Teacher Manual First edition 2014

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About the Project and Its Aims

SoteICT is a project of the partnership of Pontis Foundation (Slovakia) and Kasigau Wildlife

Trust (Kenya), made possible through SlovakAid co-funding. Sote, which in Swahili means

everybody, stands in the title to demonstrate project’s commitment to make ICT accessible

to a higher number of students in Kenya and so raise their future employability through

improved soft and computer skills. We develop these skills in educators and learners alike

through equipment and software donations, continual trainings, cooperation with school

management and establishment of student IT clubs and training companies. Having started

in 2010 with only one school, Moi High School Kasigau, the scope of the project has

broadened beyond 10 secondary schools and so helps improve lives of thousands of

students all around Taita Taveta County.

What We Do and Why It Is Important

The high penetration of mobile phones, a higher rate of success of businesses which are

able to market their products online or employers demanding job applicants to possess

computer skills all demonstrate that ICT has become an integral part of the Kenyan society.

With high rates of unemployment especially among young people, employers today can pick

and choose those who best suit a profile of their desired candidate. So, the job market is

becoming extremely competitive and to stand a chance, the candidate needs to

demonstrate a set of skills serving as their competitive advantage. The goal of soteICT is

therefore to provide students with this advantage through enhancing their critical thinking,

creativity and business skills. This is done through recombination of three important aspects

which will be dealt with further: integration of ICT in schools at all levels, project-based

learning and establishment of ICT clubs and student-led training companies. We have

focused on rural schools in Taita Taveta based on the advice of our partner Kasigau Wildlife

Trust and gradually expanded our presence in the county whilst supporting the cooperation

between Kenyan and Slovak schools in project based learning through training companies.

This manual is an attempt to create a practical guide for teachers that introduces simple but

powerful ideas and resources and summarizes our experience. We hope the guide will make

it easier to expand our soteICT programme to other schools in and outside Taita Taveta and

Kenya.

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Contents

ICT Integration in Education .................................................................................................................. 4

Project-based Learning .......................................................................................................................... 5

soteICT Clubs .......................................................................................................................................... 7

Training Companies ................................................................................................................................ 8

From a Teacher to a Mentor ............................................................................................................ 10

Simulation Game ............................................................................................................................... 25

Training Company Organisational Structures ............................................................................ 26

Setting Up a Training Company ...................................................................................................... 34

Keeping the Companies Active ....................................................................................................... 37

Appendix A: CVs, Cover Letters and Emails ................................................................................. 42

Appendix B: Slovak – English Dictionary for SCCF Internet Banking ...................................... 54

Appendix C: Our Teachers’ Practices ............................................................................................ 58

Appendix D: Certification requirements of Practice Enterprise Network ............................. 61

References and Useful Sources ....................................................................................................... 83

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ICT Integration in Education

In order to turn students into perspective young job applicants or entrepreneurs, the

integration of ICT in education is inevitable. Moreover, as it will be shown further, the use of

technology in schools has many advantages not only for the students, but also for the

teachers and administrators.

How Students Benefit from the ICT Integration in Education

First and foremost, the biggest advantage of integrating ICT is the interest and motivation it

induces in students. Instead of “chalk and talk” methods the students are exposed to more

engaging processes, using visual and audio content such as pictures, graphs, presentations,

records, videos and many more, which have a positive impact on their attention.

Recombining these types of content in a lesson helps students understand initially and

hence process the information more effectively. The increase in interest and attention then

positively influences students’ motivation and therefore also their attitudes towards

studying and the overall education. The effective and balanced use of technology can

improve academic performance and the innovative methodology of project-based teaching

enhances soft skills, such as team work. This can increase chances for graduates both for

university entry and future employment. Innovative teaching methods are also beneficial for

the school as through these results it gains good reputation and recognition.

Still, there are many more benefits. Working with a computer and browsing internet

requires students to find information, think critically, distinguish the important from the

unimportant, carry out instructions, make decisions, solve various problems and take

initiative over their own work. All of these skills are essential for students’ future

professional and even personal lives. They learn to present their own ideas and themselves

effectively, and by being exposed to ICT it makes them more comfortable with it, which

results in increase of their self-confidence and self-esteem. Moreover, with internet they

can get in touch with schools from the whole world (e.g. through Skype, FB or email), for

example with the Slovak students in the case of this project. This online cooperation not

only makes the experience of other cultures more vivid in the classroom, but it motivates

students to learn from each other and be competitive. Through regular competitions and

collaboration with other schools students get timely feedback and volunteers mentor them

on important life skills such as CV writing, job interview simulation and working in student

training company.

