Golden Employability Skills and DYW

Our Vision
Our vision is for all learners to develop their Golden Skills, through real-world experience and work-related partnerships, in order that they can contribute effectively – with confidence and creativity – wherever they go and whatever they do.

Alongside Qualifications and Values, the Golden Skills of Creativity, Problem Solving, Teamwork, Communication and Positivity are a key part of our Achievement Journey. These were identified in partnership with local businesses.

As part of the Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce we not only equip our students with the key skills they need for learning, life, and work, but ensure they can confidently articulate their strengths and areas for development.

Throughout their time at SHS, students develop their Golden Skills through a dedicated course at S1 and 2, their wider achievement, extra-curricular life and Leadership and by interacting with partners including Youth Philanthropy Initiative, Stable Life, Rotary Club, Selkirk Community Shedders, Rowlands, a range of local employers and many more. We ensure a wide range of work-related learning in the curriculum and vocational pathways in the senior phase.

Creativity

Creativity is more than just coming up with ideas. Creativity is the ability to bring these ideas to life and producing tangible results. Creativity is considered complex as it relies on many of other transferable skills to be successful.

Creativity: an example of an app prototype designed by Oscar Smith in S1. Created in keynote students were challenged to create an app prototype that helped people learn about the Golden skills. Oscar managed to put his ideas into action and create a keynote that looks and behaves much like a real app. This is part of the process that real app developers go through during the initial phases of app design. Oscar and several other students clearly have talents related to this industry.

Problem Solving

Problem-solving skills help you identify that there is a problem, then identify what is causing the problem and finally find a way to implement a solution. Employers appreciate it when staff identify problems in a process or procedure. However, they are even more appreciative when staff also suggest solutions to those issues.

Teamwork

Teamwork means working together as a group to achieve a common goal. Employers want team players, people who make positive contributions to the group to help it succeed. The world revolves around the challenge of providing ongoing solutions, and such challenges require teams of people. This demands working efficiently and respectfully with others who have totally different responsibilities, backgrounds, objectives, and areas of expertise.

Teamwork requires a commitment to the team and means you are willing to take on a task because it needs to be done to help the team succeed. This is particularly important for leaders, who need to understand the dynamics of teamwork.

Teamwork: S2 students working with Judith Thompson from ‘Brighter Selkirk’ to plant and grow Lobelia for the towns planters and hanging baskets just before coronavirus caused the first lockdown

Communication

Almost every job today requires communication skills. But communication involves much more than listening and speaking. Communication can be broken down into four primary skills:

Verbal skills — what you say and how you say it

Listening skills — listening to understand

Writing skills — clear written communication,

Technological communication skills — your ability to choose the message and medium appropriate to your audience.

Communication: Students involved in the Youth Philanthropy Initiative met with representatives of their chosen charity so they could create a resource to inform others about the charity and the social issues it aims to address… and possibly win the charity £3000 in the process!

Positivity

Employers appreciate staff staying positive at work even when things get difficult. Generally staff will stay calm and cheerful when things go wrong. Great examples include helping others, admitting when something goes wrong and learning from your mistakes. Employers like people who are positive, upbeat and have a ‘can do’ attitude.

Useful DYW links