Employment Skills - Assignment

Assignment 1
Module Code and Module Title
Title of Assignment
Module Leader’s Name
Your Tutor’s Name (this person will mark your work) **
Your name (Family name underlined)
Your Student Number
Date of Submission
Assignment

Assignment 2
1.0 Introduction
As part of the Essential Study and Employment Skills unit module, we were assigned group tasks
that aim at building student skills on various aspects. It is worth pointing out that working as a team is
not only an essential part in the study process but also provides one with the opportunity to develop
critical skills required in employment. One of the requirements of the unit was to attend and participate
as a team in a fundraising for the Macmillan Cancer Research in Greater London. The foundation is
dedicated to helping people understand the needs, numbers and experiences of people affected with
cancer (What we do n.d.). Additionally, it seeks to reach and improve the lives of those living with the
disease while inspiring millions of others to follow in the foundation’s footsteps. Thus, my team and I
took an active role in the fundraiser by engaging in activities such as raising money and keeping clear
and accurate records of the money collected during the entire fundraising activity. Throughout the
process, the team kept an updated record and minutes of all meetings conducted. Afterwards, all the
money collected was handed over to the module tutor and signed off by the team members. As a whole,
the fundraising activity was an interesting and informative learning experience for the team and me. It
is also imperative to point out that the group work activities undertaken this semester has offered me a
great opportunity to gain and develop critical skills such as communication, teamwork, planning,
research, problem solving, organization and time management.
2.0 Audit and Evaluation of Key Skills
By and large, taking part in the fundraising activity as part of a team was a great learning
experience for me. Fundamentally, I learnt various key skills through the process that I believe would
come in handy not only in class but also in the future during my employment. In a nutshell, the key skills
that I acquired during the activity comprise of effective communication, teamwork, research, decision-
making, time-management and problem-solving.
2.1 Effective communication
As a whole, my communication skills have improved tremendously after engaging in the group
activities with my team. Mainly, one can attribute this to the fact that effective communication is
necessary for groups to function successfully. As a result, all team members tried to enhance their
communication techniques in order to interact well with the rest of the group. As such, group work
requires members to explain their ideas and express their feelings openly in order for the rest of the

Assignment 3
members to understand their concept. In addition, it requires members to listen carefully to the ideas
and feelings of others in order to contribute to the. It is also necessary for group members to ask
questions as a means of clarifying the ideas and contributions made by their peers. What is more, non-
verbal communication plays an important role in group work as it allows team members to determine
the feelings and emotions of the others towards a particular view (Communication behaviors, n.d.).
Aside from these qualities, by the end of the activity, the team members offered feedback and
suggested that they had noticed that my communication skills had improved significantly since I was
now able to initiate conversations about the group activities, something that I was unable to do before
the beginning of the task. Therefore, the group activity helped me gain some fundamental
communication skills that will not only useful in the classroom setting but also the outside world.
2.2 Teamwork
As noted earlier, a large portion of the assignment for this module entailed working in a group of
four students in order to enhance learning. As a result, I had an opportunity to work in a team with my
peers. In my experience, working as a team enhanced cooperative learning characterized by positive
interdependence positive interdependence among members. Through the activity, we discovered that
better performance by each group member results in better performance by the entire group. As a
result, the spirit of teamwork was enhanced, encouraging each member to make a contribution on their
part in order to enhance the overall group performance.
In addition, working towards the fundraising for the Macmillan Cancer Research in Greater
London allowed me to develop the skills of working collaboratively with others to achieve a common
goal (Teamwork Skills n.d.). In this case, the group was working towards the common goal of raising as
much money for the organization. Apart from working towards a common goal, the activity allowed us
to work in support and respect of each other (Teamwork Skills, n.d.). As such, we all learnt how to
demonstrate support for one another in order to accomplish the goals of the group. Furthermore, the
team was able to offer constructive feedback in a respectful manner. It is worth noting that constructive
feedback often requires listening well, asking for clarifications when ideas are unclear and being open to
change (Brame & Biel 2015). Consequently, the team activity enabled us to develop a sense of
collaboration in our meetings and activities. Therefore, in general, the fundraising activity played a
critical role in improving and enhancing my sense of teamwork.