How Teachers Benefit from the ICT Integration in Education

By integrating ICT tools in their classes, teachers can instil excitement about studying and

engage their students in ways that plain “chalk and talk” methods cannot do. Technology

enables demonstrating complex concepts so that they are easier to comprehend at the first

hearing, and therefore lessen the time a teacher would spend repeating them. Of course, in

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the beginning it may take some time to learn how to create an effective presentation, but

once it is done it may prove as a great time saver as it can be re-used multiple times with

some updates according to the valid curricula. Moreover, ICT helps teachers illustrate the

students such situations, which would be unsafe or risky in the real life, such as, for

example, chemical processes with poisonous gases or behaviours of dangerous animals.

Further, not only teachers’ free time is enhanced, but also the time at the class can be used

more effectively focusing on students’ questions and understanding, rather than redrawing

graphs, charts, etc…

The lectures become improved also by teachers’ unlimited access to information and

resources available online or in various e-learning programmes. The option of storing

students’ data for years, such as personal details and results, is a great assessment tool. It

allows to track student’s progress over time and identify the areas which need to be

improved or focused on further (e.g. if we find out that a student is good at maths but every

year keeps having problems with geometry tests). Such electronic portfolios may be also

displayed in communication with parents to inform about their child’s performance.

Finally, teachers can use ICT to expand their own opportunities, practice or increase their

competence by overcoming the classroom isolation and getting in touch with colleagues via

professional networks to share experience, ideas and resources. This can be done in

teachers’ work time when they do not have classes, but also after work as a part of their

professional and personal development.

For teachers, there are many advantages of using professional networks. On a personal

level, the networks allow them to socialise with their counterparts, discuss their experience,

communicate easily or join together for a common cause. Professionally, the contacts can

help them to acquire information or arrange inter-school partnerships. Furthermore,

potential employers can look up a person via a professional network based on their profile.

Project-based Learning

The presence of new technology in classroom doesn’t magically improve student

performance without effective and innovative methods that use the transformative

potential of ICT. The successful implementation of project-based learning (PBL) can present

such innovation that can multiply positive effects of technology in education. It introduces

student projects of various complexity and duration. They help learners combine their

knowledge of various subjects from the curriculum and create a final product: research

outcome or a solution to a certain problem. This outcome is presented publicly in a form of

a presentation, text, blog article or artefact. It shifts the focus from instruction of curriculum

to construction of final products based on the knowledge gained from the curriculum. The

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students hold various positions within their project teams in PBL and the teacher assumes

the role of a facilitator. The students learn in the course of PBL various so called 21st century

skills – collaboration, independent problem solving, communication, project management

and critical thinking. These skills combined with effective use of ICT tools can help to

prepare students for real life responsibilities such as, for example, in their future jobs.

Project-based teaching also cultivates collaboration between teachers as well as the

application of knowledge in one subject to practical problem solving that involves other

subjects. There are potential risks in overestimating the final product and underestimating

the group dynamics. In this case not all students in the project team gain the same skills and

the team leaders do work on behalf of the weaker members. But effective facilitation and

regular feedback from the team can help prevent these negative aspects.

Today, PBL is commonly used in extracurricular activities even without noticing. For

example, when a particular group of students prepares for a scientific competition or

creates a school magazine. Our soteICT programme intends to promote PBL across the

whole spectrum of the school activities and help the students to develop their presentation

skills through ICT. For instance, student ICT clubs can help school administrators to prepare

school presentations, brochures, calendars, magazines and business cards using tool like,

e.g. MS Publisher or PowerPoint software. The ICT club is also a place to develop a long term

project we introduced – student training companies which help the students simulate

business operations and make use of the knowledge they have learnt during their Business

Studies. Besides presentation skills we stress the importance of typing using the automatic

grammar correction tool and effective business communication skills in preparation of a

Curriculum Vitae or cover letters. We conduct regular competitions between schools in

promotional video creation for student companies, CV and essay writing.

There are various levels of PBL integration in daily life of schools. Our project also helps the

schools to improve the presentations for their scientific competitions and develops various

soft skills in students during their weekly ICT clubs. But we strongly believe that teachers of

all subjects can benefit when they embrace not only technology (email, text editor,

presentation software, internet, etc.) but also the new possibilities of technology in project-

based learning.

We encourage teachers to get further information on PBL and connect through their

colleagues through professional networks such as Partners in Learning operated by

Microsoft or blogs like Edutopia.

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soteICT Clubs

Computer literacy is often one of the crucial requirements of companies to their job

candidates. But ICT brings a great potential to improve much more than just computer skills.

Computing positively impacts critical thinking, creativity, initiative and accountability – all of

which are crucial for creating good working habits for both employment and one’s own

business management. However, due to the lack of resources, time or a high number of

students, the Computer Studies alone may not be sufficient to develop students’ individual

skills to the fullest.

