Creativity in the workplace' employability skills workshop

Working Options delivers free programmes (face-to-face and online) within schools and businesses to raise awareness of opportunities and allow talented individuals to nurture their capabilities. The organisation provides information and inspiration about the possibility for young people's education and careers.

Working Options provides employer-led workshops on key employability skills such as interview skills, Teamwork, Problem Solving, presentation skills and networking skills.

Each workshop allows young people to upskill and put essential skills into practice. They are encouraged to reflect on their essential skills and on how best to show their capabilities in a professional setting. Industry Insight sessions and other programme engagements are all facilitated by industry volunteers to support educators in directly reaching Ofsted and Gatsby Benchmark interaction with employer targets.

At the beginning of the workshop, students are asked to reflect where they are around being able to explain what Creativity is, why it is valuable and how Creativity can be used across work. This can be done via a online poll or using entrance and exit tickets during the session. The facilitator is asked to explain that throughout the session the students will be linking ideas, examples, discussion points to the Skills Builder Framework Creativity Step 6:

• What is Creativity?
• Why is Creativity important?
• How is Creativity useful in doing your work?
• Can you give examples of how you use Creativity in your work?

The facilitator can use the hyperlinks to the Skills Builder videos to help support reflection on what is creativity and why it is valuable and how creativity can be used across work.

During the workshop there are 3 specific activities that require students to put the skill into action.

At the end of the workshop, the students are asked to reflect on any key messages they have heard today and reflect again on the sliding scale of confidence. Looking back at the start of the session, the students are asked  to reflect where they are now on the scale. They look ahead to Skills Builder Step 7 and have a link to the videos to further support reflection around how creativity is used in wider life and the benefits of using creativity in wider life.