Assignment 4
2.3 Problem-solving
In addition to team work and communication skills, the group activity helped me gained critical
problem solving skills. As such, it offered the group an opportunity to develop and use strategies in
order to work towards the group’s objectives. It also allowed us to work together to devise solutions for
problems that we encountered during the group activity. Primarily, the problem solving process
comprised of sharing thoughts and holding discussions about the problems that occurred during the
group assignment (Problem Solving n.d.). By the end of the task, the group commented and provided
feedback indicating that I had gained vital problem skills through cooperating and collaborating with the
views of my peers in the group. As such, I learnt that the problem solving process comprises of first
defining the problem at hand, analyzing it, generating all the possible solutions, evaluating the solutions
for viability, and finally implementing the solution.
It is worth noting that we faced various problems while completing the assignment. The first
problem we encountered was on how to mobilize funds and collect as much as possible for the
fundraising activity. Therefore, to solve this problem, we came together as a group and brainstormed
on the ideas to encourage people to contribute towards our course. As part of the solution, the group
members came up with the idea to hold a garage sale at one of the team member’s houses. In the sale,
all members brought things that they no longer used and sold them to the members of the community
at a good price. At the end of the day, we were able to raise some money for the cancer fundraiser. In
the future, when I work in a group and we encounter financial constraints, I would suggest various
income generating activities that would help the group raise funds for the course. Therefore, the group
activity allowed me to gain and exercise problem-solving abilities.
Skill Experience
Effective Communication The group activity helped me develop effective
communication skills such as articulating ideas and
listen keenly.
Teamwork The activity helped in building a team spirit and
cohesiveness among members
Problem solving By the end of the activity, I had developed critical
problem solving abilities.
2.4 Time-Management

Assignment 5
It is also worth noting that I gained critical time management skills over the period we
conducted the group activity. Unlike individual time management, team time management is somewhat
different and difficult as the schedules of all members have to be synchronized in order to get a common
time when all members are free and available. Therefore, in order to ensure that we created time for
group work activities, the group developed weekly timetables and schedules indicating the time when
the group will hold meetings.
One other time management issue that came up while working as a team involved the fact that
some group discussions took a longer time than the intended and scheduled time. As a result, we spent
a lot of time in the group as some members took a lot of time discussing matters not pertinent to the
agreed activity when we first started holding the meetings. In order to resolve this issue, the team
unanimously agreed that we would be writing an agenda prior to meeting. During the meetings, the
team was advised to stick to matters that were included in the agenda without diverging in order to save
on time. With the introduction of an agenda for every meeting, the group was able to successfully
complete all meetings within the schedule, and even have time to spare for other activities. In the
future, if I encounter a similar problem while working in a team, I would ensure that we implement the
same agenda rule in the meetings to save on time and avoid wastage (Reflection models n.d.).
In this respect, I can say that working as a team member helped me recognize the value of time
and time management. Today in my daily life, I make schedules and plans to organize my day’s activities
in order to save on time. In this regard, working as a group in the fundraising activity played an
important role in enhancing my time management skills, not only in the classroom setting but also the
real world in preparation for the employment world.
2.5 Decision Making
Decision making is a critical skill in the human society. Primarily, it refers to the process of
choosing between two or more actions. It relates to choosing the best possible solutions to problems
experienced. While conducting the fundraising activity for the McMillan Cancer Research in Greater
London, I was able to develop vital decision making skills while solving problems that came up as we
worked as a team. It is worth pointing out that there are various instances when the group had to make
a collective decision. Primarily, our decision making was a step by step process to ensure that we made
deliberate and thoughtful decision by organizing relevant information and defining alternatives and

