What are the skill sets in the job description?
If at all possible, review the job duties by visiting the site, talking with the supervisor and co-workers, and determining relative amounts of time in which the employee will engage in each duty. It is strongly suggested that you devise a clear list of the duties that appear to be within the student’s immediate abilities (can be taught within a few repetitions or practices) vs. duties that will require more training. Consider initially presenting the graphic organizer to show the student the various tasks in the job. Creating this dual list of strengths vs. teachable jobs can assist the success of the project or job match. The list can also be used as a starting point to negotiate the responsibilities that fit the project or supervisor’s needs for a specific quantity and quality of work while also fitting the student.
After listing the skills in the proposed job description, what are the steps that comprise each skill? How can you break each skill down?
It is often critical to not only observe the skill in that setting, but to also go through the steps of the job yourself and list the steps as a result of performing the task. Listing the steps of a task allows you to identify the potential trouble spots and to develop visual supports that will support student independence. Doing this before expecting the student to perform the skill or task will prevent student, supervisor and instructor frustration and potential failure.
The instructor may feel like s/he does not have time to do this. Not doing so leads to failed job sites. If your goal is positive post-school outcomes, find a way to at least observe the task being performed and make the task analysis before expecting the student to perform it.
For instance, operating a copy machine requires skills to which you may not immediately attend. There is much variation in operating copying equipment in businesses. The keypads and the icons vary so much that the instructor will need to task analyze the sequence of steps for the specific equipment that the student will use.
Identify the skills of efficiently using the copier, responding to various keypad instructions, and responding to jams and repair instructions. Sorting and managing a large copying job can pose challenges in organization for some students. Following the steps of a job in a specific order may improve efficiency.
Second, consider the sequence of steps for a simple copying job (single-sided vs. double-sided) vs. a more complex job involving collating, stapling, adjusting paper size, exposure and enlargement or reduction.
Third, consider the steps that the student will follow when faced with a repair icon on the keypad or a paper jam. It is the rule rather than the exception in many employment sites that a paper jam or repair instruction appears on the keypad in the midst of a job. What are the student’s strategies for handling such problems in the midst of following his instructions for setting the machine for paper size and tray, for color or image quality, for enlargement/reduction, and for multi-page documents requiring stapling and collating? Will the student follow the keypad steps or will the student need a strategy of “asking for help”?
Review the task analysis and assure that the student can perform approximately 80% of the tasks. Consider whether there are steps that will be very difficult and whether these steps can be carried out by others in the setting. Think about whether you can adjust the sequence to assure that the student produces a high quality and quantity of work according to the standards of the supervisor.
What sub-skill should you target first for the student to initiate? Given what the student can do presently, how will you present the task so that the student can perform steps within his capacity while learning a new step?
In general, after you complete a task analysis of a task or skill, consider how many of the steps the student can perform independently. If the student can perform most (preferably 80%) of the steps without direct assistance, you have a good task for the student in the job. You will want to identify the visual supports that will assist him with the difficult steps as well as the sequence of steps. Generally, teach the steps of the task in sequence to build a routine while prompting the student to the visual supports that will assist those difficult steps.
For instance, if you find that the student does well with most of the steps of using the postage machine (enters access code, enters departmental code, weighs mail) but has difficulty with varying postal rates depending on size or shape of mail, you would support the student in using a set of written instructions for the sequence but place your instructional emphasis on his review of a postal chart next to the machine to determine postal rate.
