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Department of National Defense in Transition

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Chapter 1: Introduction

Introduction

Welcome to the Department of National Defense in Transition portfolio course for retiring military, medically released military and civil service employees.  Many graduates of this portfolio course have ventured into new and exciting careers and educational opportunities through this reflective process.

In five full day sessions or 10 half day sessions, participants take an inventory of life and work experiences.   They transfer life experiences into learning experiences. They then identify the transferable or Essential Skills and validate their skills with documentation.  They identify cultural differences between miliary and civilian workplaces to respond to the feelings and attitudes often associated with change.  

The interactive portfolio process helps participants to look beyond the technical skills acquired. They become more aware of the communication, team work and leadership skills they have acquired professionally, through their community and/or family activities.  Graduates have said they feel more confident when they recognize the vast amount of knowledge and skills they have acquired and feel more comfortable making a workplace transition.  

Upon completion of the course, participants have a career portfolio.  The portfolio is a tool which is used to seek employment, promotion or to challenge credit at a high school or post secondary institution.  The process of applying for credit is called prior learning assessment and recognition. (PLAR)

During the course, participants are connected to civilian employers and post secondary advisors in their areas of interest.  Participants conduct informational interviews and set goals for their future.

The course has been offered in Winnipeg for three years and in Halifax for one year. Learning advisors from across Canada recently attended a conference presentation on portfolio and expressed an interest in the delivery of the program in their region. 

This is a sample of the on line portfolio course that will be created for learning advisors.  It will give the advisors all the tools and resources required to deliver the portfolio program successfully in their region.  The on line program allows for flexible scheduling, it is easy to use and entertaining! 


Carol Hawkins                                      

Project Manager                                                      

Centre for Education and Work                  

Video: Work-based Portfolio

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Participant Experience in the Portfolio Course (English)

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Testimonial

Quote from a participant

For myself, it’s just… having spent 27 years in the military as a mechanic, I was ready to get out and I had no idea what to do. I didn’t want to be a mechanic, I don’t want to work in a part store or you know so… but it’s really opened my eyes and shown me different skills that I have and different areas that I can apply myself to. And it’s – for me – it’s very helpful to show me the skills that I have that are transferable.

What is a Portfolio?
A portfolio is a tool to demonstrate prior learning. A portfolio is a binder of information describing an individual’s life experiences. The portfolio provides documentation and verification of prior learning through volunteer work, family, workplace, school, or leisure activities. It recognizes formal learning in an educational institution, non-formal learning or non-credit learning such as a training program and informal learning through everyday life experiences. The portfolio describes the skills and knowledge acquired through these experiences to assist individuals to identify transferable skills. Transferable skills may include technical skills, computer use, reading, writing, numeracy or document use. It also includes communication skills such as problem solving, decision making, critical thinking skills, or skills working with other people. The portfolio assists learners to identify and market their transferable skills for employment, promotion opportunities, to acquire credit at high school or post secondary institutions, or to meet post secondary entrance or occupational requirements. Portfolios are of benefit to individuals who want to clearly demonstrate and document their knowledge and skills. Participants build their self esteem as they recognize and are validated for their prior learning. Portfolios are useful for interviews to gain employment or promotion and may eliminate the duplication of learning or reduce costs through prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR). Institutions recognize portfolios as a tool to gain credit for prior learning at a high school or post secondary institution. The portfolio takes approximately 35 hours in class plus preparation to complete and serves as a project in progress. Individuals continue to add new learning to their portfolio.

Participant Experence in the Portfolio Course (French)

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General Learning Outcomes of the Course

  • Describe the purpose and benefits of portfolio
  • Transfer life experiences into learning experiences
  • Identify transferable skills
  • Design competency statements and categorize them into essential skills categories
  • Validate competency statements with direct and indirect documentation
  • Describe how adults learn best in a new learning environment
  • Analyze values and set personal/professional goals
  • Tailor a resume highlighting essential skills
  • Write a letter of introduction, validation and a cover letter
  • Organize a professional portfolio
  • Apply effective job search techniques
  • Prepare for informational interviews and behavioural interviews
  • Analyze the shift in culture between military and civilian workplaces
  • Market the portfolio for employment and prior learning assessment and recognition credit at post secondary institutions

Transferable Skills in the Military

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What transferable skills were used by these military members to reach their goal?

 



For further information........

Centre for Education and Work at: www.cewca.org 

Carol Hawkins at (204)885-2957

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