Welcome to the 'Work Practices & Skills Development' Guide.
This section provides general guidelines for the completion of your skills development & work practices units.
| Skills Development 1: Learning Outcomes | |
| LO1 |
Be competent in practical activities relevant to agricultural businesses.
|
| LO2 | Describe the health & safety requirements on a farm or rural business. |
| LO3 | Develop appropriate transferable qualities/ skills important for future employability. |
| LO4 | Develop study skills appropriate to a degree level student. |
(LO1) Practical activities relevant to agricultural businesses
You will take part in a variety of practical activities (livestock, crops, mechanisation etc.) related to farms & rural business.
(LO2) Health & Safety Requirements on a Farm or Rural Business
You will cover the Health & Safety regulations and guidance relevant to farming and rural businesses. You will find information links to the following, at the end of this section: 'Agriculture Health & Safety', 'Controlling Risks in the Workplace', 'First Aid at Work', 'Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974', 'Manual Handling' (links below).
(LO3) Transferable skills for future employability
- Employers look for applicants who:
- What transferrable skills do you have already?
(LO4) Study Skills appropriate to a degree level student
We have a number of library guides available, to help you with your study skills:
You will also find some additional links to information on: 'Learning Styles', 'Revision Techniques', 'Study Skills '& 'Writing Skills' at the end of this section:
| Work Practices: Learning Outcomes | |
| LO1 | Select and apply for an appropriate work placement relevant to your degree programme. |
| LO2 | Complete an appropriate work placement relevant to your degree programme. |
| LO3 | Evaluate the value of the placement and of your own performance during the placement, with respect to your chosen career path. |
(LO1) Work placement relevant to your degree programme?
- What do you expect to be doing on your work experience? If you need some ideas, there are a few useful website sources listed for you here:
(LO2) Complete appropriate work placement
In order to get the most from your placement, it is important that both you and your placement provider are clear about what you will be doing, your working hours, and who you will report to on a day to day basis.
You should have the the opportunity to learn new skills as well as improve the skills that you already have. The placement should provide you with the opportunity to:
(LO3) Evaluate the value of your work placement & of your own performance
- What skills have you developed or improved as a result of you placement? Was the experience wholly positive, or could some elements have been improved?
e.g. Problems solving | Team work | Business & customer awareness | Using computers | Numeracy | Communication & literacy.
- Kolb's Learning Cycle can be useful to help you reflect on your experience.
| Skills Development 2: Learning Outcomes | |
| LO1 | Appraise your skill profile and plan for future development. |
| LO2 | Participate in the organising and delivery of a knowledge exchange event. |
(LO1) Skills Profile Evaluation
You will be asked to evaluate your skill profile from Year 1, and any other skills development that has been carried out during the year. You will reflect on what targets have been achieved to date, and what skills you require for future employability. It is important that you recognise your strengths and weaknesses and are committed to continual personal development.
(LO2) Knowledge Exchange Event
Students are required to work as part of a group to organise and present at a knowledge exchange event. The topic for the event will be relevant to the agricultural/ rural industry.
This will require students to draw on a number of different skills:
e.g. Communication Skills (verbal & written) | Confidence | Apply Knowledge | Leadership | People Management | Problem Solving | Organising an Event.
Speaking to an audience is an important skill, that we all have to develop.
(a) Presentation Style
When you are presenting you need to:
1. Speak confidently (use concise, simple language)
2. Pace your presentation (pause briefly, after you have made an important point)
3. Use body language (relaxed open posture, use hand gestures for emphasis)
4. Make eye contact (creates a rapport with audience)
5. Close effectively (close with a good, strong summary)
Source: (Hindle, 1998, pp.46-55)
(b) Presentation Structure
Good presentations have a clear structure. They usually have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Basically, you should:
"Tell them what you're going to tell them - Tell them - Then tell them what you told them..."
Source: (Mandel, 1987, p.21)
(c) Speaking as part of a group
There are advantages in speaking as part of a group:
e.g. Workload & stress are shared | Use a range of abilities | Different voices provides variety in the delivery | Demonstrates teamwork.
