“How did REED NCFE give me the employability skills I need to progress?”

In previous articles I have looked at ways to overcome some of the challenges of preparing learners for the workplace. This time, though, maybe you would like to hear from learners themselves.

When asked “How did REED NCFE give me the employability skills I need to progress?” this is a snapshot of the responses:

“Someone from REED NCFE has been in to several of my tutorials, giving very enjoyable and practical lessons around CVs, Job Search and Interview Skills as well as Mindset versus Skillset”.

“The lessons were really fun and very interactive, especially completing the activities online, as I like computer based work rather than photocopied handouts. The variety of activities in the REED NCFE employability lessons were great too:

• watching video clips around using social media to gain employment – this led to me starting a LinkedIn profile after the lesson and I have already connected with 5 local hotels;
• completing REED NCFE e-learning resources around job searching;
• searching for real work experience placements with commercial employers; and
• the interview do’s and don’ts video was really funny to watch and will certainly stop me from having any awkward first interviews”.

“Through the employability lessons, REED NCFE sourced me an unpaid work placement at the Hilton Hotel in Leicester as part of my course. They advised me what to wear, how to demonstrate a positive mindset and what to do if I was unsure of something during the placement. Thankfully I listened, as I really enjoyed the placement, spent time learning about and working in many different areas of the hotel. My placement resulted in the Hilton offering me a part time job, which I was thrilled at securing. It’s not every day you land a job with a global leader in the hotel industry who have over 550 hotels around the world”.

“I am so grateful to the REED NCFE team in the College. If I hadn’t received REED NCFE’s lessons, I would no doubt still be nervous about starting my work placement and certainly wouldn’t have the array of employability skills under my belt”.