Your Vocational Major, Pathways and Transition students will enjoy using these easy reading employability skills case studies to help them understand how to solve problems at school and work using employability skills. You can use the case studies to boost functional reading comprehension skills and help students learn to apply their employability skills knowledge to real world work situations - a win for teaching literacy and work related skills!
 
Eight case studies with an employability (soft) skills focus to read and discuss. The case studies are written in an easy reading style, with two versions to support differentiation and choice in the classroom. One version includes clipart style images and simplified text, while the other version has a colour image and more complex text to suit a slightly higher reading level. The question sets for each case study version are different so some students can be extended whilst still working on the same topic and case study as their peers. 
 
They are a great way to build real world reading comprehension skills with high school and young adult students who have lower reading skill levels and are keen to read content which is relevant, thought provoking and age appropriate. The focus is on Australian work contexts and sources of information.  
 
Each case study shows a young person who is experiencing a challenge at school or work.
 
What's included?
 
This resource includes:
8 x easy to read case studies about young people experiencing a work or study problem and thinking about how to resolve it
8 higher reading level case studies which match the easy reading options
8 x reading comprehension pages (one for each case study)
8 higher reading level reading comprehension pages (one for each higher level case study)
1 x ‘think, chat, write’ printable to guide group discussion
1 x understanding the problem page
1 x action plan page
 
Case Studies
 
1. Battling a bully
Patrick has just started his apprenticeship when he is confronted by a bully at his new workplace. What can he do to make sure his great new job does not turn into a disaster? Or is bullying simply something that young people learn to live with when they start out at work?
 
2. Birthday morning tea at work
Lee has been asked to bring a sweet plate to a morning tea at work, but she is not really sure what that means. Fortunately, a chance meeting with her old language skills teacher helps her figure out what to bring.
 
3. Margie finds a better balance
Margie is worn out. In between swimming, school and chores at home, it seems she just never has enough time for the things she really wants to do – like hanging out with her little brother. How can she find a better balance?
 
4. Shane gets organised
Organization has never been Shane’s greatest strength, but now he is at work it has become much more important. What can he do to get himself organised for work?
 
5. Smart phone skills
Ben’s class activity has turned into a disaster – everyone else has got off the train and he is still stuck on board! And even worse, he doesn’t know where the train is going or when it will stop. Can Ben use some smart thinking and technology tools to save the day?
 
6. Keeping her cool
Alicia has a dream of working in conservation, but first she must learn to keep her cool and manage her anger at school.
 
7. Tuyet’s bus trip to work
Tuyet is ready to start her first job at a plant nursery. She has checked the bus times – but is there anything else she should do before she starts?
 
8. The drama team
Pascal and Eric are getting ready for a new drama performance but there is some conflict happening that need to get solved before the show can go on.
 
Reading level:
The lower level content is age appropriate for a teen and young adult audience and the reading level range is approximately Grade 3-4 based on Flesch-Kincaid reading level.
The higher level content is age appropriate for a teen and young adult audience and the reading level range is approximately Grade 4-7 based on Flesch-Kincaid reading level. 
 
What to do:
 
Read and share the case studies in pairs or groups. Have students read them aloud or to each other, or choose a single case study and read it to your class.
Discuss the case study and introduce the themes and key employability skills that are featured in the case study
Have students build their understanding of each case study using the reading comprehension pages and the understanding the problem page
Hand out the printables ‘think, chat, write’ and ‘strengths, problems, who can help?’ and ask students to work together to complete these
Bring the class back together to discuss their ideas and then ask students to complete the action plan using a ‘first, next, last’ approach
 
Notes
This resource is also included in the Employability Skills Bundle. 
Bundles are a great way to save on your purchases!