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Career Readiness Bootcamp Curriculum Details

The Career Readiness Bootcamp program consists of ten lessons. Through each lesson you’ll learn key skills, from using core technology tools to understanding professional etiquette. Designed to keep you moving forward, our fun and engaging curriculum makes learning easy. See what’s ahead and discover how every step through the course adds to your workplace talent.

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Program Goal and Outcomes

Program Goal

Teach those in the workforce to develop valuable workplace skills and project the confidence of an employee shaping a successful, upwardly mobile career.

Program Outcomes
Learn the soft skills employers demand to help increase job retention, employee relations, advancement opportunities, and stand out from the competition.

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

  • Treat others with honesty, fairness, and respect
  • Display responsible behaviors at work
  • Work effectively with those who have diverse backgrounds
  • Actively look for ways to identify market demands and meet customer or client needs
  • Demonstrate the ability to work effectively with others
  • Maintain open lines of communication with others and communicating effectively
  • Plan and prioritize work to manage time effectively and accomplish assigned tasks
  • Demonstrate the ability to apply critical thinking skills to solve problems by generating, evaluating, and implementing solutions
  • Display the capability to adapt to new, different, or changing requirements
  • Select, use, and maintain tools and technology to facilitate work activity
Orientation Course
In this course, you’ll develop the necessary skills to ensure your success in the program.

Objectives:

  • Understand how to use your Student Portal.
  • Connect with Penn Foster on various social media sites

Personal Skills Course

Personal Skills
In this course, you'll learn the personal qualities that employers look for in their employees, such as integrity and dependability. You'll review the baseline responsibilities common to most jobs and the importance of employee handbooks in a successful work environment. You'll also learn strategies to help you be more productive and adapt to change.

Objective:

  • Explain the personal skills and strategies exhibited by a successful employee
Integrity
What do employers really want? In addition to the skills to do the specific job, they want strong personal qualities, like integrity and dependability. Employers want to know that you will show up, work hard, make good decisions, and be responsible for your actions.

At the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

  • Explain the importance of qualities such as integrity, dependability, respect, punctuality, and accountability
  • Use strategies, such as setting priorities and deadlines, to be more productive in the workplace
  • List the behaviors of ethical employees, such as proper use of company time and assets
  • Describe how to show respect and earn the respect of peers, superiors, customers, and others
  • Name the baseline responsibilities common to most jobs, such as taking ownership and following through on tasks and commitments
  • Explain ways to exhibit reliability at work
  • Evaluate time management strategies to become more punctual
  • Describe the basic contents of an employee handbook, as well as benefits of reading and following its instructions
Professionalism and Adaptability
All places of work expect some level of professionalism. Being able to stay open and receptive to changes is one important element of acting like a mature professional.

At the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

  • Describe the qualities and characteristics of being a “professional” in the workplace
  • Identify examples of “professional” versus “unprofessional” language
  • Take steps to better manage your emotions at work
  • Act in accordance with the principles of good workplace hygiene
  • Describe the importance of appropriate workplace dress and/or uniforms
  • Compare and contrast different ways to handle change in the workplace
  • Explain what it means to be adaptable in the workplace

People Skills Course

People Skills
In this course, you'll learn to ensure positive interactions with diverse populations. You'll explore various channels of communication and strategies for overcoming communication barriers. You'll also learn about the importance of teamwork, different roles of team members, characteristics of leadership, and strategies for overcoming conflict employed by successful teams.

Objective:

  • Describe the people skills needed for mutual respect, effective communication, teamwork, and conflict resolution
Respect
This lesson includes important tips for ensuring a positive interaction when working with people from different backgrounds other than your own.

At the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

  • Provide examples of how people in the workplace can differ (for example, age, race, values, and communication styles)
  • Describe the benefits of having a diverse workforce (for example, more creativity, and more productivity)
  • Identify ways people and corporations can value diversity in the workplace
  • Explain the impact of tolerance and keeping an open mind (for example, being cooperative, and practicing empathy)
  • Define culture and understand how culture can impact work style
  • Practice cultural sensitivity and be wary of the negative impact of stereotypes and offensive behavior
  • Define unacceptable and often illegal behaviors, such as discrimination, bullying, racism, sexism, and harassment
Communication Skills
Communication is about expressing your feelings, opinions, and ideas to another person or a group of people. In the workplace and in your personal life, people are more likely to listen to you if you can express your thoughts clearly.

At the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

  • Describe the importance of good workplace communication
  • Name several ways to be a better communicator at work (use active listening, body language, and so on)
  • Evaluate the pros and cons of using various communication channels including email, speech, and text
  • Identify important aspects of communicating with critical individuals such as supervisors and customers
  • Use strategies for overcoming language barriers on the job
  • Apply best practices for communicating in person, on the phone, and over email
  • Compare the benefits of communicating passively, aggressively, or assertively
Teamwork
The ability to work on a team is a skill in its own. But there are additional skills associated with teamwork, such as listening, sharing, and cooperation, to name a few.