Therefore, benefits of ICT integration in education can be enhanced through establishment

of ICT clubs. The advantage of ICT clubs is that they allow students to use technology in

ways which the regular Computer Studies class curricula do not provide. Thus, the ICT clubs

complement the classes, as besides equipping students with theoretical knowledge they

provide them with an opportunity to develop their skills through practical experience. While

the classes focus on teaching how to master a ‘tool’ (e.g. technical aspects – how to use

Microsoft Office), the clubs should use these ‘tools’ in order to teach practical skills (e.g.

how to use Microsoft Office tools to create an attractive CV design, how to create effective

databases, etc...). Also, the clubs put emphasis on students’ ability to use the ‘power of

internet’, find necessary information on their own, distinguish important from unimportant

and use the acquired knowledge for their own benefit (e.g. advice on how to successfully

pass a job interview).

As the clubs should be student-led, teachers’ position shifts from a ‘lecturer’ to a ‘mentor’.

This unburdens the teachers as instead of preparing extensive materials and

demonstrations they operate as motivators and facilitators (e.g. when teaching video

editors, the mentors give students essential information, but let them explore all the

functions of the editor themselves). In this way the students get advice and feedback they

need but they also learn working independently.

Setting topics and activities for the clubs, the teachers can be creative and try new and

challenging ideas, so that they can grow, learn and have fun alongside their students.

Moreover, they can search for some inspiration online (a good source of activity ideas are

for example www.teach-ict.com/teachershome.htm, www.parkfieldict.co.uk/ictclub/ or

www.simonhaughton.co.uk/2010/01/ict-club-activities.html). Furthermore, we encourage

student ICT clubs to focus a big share of their activities on another important aspect of the

soteICT project - the student training companies.

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Training Companies

With a 40 percent unemployment rate, the formal employment in Kenya is diminishing and

the impact of small businesses on country’s economy takes on greater significance. Every

year up to a big number of secondary school graduates start their own firms. However,

research shows that more than 60 percent (Ndeje, 2013) of these companies go bankrupt

every year as a result of insufficiency of resources, but mostly also due to the lack of

practical managerial and organisational skills essential for a successful business leadership.

In faith that these companies have a potential to grow and improve lives of individuals and

communities, this project aims to identify and address these problems by providing

computer-based business learning environment in which students can develop their

entrepreneurial skills and creativity.

What Are Training Companies?

Training companies simulate a real-business environment. Replicating all functions of an

actual firm, from production, to marketing, sales, customer relations, accounting, human

resources (HR), etc., they work within detailed structures and departments. Similarly to the

real firms, they keep their records, materials and documentations, such as orders, invoices

or shipping forms. In order to make the experience even more real, the global market is

simulated by cooperation of the practice enterprises working on import-export basis. In the

case of this project the Practice Enterprise Network connects training companies in Kenya

and Slovakia.

What Are the Benefits?

The advantage of training companies is that they cut across borders by developing business,

computer and life skills essential for students’ future once they leave high school. The real-

world skills acquisition occurs through learning by doing. Even though the students can

make actual products or partner with real companies, the training methodology by the

Practice Enterprise Network is not based on any real goods or money transaction and

stresses the need of close simulation of relevant business practice in Kenya. The re-

connection of education and development of real-life skills happens through replication of

real business processes.

Establishing the training companies the project aims to provide the students with a

competitive advantage to equip them for the job market and entrepreneurship. Usually

people who start their own businesses without any previous experience acquire the skills

and knowledge throughout the process. However, naturally the process of learning by doing

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necessarily involves mistakes and failures. These are, of course, inevitable and often useful

as they can be learnt from. Still, in the real world, every mistake costs a company its money.

Practise enterprises give students an opportunity to learn from their mistakes, to be

creative, and test their ideas without the risk of a loss. Still, the reactions to their practice

come from the real world, which is represented by schools in Kenya and abroad, parents

and the Practice Enterprise Network which are used as testing grounds. In comparison to

their counterparts, who do not take part in training firms, by the time they leave school

these students will have known e.g. how to set up a business, manage their companies, how

to attract customers, which marketing strategies work and which do not, etc…

Furthermore, even the students who do not intend to start their own businesses benefit

from their involvement in a practise enterprise significantly. They acquire important work

habits, skills and experience, which may once serve as important points of reference in their

CVs when applying for jobs. In comparison to a high school graduate without experience

who can only put educational track in their CVs, the absolvents of training firms can also add

working experience, saying, for example, that they have worked as assistant managers of

the marketing department in a travel agency. And if they were active they can present their

certificate from the Practice Enterprise Network that acknowledges minimal standards of

the training company and achievements of particular students. This adds value to their job

applications. Also, by participating in various competitions by soteICT, these graduates get

an opportunity to succeed and use this success to point to in order to prove their skills and

competence in the future. Moreover, as the companies simulate the real world, they

provide activities through which their employees can improve their CV and cover letter

writing as well as their behaviours at job interviews.

In addition, the members also benefit from feedback of their teachers. In training

companies, teachers turn into mentors and motivators, providing advice and

encouragement. As the companies should be student-led, the members learn to work

independently and unburden their tutors.

