Useful lessons in office politics

Transition Year students are learning that 500 points in the Leaving Cert doesn't automatically add up to a good relationship with the new boss, writes Louise Holden.

You're on the phone to a client and your boss sweeps into the room, demanding your attention. You don't want to be rude to the client but your boss has a short temper. Who do you put first?

You've prepared a packed lunch for work. You check the fridge at lunchtime and find that your food is gone. Later that day you see your lunch-bag on your colleague's desk. How do you react?

They don't teach this stuff in school - or do they? One of the most popular Transition Year programmes is currently run by an international organisation called Junior Achievement. The Success Skills programme will visit 215 Irish schools this year, bringing the workplace to the classroom in an interesting way.

Although the idea for Success Skills comes from the US, the programme is delivered by staff from Irish companies who volunteer to bring their experience of the workplace to students. Junior Achiever volunteers are sent to schools in their own locality to introduce students to the soft skills that are such an important part of working life.

We've all heard of such cases as the grade A science student who misses out on a dream job interview at a pharmaceutical company because she gets the address wrong. Or the seriously talented stockbroker who has to leave his job because he can't handle the workplace bully.

"There's such a keen focus on academics at school that some of the most fundamental aspects of getting a job and keeping it can be overlooked," says Alva O'Sullivan, marketing and communications manager of Junior Achievement Ireland.

"Everyone experiences issues like workplace conflict, clashes with authority, problems with punctuality or presentation. Few people are prepared for these everyday scenarios when they leave education."

Hundreds of volunteers from organisations ranging from banks and IT companies to State agencies and food manufacturers are bringing their experience of working life into the classrooms. They use role-play, case studies, group work, personality tests and self- evaluation. The sessions are lively - asking four students to play out a scenario in which one student reports another student for cheating in a test can have interesting results.

"In some classrooms role-plays can get quite heated - just like in real life," says O'Sullivan.

The tendency to approach confrontation in a Quentin Tarantino way is common, especially in boys' schools. Again, this may not be totally unrepresentative of reality. Everyday conflicts can turn nasty when the people involved cannot express themselves properly.

The Success Skills programme starts with students inventing their own company and drawing up policies relating to presentation, conduct, punctuality and disputes. They are also asked to discuss the unwritten rules of the workplace and the kind of behaviour that is not mentioned in any rulebook but which can prevent an employee building a successful career. Each week a new non- academic aspect of working life is explored, giving students plenty of opportunities to play out scenarios that reflect real life.

Because those delivering the programme come from local businesses, they can describe in entertaining detail the kinds of ups and downs they experienced in getting and holding on to their jobs. In this way, students gain an insight into local business activity as well the personal stories of working people.

Success Skills is run over eight sessions and covers eight key skills: expectations of the workplace; effective communication and conflict resolution; behaviour analysis; teamwork; inter- personal effectiveness; developing CVs; interview skills, and presentation. Everybody is interested in themselves, and Success Skills offers students a perspective on their own strengths and weaknesses. This might explain why it is the most popular programme in the Junior Achievement portfolio, which also includes modules on business, travel and tourism; personal economics; sports; entertainment, and building a mini- company.

Junior Achievement is one of the largest business education organisations in the world. It was established in the US 100 years ago and is now available in 114 countries. All JA teachers are volunteers from the local business community and receive training and resource packs free of charge from Junior Achievement Young Enterprise Ireland.

For further details, e-mail info@juniorachievement.ie or call 01-6603000.

• The language courses feature referred to last week will appear next week