts.
It is also relevant to help participants understand that they can use the knowledge they gained about themselves in this activity to highlight and improve their professional self-image when applying to jobs.
If they need further inspiration, they can use the results from the Character Strength cards and the PARS model activity.