Intent
At CANTO we aim to equip students with the soft skills required to understand the world of work and identify strengths in themselves pertinent for work. These sessions are aimed at exploring and developing students ability to access different forms of work, suited to their individual levels and skill set. Students are encouraged to build on their problem solving, collaborative working, persistence and independence through a range of practical and repetitive activities. Students are supported and encouraged to take on the role of team leader, making informed choices and following systemic instructions, increasing their confidence and willingness to try new tasks, whilst learning from their mistakes in a controlled environment.
Implementation
Sessions are devised in a structure of systemic and repetitive activities, designed to increase students independence of a set task over a period of time. Topics being covered range from window cleaning, card making, cleaning, picking and packing, recycling, book making and many more. All activities are assisted with visual instructions and differentiated to meet individual needs, promoting critical thinking and problem solving in a supportive classroom environment.
Impact
Students are assessed weekly through the use of a session tracker, highlighting independence within a task, acting upon and following instructions, as well as collaborative working with others. Due to the low levels of educational attainment, students acquire important life skills of determination, improved self-esteem, self-motivation, increased ability to listen and retain information and acceptance of the value of work.
