Integrating Career Awareness into the ABE/ESOL Classroom - SABES

• Listening to people
• Knowing how to find resources
4. What are some of the things that you do that you don’t get paid for?
• This might include organizing a bake sale at your child’s school, coaching a sports team, teaching at your place
of worship, planning a birthday party, etc.
• Note that these are called “transferable skills” – skills that can be used in many different situations, whether for paid
work or not.
• Many people think that if they aren’t being paid, then the skills they use in their daily lives (home/community/school)
don’t count as “real” skills.
• ESOL students can refer to question #10 of the “Reading Guide” for their responses.
List on the board the things that students do but don’t get paid for. Identify the skills associated with the activity/
responsibility.
If they do paid work, ask them to identify the skills they use in their paid work. If they do not have paid work, ask them to
identify what skills they might like to use in a job.
Extension Activity
Have students take the skills identified above and ask them to make a list of at least five jobs that use the skills identified.
Have students pair up and share their lists of skills and possible jobs that use those skills. Have the students help each
other think of other jobs that might use those skills.
Adapted from the Jamaica Plain Adult Learning Program.
Integrating Career Awareness into the ABE & ESOL Classroom | Section II, Lesson 4: We All Have Transferable Skills | 39