Assignment 6
weighing them before choosing the best alternative among them (Honey & Mumford n.d.). It is only
after a collective and unanimous decision had been made that the group took action. By going through
this process before making a decision, the group ensured that the decision made was the best and most
satisfying one. In this regard, performing the course work through group was very useful to me as it
helped me discover the best ways to make decisions about important matters in order to guarantee that
the decision chosen is the best alternative at the time of decision making.
Skill Experience
Decision making The team had to make major decisions on various
matters.
Time management The team had to harmonize each members
schedule and availability for meetings. We also
had to ensure that the meetings were carried out
within the scheduled time
2.5 Planning
Planning is an important aspect and a vital process in both business and personal life. Primarily,
it entails thinking about the activities required to achieve the desired goal. Thus, it involves creating and
maintaining a plan. It is important to note that the group activity played an important role in improving
my planning skills. As part of the assignment, we had to engage in proper planning for the activities of
the fundraiser. First, we had to plan for the garage sale to raise some funds for the fundraiser.
Afterwards, we had to plan for a door to door fundraising campaign in at the campus’ hostels to get
fellow students to contribute to the course.
By and large, the planning process involved identifying the goals and objectives to be achieved
from the activity. In this, the objective was to conduct a garage sale and door to door fundraising
campaign to raise the needed funds for the fundraiser. After that, we formulated the strategies that
would work towards achieving these goals. We also had to organize and arrange the means to achieve
the goals successfully. After the planning process was set in motion, we ensured that on the day of
garage sale and door to door campaign in campus we implemented the activities as planned.
2.6 Research

Assignment 7
It is imperative to note that the team activity was a major learning experience and allowed me
to take part in a research activity. As noted earlier, the group task involved attending and participating in
a fundraising activity for Macmillan Cancer Research in Greater London. As a result, the team was
obligated to do some research on cancer in order to gain a better understanding of the disease in order
to contribute more to the course and even help others who had little knowledge about it to understand
it better. Thus, the group undertook a lot research on the disease in order to explain to well-wishers and
contributors that life with cancer is still life. We also had to conduct a lot of research on the Macmillan
foundation and cancer centre in order to tell those contributing to the fundraiser what the project was
all about without leaving out important information. In this regard, it is important to point out that the
group activity played an important role in sharpening my research skills. These skills would be beneficial
not only in the classroom but later after I am employed into the labour force.
Skill Experience
Planning We had to plan for all our activities including the
fund raiser and garage sale.
Research Had to perform extensive research on cancer and
how patients can live positively with the disease.
3.0 Conclusion

Assignment 8
All factors taken into consideration, the group activity has helped me gain important skills.
Particularly, working as a group and participating in the Macmillan Cancer Research in Greater London
was mind opening and full of experience. The project was dedicated to helping people understand the
needs, number sand experiences of people who suffer from cancer. As part of the assignment, we
helped in raising funds for the organization. Thus, my team and I took an active role in the fundraiser by
engaging in activities such as raising money and keeping clear and accurate records of the money
collected during the entire fundraising activity. As a whole, the project offered me an opportunity to
develop critical skills such as effective communication, planning, time-management, research, problem-
solving, decision-making, and teamwork. In this respect, taking part in the fundraising activity as part of
a team was a great learning experience for me. . Fundamentally, the key skills through the fundraising
and group activity would come in handy not only in class but also in the future during my employment.
Reference List

