New platform content: ‘Job Choices’ learning module

The Persona Life Skills online learning platform now includes a new teacher-facilitated learning module, 'Job Choices', in which students learn social-emotional life skills to help them with choosing their first job, and developing a career plan by matching their unique mix of personality styles to job requirements.

9-Oct-23

By Dr Leila Khouja Walker, Chief Product Officer

In the Persona Life Skills social-emotional online learning platform, 'Job Choices' is a new 60 min teacher-facilitated learning module, where students learn some initial steps for choosing their first job or career path, and start to develop a career plan. This new module is part of a growing library of modules covering different career and work life challenges, including work experience, getting along with colleagues, and leadership, among others.

Students are taken on a journey through thinking about and researching the kind of job or career path that both interests and suits them, and using that information to develop a career plan. They are guided to match their unique mix of personality styles to job requirements, so they can make better decisions about job choices. They also consider how they can apply their life skills to create opportunities for permanent job roles, from their work experience. 

Questions and activities in this module help students develop three social-emotional life skills, through a personality insights lens:

• Staying Positive – Maintaining a positive attitude and believing things will work out well
• Self Awareness – Being aware of my mix of personality styles, including strengths and growth areas
• Creative Thinking – Being able to see things in different ways to find solutions to problems

In the 'Get Your Bearings' warm-up, students are guided through how to start a career plan by identifying their skills and interests and what they want from a job, then exploring career ideas, and deciding which appeal to them.

In the 'Explore' knowledge acquisition section, students are encouraged to become more self aware, to help them make better job choices. They look at their mix of personality styles (their 'Persona') and identify strengths relevant to work situations. This insight is used to select a possible job that could be a good fit, and consider whether they are on the right path to meet the needs of the role.

Tips on creating work opportunities and experience for themselves are also provided.

As students reach the 'Viewpoint' plenary at the end of the module, they are asked to reflect on what they have learned, to ensure they are ready to start developing a career plan, and know what to do next. Students leave knowing how to identify possible jobs that suit them, how to create a simple career plan, and the importance of considering their personality when looking for the right job.

Job Choices is part of the Discovery Islands curriculum – the Persona Life Skills life challenge learning modules. Teachers with a free account can play through this module. A subscription is required to make it available to students. 

Persona Education offers free access to its Persona Life Skills e-learning platform for secondary schools and colleges interested in developing their students’ social-emotional life skills, to boost wellbeing and employability. To request a live demo of the platform please get in touch – we would love to talk to you!

About the author: Dr Leila Khouja Walker has been working in the education sector for 25 years. An ex-teacher and pastoral deputy head, she is now a respected edtech and pedagogy thought leader, leading development of the personality insights life skills e-learning app Persona Life Skills, at the Bristol based edtech company Persona Education Ltd. www.persona-life.com