Future Work Skills in the Market
ASSESSMENT AIMS
- Demonstrate the application of labour market research skills, locating relevant information from a range of sources.
- Demonstrate the ability to critically review, analyse and interpret different types of labour market information.
- Exhibit the capacity to reflect on the potential implications of labour market information for career planning.
RELATED LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Exhibit an understanding of career theory, planning and management.
- Exhibit a capacity to apply skills that reflects an understanding of current discipline-related skills, employability skills, labour-market trends and employment opportunities.
- Critically review, analyse and synthesise knowledge of skills, attributes, strengths, and values for job-readiness.
WHAT YOU NEED TO PRODUCE
A 1750 word labour market report on an occupation related to your current career interests. The report will consist of 4 sections with the following word count provided as a guide not a prescription:
- About the Occupation– 700 words
- Sample Organisation – 450 words
- Personal Professional SWOT analysis – 250 words
- Personal Professional Plan – 350 words
This report must be original and correctly referenced using APA or Swinburne Harvard style.
ASSIGNMENT DETAILS
1. Write a report on a specific graduate occupation (eg mechanical engineer, historian) that is relevant to your current studies and/or career interests. The content of the report must be based on the most current, credible and relevant sources (no older than 5 years).
- About the occupation
- Briefly outline your reason for selecting this occupation.
- Identify your report’s geographic focus (eg Australia, Victoria, Melbourne, or elsewhere).
- Describe at least 4 demographic features of the occupation in your target geographic area and state how this information is useful for career planning.
- Survey a number of job ads to identify the most frequently sought after skills, types of experience, qualifications (including level). Note any entry level roles that might suit a student or recent graduate as good pathways into your target occupation. Include a sample of ads in an appendix.
- Briefly describe the main organisations or groups that provide industry representation or support for people working in this occupation (eg professional associations, industry bodies, government authorities, registration boards, unions). State clearly how these organisations might be useful in the career planning process.
- Analyse the current projected future demand for this occupation using the drivers listed in the Davies (Davies, et al., 2011) reading.
2. Sample Organisation – choose an organisation in your geographic focus area that employs people in your target occupation.
- Briefly outline your reason for choosing this organisation to study.
- Research and provide at least 4 pieces of information about this organisation that would help you decide if you wanted to work for this organisation (eg size, values, type of clients/projects, work conditions, reputation). Include at least one secondary source of information (not from the organisation’s website). Be specific with this information and show how it would be useful (eg career development, job
application/interview preparation). - Provide evidence of the drivers (Davies, et al., 2011) that have impacted this organisation over the past 5 years and/or that are expected to impact in the next 5 years; describe the impact. Comment on the usefulness of this information for the
career planning process. - Briefly comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the sources you have used in
this section and how this might impact career planning.
3. Personal SWOT Analysis – use the information from sections 1 and 2 to carry out a self assessment based on your current situation in relation to your target occupation. Use the following structure:
- Strengths – list at least 3 of your personal strengths in relation to your target occupation; where possible justify your claim to this strength
- Weaknesses – list at least 3 of the key personal areas you have need to develop or improve to do well in your target occupation
- Opportunities – list at least 3 of the opportunities, activities, resources that are currently available to you that would help your career path towards your targeted occupation (including uni and non-uni opportunities)
- Threats – list at least 3 of the potential barriers you may face in gaining entry to your
target occupation.
4. Personal professional plan – use the four elements of your SWOT to develop at least 3 practical actions that would form a career plan you could start to implement this year. Your actions should:
- Relate clearly to your SWOT (eg showing the use of Strengths and Opportunities to overcome Weaknesses and Threats)
- Be described using the principles of SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Authentic, Realistic and Time framed. Refer to the rubric below for further guidance.
SPECIAL NOTE ON INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS
- Conducting an informational interview is a recognized labor market research strategy but is
OPTIONAL in this assignment. Reasons you might decide to conduct an interview: - Might be necessary if you choose a niche occupation/industry where there is very little labor market information available you wish to establish a contact in your target field.
If you do an interview:
- Ensure you access the Information for Interviewees in Canvas
- You must include a transcript or summary of the interview as an appendix to your assignment (not included in your word count) or you will lose marks in the References section of the rubric.