Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success
Skills
to Pay the Bills
Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success
Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success
About the Cover Artist
Brandon Pursley is a senior at Madison County (FL) High School, a member of the Madison County High
School/High Tech program and one of over 100 young people who participated in the ODEP Soft Skills
Pilot project (the preliminary ¡°testing¡± environment for the creation of this publication). During a Soft
Skills Pilot site visit, the writers of this curriculum had the great fortune to meet Brandon and talk with
him about his dreams for the future. Brandon mentioned he was an artist, specializing in portraits, and
showed our team some of his artwork. When Brandon was asked if he would have any interest in
designing a cover design for these materials, he jumped at the chance.
Brandon has a true passion for art, and wishes to build and enhance his talent by attending art school
upon graduation. Although he hasn¡¯t had any formal training other than his art classes in high school,
he is well known by his peers and throughout the community as a very talented artist. He devotes all of
his spare time drawing portraits of friends, relatives, children, and other subjects. Each portrait¡¯s eyes
have a way of speaking to you, revealing the person¡¯s personality while captivating the full attention of
the viewer.
Because of his dedication to art Brandon is always in the process of beginning a new portrait or just
completing one.
It was our team¡¯s great fortune to meet Brandon during the Soft Skills pilot project.
In Their Own Words
Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success is a true collaboration between
government and the youth it serves. In fact, the original manuscript is much different, in both form and
content, than it appears today. More than 100 young people provided honest (and sometimes brutal) feedback
to the design and content of this publication.
Page 139 recounts a number of comments offered during the piloting of these materials.
3
Skills to Pay the Bills
Acknowledgements
The Department of Labor¡¯s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) would like to thank all of the
individuals, organizations, and agencies who contributed to the creation of this project. Without your
commitment, this soft skills curriculum would not have been possible.
To Day Al-Mohamed, Rhonda Basha, Rachel Dorman, Nehemiah Green, Michael Huberman, Laura Ibanez,
Jennifer Kemp, Kristen Schiavone, Maria Town, and Taryn Williams, thank you for your long hours and
dedication to this project - from the initial concept all the way to the final design and dissemination.
To Lucy Baney, Lee Bruno, Dr. Christine Casey, Christina Morfeld, and Leslie Walker-Hirsch for recognizing
the potential impact of this project and taking the first steps towards turning an idea into something
tangible.
Thank you to Katherine DiGiovanni, Lisa Stern, and Carolyn Veneri for your creativity and passion. You
designed and built a tool that will help young people find good jobs and careers (and have some fun
along the way).
Thank you to Patricia Bravo, Scott Emerick, Sylvia Thomas, Sangeeta Tyagi, and Monica Zeno-Martin of
YouthBuild USA for allowing YBUSA programs the opportunity to preview and offer feedback to these
materials.
Special thanks is warranted for the generous assistance of the seven youth programs and youth program
facilitators who took a chance and pilot-tested these materials with their youth participants. Without
your spirit and willingness to take on the hard work of helping to test out this curriculum, it would not
reflect the breadth and depth it does today. Thank you to:
?
FSW, Inc. WorkSkills, Bridgeport, CT: Pam McRae, Program Coordinator; Rita Renzoni, Instructor
?
High School/High Tech (HS/HT), FL: Sally Ash, Assistant Director of the Able Trust's FL HS/HT &
DMD. Madison County (FL) HS/HT: Mary Coody, Program Director, with Mike Radel, Assistant Program
Director, and Jean James, Program Assistant. The Alachua County HS/HT Program of North Central
Florida CIL: Amy Tharpe, Program Director, with Stephanie Weeks and Mellissa Merrill, HS/HT
Project Coordinators
?
KentuckianaWorks Youth Center, Louisville, KY: Lorena Lasky, Project Director; Dallas Thornton,
Career Planner; Virginia Dever, Career Planner; Fanta Hamlin, Career Planner; Emilia Manuola, Lead
Instructor
?
Massachusetts Migrant Education Program (MMEP), Wilmington and Boston, MA: Emily Hoffman,
Regional Director; Mellisa Brandt, Instructor; Karen Hart, Instructor; Jeuris Taveras, Community
Liaison
?
Project SEARCH, Washington, DC: Lisa Haynes, Instructor, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services; John Eldridge, Job Coach; Dierdre Williams, Program Manager; Carolyn Price, Job Coach;
Linda Mahler, Instructor, U.S. Department of Education
4
Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success
?
Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP), Denver, CO: Jamie Youngblood, Program
Coordinator; Erin Ellis, Mentor
?
WorkSource/YouthSource, Renton, WA: Jennifer Hill, Youth Program Manager; Kiana Davis,
Instructor; Victoria West, Instructor
Finally, and most importantly, ODEP is especially grateful to the dedicated group of more than 100
young adults who were willing to share their valuable insights for this curriculum. You are ALL
outstanding and we wish you the best in your future career.
The following list of young adults (and/or their guardians) consented to have their names displayed in
this publication:
Jessica Alexis
Asia Luevano
Sonya Wallace
Keisha Billington
Alaycia McIntyre
Ebony Wilson
Andrea Bright
Jessica McNeil
Brittany Stevenson
Andrea Casillas
Chavario McQuay
Breana Sweatt
Rayalshia Daniels
Margarita Menchaca
Ivan Bennett
Shionte Davis
LaShondra Neely
Curtis Mabry
Qarquasia Davis
Cassandra Newstead
Kayla Still
Whitney Davis
Jontae Owens
Kwamaine House
Lillie Echols
Giselle Padilla
Alexandria Weidmeyer
Wendy Galvis
Brandon Pursley
Patricia Pierce
Juan Gonzalez
Shontaye Robinson
Chelsy Wickerson
J¡¯Laan Hendricks
Sarah Rudolph
Troy Booker
Patrick Henyard
RaeMisha Sierra
Tyrone Hunter
Kyendra Jackson
Sierra Sonza
Michael Francis
Jamari Jones
Allie Spicknall
Brittany Prue
Miosotis Juarbe
Bertha Tolosa
Justine Thomas
Aaron Law
Jasmine Turner
Rachael Washington
Other Contributors include:
Maureen Andrew, Chris Arnette, John Benson, Kevin Bradley, Susan Brennan, Bridget Brown, Larry
Buynak, Dale G. Caldwell, Julie Chamberlain, Rebecca Cokley, Barbara Conner, Marc Fagan, Lori
Golden, Gary Goosman, Col. Robert Gordon, Allison Herman Paul, Jennifer Hill, Mitch Holmes, Lois
Kenneally, Grady Kickul, Zakiya Mabery, Jessie MacKinnon, Jessica Mattis, Marci McGinnis, Joanna
Mikulski, Kim E. Moss, Dennis Nathanson, Harry Orlick, Peggy Post, Anneka Rogers, Deborah Russell,
Dawn Stanyon, Matthew P. Stevens, Diane Thames, Betsy Valnes, and John Whitcomb.
5
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