(d) Checklist for group presentation
| Checklist | |
| 1. | Are your sections in a logical order? |
| 2. | Does everyone know what they are saying? |
| 3. | Do you have a strong introduction and conclusion? |
| 4. | Is everyone in the group familiar with everyone else's section? |
| 5. | Do you have a contingency plan, if someone falls ill? |
| 6. | Are you confident with your visual aids? |
| 7. | Are you familiar with the equipment? |
| 8. | Your timing should be a little shorter than the time allocated - have you got this right? |
| 9. | Have you agreed on a section that could be left out, if there was a timing emergency? |
| 10. | Can everyone be heard clearly? |
| 11. | Will the entire group be visible to the audience throughout the presentation? |
| 12. | Is everyone using notes effectively? |
| 13. | Are the handovers between speakers smooth and courteous? |
| 14. | Have you planned some answers to likely questions? |
| 15. | Who will receive the questions and coordinate the group's response? |
Source: (Van Emden & Becker, 2016, p.108)
Need help with your presentation skills? Check out:
What transferable skills do you have?
Need help organising your work placement? Check out:
- Do you have a current curriculum vitae (CV)? You will find lots of hints & tips on the following sites, to help your update your CV:
Need some help with your interview skills? Check out the following:
LEARNING CYCLE
(Source: Kolb, 1984; as cited in: McLeod, 2017)
Some SRUC eBook resource links, that may assist you to prepare for your knowledge exchange event:
Sources consulted in the creation of this guide include:
Balance Careers, The (2018) Critical Thinking Definition, Skills, and Examples. Available at: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/critical-thinking-definition-with-examples-2063745 (Accessed: 29 May 2018).
BBC Bitesize (2018) Reflective writing. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/education/guides/zgthhyc/revision (Accessed: 29 May 2018).
Cherry, K. (2018) Overview of VARK learning styles. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/vark-learning-styles-2795156 (Accessed: 31 May 2018).
Cognitive Group Microsoft Talent Solutions (2016) 7 body language tips to impress at your next job interview. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCWVi5pAa30 (Accessed: 1 June 2018).
Fanthome, C. (2004) Work placements - a survival guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Felder, R. & Soloman, B. (2018) Index of learning styles questionnaire. Available at: https://www.webtools.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ (Accessed: 31 May 2018).
Guardian, The (2014) How to make the most of university work placements. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/aug/11/how-to-make-the-most-work-placement-university (Accessed: 31 May 2018).
Health & Safety Executive (2018) Topics. Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/guidance/topics.htm (Accessed: 25 May 2018
Hindle, T. (1998) Making presentations. London: Dorling Kindersley.
McLeod, S. (2017) Kolb's Learning Styles and Experiential Learning Cycle. Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html (Accessed: 16 September 2019).
Mandel, S. (1987) Effective presentation skills. California: Crisp Publications.
Monster (2018) Job interview. Available at: https://www.monster.co.uk/career-advice/job-interview-tips/?intcid=swoop_Career_Advice_Interview_Tips (Accessed: 4 June 2018).
National Careers Service (2018) Advice on how to look for and apply for jobs. Available at: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/get-a-job/cv-sections (Accessed: 29 May 2018).
Open University (2018) Skills for study. Available at: http://www2.open.ac.uk/students/skillsforstudy/index.php
(Accessed: 30 May 2018).
Prospects (2018) Jobs and work experience. Available at: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/ (Accessed: 31 May 2018).
Prospects (2018) Careers advice. Available at: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/ (Accessed: 31 May 2018).
Reed (2018) Job interview techniques. Available at: https://www.reed.co.uk/career-advice/interview-techniques (Accessed: 4 June 2018).
Skills4StudyCampus (2018) Employability and professional development. Available at: http://www.skills4studycampus.com/orglogin.aspx (Accessed: 24 May 2018).
Spencer, L. (2013) How to ace an interview: 5 tips from a Harvard careers advisor. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHDrj0_bMQ0 (Accessed: 4 June 2018).
Van Emden, J. & Becker, L. (2016) Presentation skills for students. 3rd edn. London: Palgrave.
