What is “Plug Into Choices”?

A Career Readiness Preparatory program of Instruction that prepares the adult student to enter a post-secondary institution of higher learning or a vocational program that provides a certificate of completion recognized in a specific industry.

What are Workplace Skills?

Workplace skills, often called employability skills, are the basic skills a person needs to succeed in any workplace.  They include the core knowledge, skills, and attitudes that allow an employee to understand instructions, solve problems and get along with others in the workplace.  Workplace skills are not to be confused with job skills that are the knowledge and experience required to perform a specific job task – for example:  welding or accounting. 

Several years ago, the U. S. Department of Education funded a study to identify what employee skills businesses would need in the 21^st century.  The study identified 36 skills grouped in five categories or competencies.  They include basic skills – reading, writing, and mathematics; communication skills – both listening and speaking; adaptability skills – problem-solving and creative thinking; developmental skills, such as self-esteem, motivation and goal-setting; and group effectiveness skills, including teamwork and interpersonal or influencing skills, such as leadership and understanding group dynamics.

Since the time when the study was initially concluded, the skill categories have been consolidated into three broad categories – fundamental, personal management and teamwork skills.  Personal management skills are the attitudes, behaviors and skills that drive personal development.  These are the skills that help a person learn, advance and succeed in a chosen career path.  In addition, personal management skills guide a person in setting goals and balancing work and personal life demands.  These skills help the person accept responsibility, learn from their mistakes, accept feedback, and be open and able to respond constructively to change. 

Who can participate?

Students who have advanced through NNLC’s various levels of instruction and have achieved a sufficient score on NNLC’s mandated standardized assessment are eligible to enroll in NNLC’s “Plug Into Choices” Program of Instruction.  Also, those adults who want to improve their workforce skills and are sufficient in their initial assessment at NNLC are eligible to become NNLC students and participate in the “Plug Into Choices” Program of Instruction.

What is the advantage of completing the “Plug Into Choices” program?

Upon completion of NNLC’s “Plug Into Choices” program, students take the WorkKeys® assessments which provide them with a National Work Readiness Certificate™ that is recognized by business and industry as the most effective strategy for certifying workplace skills and predicting workplace success. 

“Plug Into Choices” classes include:

Applied Mathematics

This class will give students the confidence in utilizing a problem-solving approach to mathematical situations they may be confronted with in the workplace – first, understanding the problem; secondly, determining the mathematical operation that is needed to solve the problem; and thirdly, finding the right answer which may require adjusting your initial approach to solving the problem.

Reading for Information

This class will give students the confidence to apply skills similar to those required to decode a message or solve a puzzle.  Written materials are prevalent in the workplace – safety instructions, notices, employee manuals, e-mails, contracts, memos, signs – you name them, they are in file cabinets, on your desk, plastered on walls, stuffed inside shipments, etc., etc., etc.  Wading your way through them all, interpreting the meaning of them all, and being able to restate them to co-workers and customers are expectations of employers.

As with mathematics, the steps are similar – first, understanding the intent of the written message; secondly, realizing what your responsibility is in carrying out the intent; and thirdly, finding the right answer, which may require you to adjust your initial approach to fulfill your responsibility.

Locating Information

This class will give students the confidence to understand information presented graphically in realistic workplace scenarios.  As with written information, the workplace is inundated with graphic formats such as tables, graphs, form letters, matrices, flowcharts, diagrams, and even invoices.  The employee’s ability to understand, synthesize, and use these types of information formats is an expectation of employers.

Here again, the steps are similar – first, understand the concept of the graphic presentation; secondly, be able to interpret the trends from the graphics, draw a conclusion from them, and apply the information appropriately; and thirdly, find the right answer, which may require you to adjust your initial approach to fulfill the expected outcome.

Personal Management and Teamwork

This class will give students the confidence to make productive decisions, positive choices, set personal and workplace goals that allow them to advance in their chosen occupation.  Students will learn real-life expectations from employers in a variety of workplace environments.  In addition, they will develop skills that will enable them to work effectively as team members, which includes understanding the dynamics of teamwork, respecting the diversity and value of different points of view, and participating as a partner in projects and tasks.