Assignment 9
Brame, C. J., & Biel, R. (2015). Group work: Using cooperative learning groups effectively. [Online]
Vanderbilt University. Available at: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do
[Accessed 4 May. 2018].
Communication Behaviors for Effective Group Work. (n.d.). [Online] University of Pittsburgh. Available at:
http://www.speaking.pitt.edu/student/groups/smallgroupbehavior.html [Accessed 4 May.
2018].
Group Decision Making. (n.d.). [Online] University of Waterloo. Available at:
https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/
developing-assignments/group-work/group-decision-making [Accessed 4 May. 2018].
Honey and Mumford. (n.d.).[Online] University of Leicester. Available at:
https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/doctoralcollege/training/eresources/teaching/theories/
honey-mumford [Accessed 4 May. 2018].
Reflection models and frameworks.. (n.d.). [Online] University of Bradford. Available at:
https://www.bradford.ac.uk/wimba-files/skill-space/Reflective_Writing_HTML/page_04.htm
[Accessed 4 May. 2018].
Teamwork Skills: Being an Effective Group Member. (n.d.).[Online] University of Waterloo. Available at:
https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/tips-
students/being-part-team/teamwork-skills-being-effective-group-member [Accessed 4 May.
2018].
What we do. (n.d.). [online] Macmillan Cancer Support. Available at:
https://www.macmillan.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do [Accessed 4 May. 2018].
APPENDIX

Assignment 10
A. TEAM AGREEMENT
TEAM AGREEMENT
Team members {Full
Name}
Contact details, phone email
Alexandrina Balaban 07577135038 [e-mail]
Ilie-Marius Spataru 07988479052 [e-mail]
Van Sy Nguyen 07853476238 [e-mail]
Maaz Ali
MushtaguealiSaiyed
[phone] [e-mail]
INFORMAL COMMUNICATION
We have decided:
1.To use English whenever we are in group discussions and for emailing each other;
2.To be available on Wednesday mornings for a weekly MSN chat;
3.To use our University group discussion board.
MEETINGS
We have decided:
1.To hold a weekly meeting before our lecture on Wednesday afternoon, meeting up in Library
discussion area;
2.That everyone must be present at the meeting-if they can’t be there they should inform us in advance
if is possible;
3.That we will take notes{minutes} of each meeting.
MAKING DESISSIONS
We have agreed:
 If a decision goes to a vote, the majority view will be taken.

Assignment 11
 We will give everyone a go at chairing our meetings.
 We will choose a group spokesperson.
 We will choose someone to edit our individual contributions.
SANCTIONS
We hope to all work harmony together. We all have different strengths. We accept that this is a group
piece of work and we are responsible for doing our best. However, we agree now that;
 If individuals have problem in work in the group or on the task, we will try to sort them out
promptly by talking to each other;
 We will seek advice as soon as possible from our tutor serious problems we cannot resolve
ourselves.
SIGNED: ALEXANDRINA BALABAN, ILIE-MARIUS SPATARU, VAN SY NGUYEN

Assignment 12
B. MINUTES TO THE FIRST MEETING
3. That we will take notes {minutes} of each meeting.
c. WORK AND PERSONAL CONTRIBUTION
Activity Personal Contributions
Garage sale Members brought clothes, bikes, skaters, surf boards and
electronics that they did not use and offered them for sale
in order to raise money for the cancer center.
Alexandrina Balaban- Skaters, PS4
Ilie-Marius Spataru- Surfboard, clothes
Van Sy Nguyen- Skater, electronics
Maaz Ali MushtaguealiSaiyed- Clothes, fishing rod
Door-to-door fundraising on campus All members of the group also went around hostels in the
campus to ask for contributions from other students to help
raise funds for the course. The following amounts were
LOCATION: (Adress to the meeting)
DATE: (Date of the meeting)
TIME: (Time you held the meeting)
Attendance: Alexandrina Balaban
Ilie-Marius Spataru
Van Sy Nguyen
Maaz Ali MushtaguealiSaiyed
AGENDA ITEMS
1. Decide on meeting time and venue
2. note-taking procedures
3. attendance to meetings
During the first meeting, we decided:
1. To hold a weekly meeting before our lecture on Wednesday afternoon, meeting up in
Library discussion area;
2. That everyone must be present at the meeting-if they can’t be there they should inform
us in advance if is possible;

Assignment 13
raised;
Alexandrina Balaban - $100
Ilie-Marius Spataru-$120
Van Sy Nguyen- $102
Maaz Ali MushtaguealiSaiyed-$100