At Jigsaw, the path to mainstream employment starts with Jigsaw Academy. Here, you will develop crucial work-readiness skills through a combination of group sessions and personalised discussions. The Academy’s curriculum includes 20 skills aimed at preparing you for various workplace settings, equipping you with the skills to pursue careers in your chosen fields.
Some of the skills we focus on are Policies & Procedures, Problem Solving and Ethical Behaviour. We’ve put together an explainer of these skills and actionable tips on how to implement them at home.
Policies & Procedures
Policies are broad guidelines that set out an organisation’s principles and goals, while procedures are detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to implement these policies.
Together, they ensure consistency, compliance, and effective management within the organisation. Understanding policies and procedures creates a structured and predictable workplace that offers clear and consistent guidelines.
Policies that cover integrations and inclusivity are also essential for our participants to understand their rights and help them advocate for their rights with confidence.
What does this look like in the workplace?
We use practical demonstrations to reinforce the importance of this skill. For example, we use role-playing scenarios to work through situations that you might encounter, such as a colleague not following the company policy on taking breaks. We also have safety-based discussions about topics such as the policy for manual handling of the boxes of files that we digitise.
We emphasise all the correct procedures that we follow in our digitisation work to ensure accuracy, and why these are important These reinforce the fact that clear and consistent policies and procedures are critical.
How can you implement this skill at home?
At home there are many situations where following the correct procedure is important. From putting the washing machine on, to cooking a meal – these simple tasks are just following a procedure – just like we do in the workplace.
Problem Solving
Problem solving is the process of identifying, analysing, and finding solutions to obstacles or challenges in order to achieve a desired outcome.
We work through the key steps in problem solving to provide a framework for solving problems at work or at home. These include:
- Identifying the problem
- Gathering information
- Analysing the information
- Coming up with potential solutions and evaluating them
- Implementing the solution
- Reviewing the solution
What does this look like in the workplace?
The digitisation work we do at Jigsaw often brings up challenges with anything from the way to scan a certain file, through to differing file naming conventions. Working through these scenarios with our participants is the perfect way to explain how to break down a problem into smaller manageable pieces, and then calmly working through all of the options.
How can you implement this skill at home?
At home, we suggest our trainee’s tackle potential problems by using the above step by step approach. This means not rushing to fix something, but the time to think about the best solution.
Ethical Behaviour
Ethical behaviour involves acting in ways that are morally right and align with established principles of fairness, integrity, and respect. It means making decisions and taking actions that uphold values such as honesty, responsibility, and respect for others.
Ethical behaviour can be a challenging skill to work on in the hub, but we always focus on the positives such as how it helps to build trust, promotes fairness and improves morale.
What does this look like in the workplace?
In the workplace, ethical behaviour includes acting with honesty and transparency, respecting colleagues and their diverse perspectives, following company policies, and avoiding conflicts of interest or any form of discrimination. It also involves taking responsibility for your actions and decisions, and addressing unethical conduct promptly and appropriately.
How can you implement this skill at home?
The best approach to dealing with ethical behaviour at home is to discuss it openly.
As with all our transferable skills, we start with making sure a trainee understands what it is, then we discuss why it is important, and finally, how we can apply it to everyday life.
Ethical behaviour at home can be practised by treating family members with respect and honesty, being fair and transparent in your interactions, and adhering to principles such as responsibility and accountability.
This might be as simple as ensuring everyone is sharing in the household responsibilities, and remaining accountable for their chores or tasks.
We hope this has provided you the tools to foster the continued learning of these highly relevant transferable skills at home. Check back next month for more ways to implement our Academy curriculum at home!