For the companies to work effectively it is necessary to secure continuation of activities

through which the members develop their skills. If set up efficiently, the practise enterprises

equip the students with very concrete and practical set of skills and prepare them to enter

the real world of knowledge-based economy and so give them a comparative advantage on

the job market.

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From a Teacher to a Mentor

(the Role of Teachers in soteICT Clubs And Training Companies)

Even though the Kenyan curricula are very good at equipping students with an extensive

knowledge in order to prepare them for any professional choices, they can often feel too

compressed or heavily based on memorising. Therefore, the ICT clubs and training

companies aim to provide students with an opportunity to develop their “21st century” skills

in a way their regular classes may not. Naturally, with a shift from theoretical to practical,

the method of learning by doing brings a change in the role of teachers in this process. For

the students to learn the necessary skills, they need to be able to learn to work

independently, make their own decisions or judgements. Therefore, at the ICT clubs and

training companies, instead of a lecturer, a teacher becomes a mentor, a motivator and a

facilitator.

Mentor

What Is Mentoring?

Mentoring can be understood as an active relationship between an experienced person

(mentor) and a mentee, aimed at developing mentee’s knowledge and skills, which would

enhance their personal and professional growth. In comparison with teaching, mentoring

does not focus on providing the mentee with answers to their problems, but rather guiding

them towards the right direction so that they can resolve problems for themselves. An

important part of mentoring is a provision of critical, honest, unbiased and balanced

feedback in a suitable form, in order for the students to learn from and build on.

What Is the Role of a Mentor?

Mentor’s role changes according to the needs of individual stages of mentee’s development.

They pass on the benefit of their experience by sharing knowledge and resources, providing

guidance, advice but also they pose as role models by sharing information on their own

career path.

Instead of telling mentees what to do, mentors realise that the effectiveness of learning is

enhanced when students are responsible and feel ownership over their work. Focusing on

students’ total development, mentors help their students to clarify their goals and how to

achieve them.

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A big emphasis is on the relationship between the mentor and the mentee. The students

can be often unconfident or afraid to share their thoughts with people who they naturally

look up to and respect. It is up to the mentor to create an atmosphere in which learners will

feel safe and appreciated. The mentee needs to be valued as a person and be paid attention

to. Providing non-judgemental support, honest feedback and maintaining confidentiality are

all essential for creating such an atmosphere.

In order to make the relationship work, it is essential that the mentor is interested in this

kind of work. The students need to believe they can trust their mentors and not to feel like

they bother them with their questions or problems. Mentors should possess active listening

skills, so that they can analyse and react to what the mentee is saying without interrupting.

Dealing with different kind of personalities, mentors need to be patient and ready to

support the students’ views and decisions. Still, an honest and critical feedback is always

desirable but must not be replaced by imposing mentor’s views and opinions.

How Does a Mentor Benefit?

The mentoring relationship does not only benefit the mentee. Taking on the role of a

mentor is a rewarding and valuable position to be in, given only to professionals with a

proven record of experience and results. Throughout the process, mentors learn and

develop alongside their wards; they broaden their knowledge and develop new skills. By

cooperating with young promising persons, the mentors potentially increase their

professional and personal networks for the future. Mentoring not only gives them a new

dimension to their every-day job, but most importantly, allows mentors to see others learn

from their experience and based on that, grow into productive individuals.

Feedback

Often the reason hindering students‘ development rests in their misunderstanding or

disinformation about their performance. Without any consultations students may struggle

identifying their mistakes and hence also the areas for further improvements. Therefore, an

appropriate and regular feedback plays a crucial role in enhancing learners’s potential

through raising awareness of their strengths as well as areas to work on harder.

For any feedback to be effective it needs to be understood as an interaction between a

mentor and a mentee, rather than a one-way communication. It is then also highly valued

by the students as they know that it comes from someone who they know and respect.

A quality feedback should adhere to a few basic principles:

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1. Timeliness – Feedback should be provided as soon after an activity as possible. This

allows the students to remember the process of learning or problem resolution

clearly, reflect upon it and think of rectifications. The mentor should operate in the

boundaries of “here and now”, which means that they do not bring up mistakes

stood up from previous assignments in order not to discourage a student. However,

in case there is a certain pattern of behaviours which needs to be emphasised, an

exception can be made.

2. Concreteness – A feedback which is too general or does not focus on specific

observations may lack effectiveness. Therefore, the mentors need to be clear on the

subject of their feedback, concentrate on specific issues and provide concrete

examples wherever possible. The mentees should be acquainted with intended

outcomes of an assignment. If possible, the point should be summarised again at the

end of a meeting session.

3. Practicality – After identifying the problematic areas clearly, it is important to

provide students with guidance or suggestions on alternative behaviours. The

mentor and the mentee should be able to agree on actions to be taken in order to

improve performance.

