Welcome to the first section of the PROPEL Pre-Entry Employability Module, an online module designed especially for you by employability experts in the UCC Career Services following research and focus groups with international students in 2021.

Unit 1 is about getting ready for the workplace in Ireland either as an intern, graduate or experienced hire. The first step towards getting ready is taking time to reflect on yourself.

It is important to understand that the skills that employers want graduates to demonstrate, are skills that you develop outside of your course of study, and in environments such as internships, part-time jobs, volunteering experiences, clubs and societies. Look at the chart below for a list of the most highly sought-after skills by Irish employers.

In Unit 1 of the PROPEL Pre-Entry Employability Module, we will look at the below topics that tie into the Top 12 Global Soft Skills In Demand according to a survey of Irish employers in 2022.

12 Global 'Soft' Skills

Self-awareness for Self-confidence is the important common thread across all the four topics in Unit 1. Developing awareness of yourself and your experiences is the first step to seeing and understanding others, their communication and behaviours. Developing self-awareness allows you to then make choices, do things differently, adjust your communication and behaviour to connect with others, overcome challenges and develop a "growth mindset" to progress in your life and career.

Our topic on Cultural Intelligence focuses on developing knowledge and skills that allow you to integrate into a new culture, value differences, and collaborate and communicate effectively when working in multicultural work environments.

Our topic on Cross-Cultural Communication discusses the importance of using effective communication skills to build trust and relationships with others, and the importance of openness to new ideas and perspectives when collaborating and working with others in different cultural environments.

Our topic on Professional Resilience addresses continually seeking opportunities for continuous learning and demonstrating respect for others as well as the ability to cope with pressure.

At the end of this Unit 1, we will ask you to reflect on what you have been reading and listening to, and what has been important learning for you in this Unit as you prepare to transition into a new culture (Ireland). We will ask you to complete a short assignment of your learning.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this Unit, you will be able to:

Understand the importance of developing self-awareness and self-reflection to enhance your work-readiness skills.
Recognise how self-awareness can develop self-confidence, cultural intelligence, cross-cultural communication and professional resilience.
Apply self-awareness and reflective practices in the demonstration of learning sections (assignments and quizzes).
Analyse how your own cultural background influences thinking and behaviour and how self-awareness develops a greater understanding of yourself.
Reflect on how self-awareness prepares you for connecting with others from different cultural backgrounds and for the transition to the workplace.

Listen to what our student Xi had to say on work readiness.

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