At the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

  • Identify ways to build stronger relationships with team members and coworkers
  • Exhibit good manners in the workplace, including respecting others' space and privacy
  • Identify your personal strengths when it comes to working on a team
  • Appreciate the different roles and strengths that each person contributes to a team
  • Apply strategies for dealing with difficult team members
  • Describe various leadership styles and the qualities and actions of strong leaders
  • Use strategies to resolve conflicts peacefully and professionally through negotiation and compromise

Workplace Skills Course

This course focuses on a number of critical workplace skills. Skills include time management, prioritization, the decision-making process, the problem-solving process, and open-mindedness. You'll also learn how to interact with customers in a professional manner.

Planning and Organizing
There are certain activities you can do to improve your planning and time management skills. During this lesson, you’ll learn about activities that will help you become better organized and more efficient with your time. Using these activities will require commitment on your part, but eventually, these activities will become habits.

At the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

  • Identify ways to stay organized on the job (for example, use notes, clean workspaces, and so on)
  • Create a to-do list and prioritize tasks to manage your workload
  • Create SMART goals to help you clarify and meet objectives
  • Use schedules, calendars, and deadlines to better manage time
  • Delegate or know when to ask others for help
  • Identify when and how to turn down additional work
  • Describe pitfalls associated with effectively managing your time, such as waiting until the last minute to complete tasks or dealing with persistent distractions
  • Analyze steps to take when you're about to miss a deadline
Decision Making and Problem Solving
Everybody can benefit from having good decision-making and problem-solving skills. We make decisions and encounter problems on a daily basis.

At the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

  • Identify factors that impact decision making
  • Evaluate ways to make decisions
  • Apply the steps in the decision making process to your life
  • List the pros and cons of individual versus group decision-making
  • Follow the rules for good brainstorming
  • Describe what it means to be a good problem solver
  • Explain when and how to pass on problems to supervisors or management
Customer Focus
Specific customer needs can vary across business and industries. But there are many universal skills that anyone can learn to improve the customer experience.

At the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

  • Compare serving external customers with serving internal customers
  • Describe the benefits and importance of being customer focused
  • Anticipate customers' needs to improve service and foster loyalty
  • Identify key strategies for communicating with customers across various channels
  • Ask probing questions to uncover customer needs and issues
  • Manage and resolve complaints calmly and efficiently
  • Evaluate ways to obtain customer feedback
  • Describe how companies use social media to interact with customers
Working with Tools and Technology
Technology is a part of most jobs and nearly every workplace. You should do your best to keep an open mind when it comes to working with technology. You also need to understand important safety requirements when working with technology.

At the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

  • Identify the benefits and challenges of using technology in the workplace
  • Describe ways to use technology to solve problems in the workplace
  • Assess what it means to be an “early adopter” of a technology
  • Explain why it can be difficult for people to accept new technology in the workplace
  • Compare and contrast how different industries use technology in the workplace
  • Evaluate the use of common technology tools in the workplace (time sheets, time clocks, payment systems, and so on)
  • State the importance of using technology safely and appropriately to avoid accidents and security breaches
Penn Foster Career School Accreditation Details
Penn Foster has been accredited for over 50 years. Penn Foster Career School has been thoroughly reviewed and has earned several important accreditations, certifications, and licensing. Most importantly, Penn Foster Career School is both regionally and nationally accredited.

Accreditation
DEAC
MSA
career readiness communication skills graphic.
Interactive, Scenario-Based Lessons
Designed to keep you moving right along, this program consists of ten quick lessons to help you sharpen your decision-making skills in real-world, on-the-job scenarios. Work around your schedule. Be confident in what you have learned with pre-and-post lesson assessments.
Mobile-Friendly
Mobile-Friendly
Our custom-designed learning platform can be accessed on your mobile phone, tablet, or computer. Study when and where you have time with the device of your choice. The fun and easy-to-use platform helps you retain the information you learn at home or on the go.
Expert Support
Expert Support
The staff at Penn Foster wants to see you accomplish your goals. Need extra support with your program or a boost in confidence? Our expert faculty and Success Coaches are here to help - whether it’s via chat, text, email, or phone.
career readiness planning and organizing graphic.

Sample Career Readiness Bootcamp Lesson

Penn Foster courses are written in a way that is easy to understand, and materials are broken down into manageable lessons. Take a look at what a Career Readiness Bootcamp course would look like.

View Sample Lesson
Computer Specifications
As you know this is an online academic program. This means you will need access to high-speed internet to begin your program. In addition, you will need access to a Microsoft® Windows® based computer running Windows 10® or later or an Apple® Mac® computer running macOS® or later, and an email account to complete this program.
We reserve the right to change program content and materials when it becomes necessary.
Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation registered in the United States of America and/or other jurisdictions.
Apple, Mac, and macOS are trademarks of Apple, Inc. registered in the United States of America and/or other jurisdictions.
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