4. Balance – In order to prevent the student from taking a defence when receiving

criticism or getting discouraged, it is important to communicate the message

sensitively. Therefore, it is advised that a negative feedback is preceded by a positive

one. The purpose of the positive feedback is to highlight mentee’s strengths and

successes achieved so far. A student who has been motivated in this way is then

more receptive to a correcting message. In all cases, feedback should be provided

confidentially and in private.

Motivator

Why Is Motivation Important?

A strong motivation makes the process of teaching and learning more effective, easier and

more comfortable for both teachers and students. Generally, if people see a purpose and

meaning in what they do, and find the end point attractive or useful, they pay more

attention, they are more collaborative and initiative. What may motivate students is also

the content of a class and the way in which information is presented. It can often be seen

that students tend to like or prefer specific classes because they find teacher’s personality

pleasant or the information is disseminated in an attractive way. Motivated students show

better behaviour, working habits and improved academic performance. They work harder

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because they see the reason of doing so. As it has been mentioned already, one of such

tools of attracting students attention and increasing their motivation is, e.g. integration of

ICT in teaching. Another important advantage of motivation is that the students are

encouraged to move beyond their comfort zone and develop beyond their own limits.

Motivation instils positive attitudes to education and helps overcome difficult or challenging

times more easily.

If the students are motivated, it is not only beneficial for themselves, but also for their

teachers and the schools. The teachers find it easier to work with inspired students, while

the school can boast by better academic results positioning it well in the national ranking of

secondary education institutions. The very same proven record of results also ensures a

good reputation of teachers and broadens their opportunities for the future. Hence,

motivation helps to achieve goals of all – students, teachers and schools. It can be seen as a

smart way of leadership, which is also adopted by top Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of

companies worldwide. By getting all the support, encouragement and motivation from their

mentors, the students have a great potential to find their own confidence and become

effective leaders themselves.

How to Motivate Students?

Motivation

Most importantly, for anyone to be motivated, they firstly need to see the meaning of their

effort. Mentors should make the students understand why it is important for them working

hard, trying new things, thinking outside the box. Further, the mentors should show the

students meaning behind all the activities, tell them where the actions taken are supposed

to lead them, what new skills they can develop through them. Often, the problem of

students’ passivity lays in the fact that they do not understand the purpose behind tasks

given to them. Even most useful educational tools, such as e.g. training companies, can

prove ineffective due to members’ inactivity caused by confusion over their purposes.

Therefore, the best motivators never go without explaining the meaning of every activity

and by doing so encourage better performance.

The roles of a motivator and a mentor have much in common and are related to each other.

Similarly as mentors, motivators need to develop mutual trust and respect with their wards.

Emotional support and person’s belief that there is someone who has faith in them seem to

be one of the best encouragement tools. Appreciation and well-communicated criticism

drive students forward and make them want to achieve more by working harder. On the

other hand, lack of appreciation may lead to loss of students’ motivation and interest in

their work. Rewarding does not need to involve any material tokens, a word of appreciation,

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a letter or a simple certificate are enough. These certificates, of course, should explicitly

state the quality or the act for which the person is being rewarded.

The students get encouraged also by being exposed to inspiring people. Therefore, by

setting a good example for their wards, teachers can become role models and have a

positive impact on students’ desire to achieve their goals.

People often get discouraged when they do not understand their roles or feel like they

cannot change anything nor have any word in decision-making. Hence, motivation can be

ensured by allowing the students to get a hands-on experience through taking part in

planning, problem resolution or individually-assigned tasks.

Communication and team work

Communication and team spirit are also essential. In order to be able to fully develop their

potential, the students need to feel they work in a safe environment. They need to feel they

can express themselves and will not be mocked for their opinions or actions. It is important

to be sensitive to students’ personal issues as it may be these which hold them back. Young

people are often under much pressure from their families, teachers and friends. Students

with worse performance are often convinced they are “stupid" and therefore designate on

any attempts to accomplish or excel at anything. However, the experience shows that each

person has different set of skills and the best qualities await to be discovered. Still, they will

not come on the surface if the student feels given up on or underestimated. Therefore, one

of the main roles of teachers is to help students find their talents and interests, and assist

them in their further development.

Students may be passive as a consequence of their lack of confidence. There are many

reasons for that; some may be bullied by their counterparts, some may feel they cannot

amount to much due to their personal background, origin, gender, looks, handicaps, etc…

The role of a motivator is to try to identify such reasons and by empathising with students’

situations provide them with support which makes them stronger. Again, no difficult or

sophisticated approaches are necessary. If you see that a student is shy and does not

believe in himself or herself, start with assigning them simple tasks which you are sure they

can accomplish. By carrying out challenging tasks and accomplishing them successfully, you

are showing the students the qualities within themselves and the sense of achievement

inculcates a higher self-esteem and gives them drive to continue developing further.

Also, it is not advised assigning multiple roles to a small number of students as the rest may

feel neglected or may think they are perceived by the teacher as unfit for the tasks. In their

mentoring positions, teachers should aim at securing development of the highest possible

number of their wards which can only be done by balanced division of tasks. At this point, a

mentor and motivator also becomes a facilitator.

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Facilitator

Who Is a Facilitator?

Facilitators are individuals who help a group to work effectively and achieve improved or

exceptional performance in order to bring about results. Therefore, an essential part of the

role is securing quality and continuity of activities which happens through following an

agreed-on agenda, as well as keeping records, deadlines and encouraging an active

participation of students. Facilitators support internal and external collaborations between

schools, clubs and training companies and promote good practice. Even though their

assistance should be unobtrusive, their guidance promotes mutual understanding, shared

responsibility, and advocates for fair and inclusive procedures in group’s work. Good

facilitation helps create a safe environment in which the group members are not afraid to

take risks or express themselves. The content of activities should be student-led, but the

role of the teacher is to facilitate the process of learning and its structure. The meaning of

doing so is to enable the students to benefit to the highest possible measure.

Good Practices

1. Time-management

Time management may be understood as everyone’s own system or a set of practices which

helps them create the time they need to accomplish a certain task or organise their lives

more efficiently. There are many benefits of time-keeping. It helps setting up one’s priorities

and positively impacts discipline, focus and attention, which then leads to a higher

productivity and therefore, success.

A good time management system prevents people from losing momentum. By giving their

work an exact structure it takes them closer to their goals and enhances development of

their skills. Meeting deadlines at work, at school projects or any team activities does not

only impact one person, but can have consequences for the whole group. Therefore it is

important for the teachers to do their best for their students to allow them to benefit the

most, as it is for the students to try hard in order to secure teacher’s good reputation and

work results.

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As people are diverse, they all develop their own ways of effective time-management. Still,

the following steps may be useful for some inspiration:

1. Find out what needs to be done and what the deadlines are. Calculate how much

time you have to accomplish the tasks.

2. Set up your priorities.

3. Set up your goals.

4. Classify the tasks according to their importance.

5. Create a time plan for completing each of the assignments. Be realistic and take into

account unforeseen circumstances.

6. If possible, you can break the assignment into smaller sub-tasks.

7. You can define a time limit for each subtask and delegate the students to carry them

out.

8. Create a check-list or a tick-box for each of the activities. It works best if you keep it

in a place where you can see it daily, such as your desk.

9. Keep an eye on students’ activities and progress to ensure success.

10. Keep re-evaluating the time you have left and act accordingly.

11. If there is a task which is holding back the whole group, delegate students who are

through with their activities to help the slower ones.

12. When accomplished, check the result of the work yourself and offer feedback.

13. If you have time, you can improve imperfections. If not, just submit it as soon as

possible so that you do not miss a deadline. In this case, all your work could be a

waste.

14. After completing or submitting the result, you can discuss the process with your

students. This will allow you to reflect on what the strengths of your team are and

what, on the other hand, needs to be improved next time.

In order to effectively follow-up a club or a company agenda and deliver the best outcomes,

these points are important:

1. Inform all the participants about the activity.

2. Explain the expected outcomes.

3. Set the time limits and never hesitate to remind the students of them throughout

the process.

4. Tell the students about the benefit of carrying out the task in order to motivate

them.

2. Securing Continuity

As it has been mentioned already, the main purpose of the soteICT project is to provide

students with very concrete and practical skills, which would once position them well on a

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job market or in the business environment. Still, in order to really develop it is important for

the students to improve their skills continuously through regular and frequent assignments

with time-bound targets and specific objectives. Therefore, the soteICT team of teachers,

who are the biggest strength of the project, should make sure that their students’ progress

constantly and use the resources provided to them effectively.

However, on a way to success there may be many obstacles. Such are, for instance, weak

internet connectivity, insufficiency of time due to the tight schedules, passive students, or

non-existent customers for the training companies which may lead to a situation, when the

companies do not know how to progress with their activities. Fortunately, websites are full

of various ideas and suggestions for fun activities for the clubs. Generally, teachers can be

very busy and it is understandable if they do not have time to google and read websites

looking for information. In this case, they can contact the soteICT team, who are here to

assist the mentors in their roles and are very happy to provide them with some inspirations.

The following are some of activities which the ICT clubs can carry out to keep busy. For most

of them, internet connection is not necessary, even though it may come helpful. The ICT

clubs and the companies can adopt these activities but also recombine them or amend

them according to their will:

1. Typing assignments – Typing remains a challenge not only for the young students

but often even for people who have worked with a computer for some time now. In

order to master this skill, the students can retype a page from a magazine or a

textbook. They can even compete about who is the fastest. By having them write

essays, blogs, articles, etc., the teachers help improve this important skill. Very

helpful are typing instructors which are usually freely downloadable from web, such

as, for instance, Mavic Beacon software. (No internet necessary)

2. MS Office and other programs – If the school is low on internet, the students can

use the ICT clubs to enhance their abilities working in MS Office. They can learn how

to use the tools creatively, in a way in which they are not able to use them in class.

They can, for example, create various posters for the clubs or for the schools, design

business cards not only for themselves but also for the teachers, prepare leaflets,

information sheets for parents’ day or school functions. Moreover, if the teachers

are free, they can even download more programs freely accessible online, or contact

the soteICT team to provide them with some. An example could be AVS Video Editor,

or various chatter boxes and animators (Scratch), in which they can even create their

own PC games. The plan of activities for the ICT clubs could reflect upon the needs of

the companies; they can correlate. That means that if the companies need to

prepare a video that week, at the ICT classes they can learn how to work with

various editors and cut the shot material. (No internet necessary)

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3. Thematical presentations – ensuring balanced participation, the students can be

assigned a theme about which they would have to make a presentation in Power

Point and pitch in front of the class. They may choose the topic themselves, or if

passive, the mentor can help. (No internet necessary)

4. Regular reports – the members of the ICT club and the companies as well as their

single departments can give oral and written reports about their operations and

functioning to the mentor on regular basis whilst changing the spokesperson so that

more students can benefit. (No internet necessary)

5. Blogs – it happens that the students set up their own blogs but struggle to update

them. This can be a great activity, as besides keeping them busy and developing their

typing skills, it also improves their writing, composition, presentation and the way in

which they express themselves. Instead of just uploading pictures, the teachers may

have them write regular articles about their activities, interesting topics, news from

the clubs, schools or their communities. (Internet necessary)

6. School magazines and yearbooks – in case the internet connection is too weak,

instead of blogs, students can create regular school magazines reflecting on hottest

issues or any topic of their choice (approved by the school administration) or school

year books. Insufficiency of printers, cartridges or paper is not an issue – the

magazines can exist only in an electronic form and in case there is a good

connection, they can be accessed online. (No internet necessary )

7. SoteICT contests – in order to keep the clubs busy, the soteICT team prepares

regular contests (e.g. video contests, Ambassadors of Change competitions,CV

writing contests, business case contests, etc.), which purpose is to help advance

students’ abilities and knowledge. All the information is distributed through soteICT

Facebook page and by emails directly to the teachers. Even though sometimes

internet may be necessary, these contests are mostly designed so that everyone,

even the schools without internet connectivity are able to join in.

8. Internal contests – Competitions can be organised within the schools when the

competing would be the individual students or the companies between each other.

Besides typing competitions, these may be such as poster competitions, photo essay

contests, cover letter contests, best marketing contests, best videos, best business

cards, etc. The contests can also copy the competitions carried out by the soteICT

team in order to enhance students’ abilities in the given field further. (No internet

necessary)

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9. Business cases – if there is a problem of a missing customer, the mentor or the

students themselves can make up a business case. This means, the whole story of a

customer coming to use the services or buy the products would be just virtual.

However, this virtual customer would spend their money in the company and

therefore, all the departments would have to start operating and processing the

transaction as well as using the good service to illustrate quality of their firm in their

promotional materials. All of these activities, the mechanism and the structure of

companies’ functioning are explained in the next chapter. (Internet may be very

helpful but it is not essential)

10. Kenyan or Kenyan-Slovak cooperation – a wide network of the soteICT project

which reaches 10 schools in Kenya and a number of them in Slovakia can be used as

a great opportunity to start inter-school activities, beneficial for both sides. It does

not only increase the competition and therefore activity, creativity and general

performance of the groups, but also presents a great chance to learn from each

other, make friends and get to know other cultures. (Internet necessary)

11. Thematical months – in the beginning, a mentor introduces a topic, sets up rules,

standards and expectations and then lets the students work on their own. Finally,

after the task has been accomplished, the mentor would offer a balanced feedback

to each of the groups and gives some suggestions for improvements. The themes can

be practise enterprise related, such as marketing strategy months, but also

assignments focused on customer relations, financial management, and so on.

12. Wiki – Teachers can post all the information or instructions on their activities on

their page on Wiki spaces, which provides room for the teacher and the students to

communicate online. This allows the students to easily access the instructions any

time, double check if they are unsure about anything, practise what they have learnt,

repeat it again, and so master the tools. A great advantage is that this would also

enable them to work on their own, in the absence of the mentor. The teacher can

always update the materials from wherever they are. (Internet necessary)

13. Students’ initiative – the students can come up with their own ideas for the

activities. This would not only improve their creativity, but it could also boost their

confidence, teach them how to take the lead and responsibility for their own

projects, and last but not least, to work independently.

The clubs can post pictures and information about their activities and successes on soteICT

Facebook page, so that they can motivate others or get inspired themselves.

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3. Balancing the Participation

It is said that ‘if just one person is talking, very few people are learning’. Thus, for learning at

class to be effective, it is important that the students themselves take action and are able to

discuss issues lively. Such an opportunity to participate increases students’ interest and

therefore has a positive impact on their performance. It also allows them to test their ideas,

think more independently and develop their presentation skills. Therefore, progressive

teachers nowadays base their educational methods on participative activities. However, in

order to maximise the benefits of these activities, teachers need to approach differences in

students sensitively. Especially, this applies to the ICT clubs, where the mentors often work

with a high number of students from different classes and with various levels of skills or

knowledge. To ensure that the highest possible number of students benefit from the

project, the mentors should be able to address the following issues:

- The Issue of Dominance:

Throughout their profession, teachers learn to recognise mainly four types of students:

a) Students actively participating and thriving at classes,

b) Quiet students who usually speak only if spoken to but work hard (often timid

students who still score high grades),

c) Students who seem to be uninterested in the subject of discussion (this may show

either in their silence or class-disturbing behaviours),

d) Mixed cases (depends on how comfortable or safe they feel).

These differences in people are very natural, but if they are not handled well, they may lead

to an imbalance in the group dynamics. Each club or a company should have a leader. Still, it

happens sometimes that the person starts dominating the group with their skills and

knowledge, which may result in other students feeling intimidated or becoming passive.

Some of them may do it forcefully, but mostly these students just act out of their

enthusiasm for the subject. Also, as these students are usually very advanced for their level,

a teacher may unconsciously cause the situation by always appointing the same person to

carry out a certain activity, because they can be sure that these students will do it properly.

In both cases, the dominance of the club by individuals leads to a decrease in number of

members, who really develop. This problem is apparent especially when comparing

students’ presentation skills.

The dominant students should not be favoured so that they can overtake the group but

neither marginalised so that they lose motivation. Firstly, the mentor should focus on

monitoring group interactions and identify patterns of behaviours. If intervention is needed,

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the facilitators can use phrases like “Let’s hear from those who have not spoken yet”, “What

does the rest of you think?” or “This is a great idea but we need to move on so let’s discuss

it later”. The same can be applied when assigning tasks to individuals. Also, individuals

coming up with alternatives within a group discussion or decision making should be heard

out and given a serious consideration. All the communication must be respectful and all the

students should feel appreciated for their contributions.

With younger students, the method of a Talking Stick may be useful (the stick is passed on

among the participants and the one who holds it, that one speaks). However, to ensure

balance in older student groups, more sophisticated methods may be necessary. A ‘flip chart

method’ starts with a facilitator identifying a problem or a question to the entire group and

then hands out small cards and gives the participants time to work individually. After they

have written down their contributions, they place the cards on a flip chart. The ideas,

opinions or suggestions can then be reviewed proportionally. A great advantage of using

this method is that it does not favour anyone while at the same time it encourages more

timid individuals to participate, eliminating feelings of intimidation.

Another useful method is a determination of exact limitations on students’ participation.

This could be, for instance, provision of an equal time scope for everyone to present, or

putting a number on how many times the same individual may carry out a certain activity.

- the Issue of a High Number of Participants

The higher is the number of active participants, the better is the quality of learning

outcomes, as the students need to compete and be more creative. In bigger groups the

participation can be balanced by creating a mechanism which will enable everyone to get

engaged in the activities. One such mechanism may be creating schedules for e.g. a month,

when every day two different students assist the teacher, carry out the assigned tasks, lead

the class, prepare presentations, etc. Furthermore, through these schedules, the

participants get to know when it is their turn in advance, which allows them to prepare for

their ‘shift’. This results in more confidence and thus, better outcomes. Especially more

timid or passive students will appreciate the method.

In a very similar manner, mentors may create various ‘class chains’ according to their wish.

Class chains are usually based on some kind of order – alphabetical; from the oldest to the

youngest (by the time it’s their turn, the younger students will have had learnt from the

oldest and perform better); or by the seat in the class – from the front to the back and the

other way around.

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Especially within the training companies, a teacher can always appoint a person from

another department to give a report of their activities. Sometimes, it does not need to be

the president only; mentors can talk to department managers and deputies or have them

appoint anyone else from the group to do the speaking.

Last but not least, mentors may make the students work in smaller groups, create new

groups and change partners frequently. Setting up smaller groups may be efficient

especially at the training company business. If there are more than 25 students in a group, it

is more beneficial for the students to create two or more companies instead of just one. The

key thing is that smaller groups allow the participants to get a real ‘hands-on’ experience,

cooperate closely, learn from each other, and share their knowledge, skills and strengths.

More companies will also increase the competition between the groups. This could motivate

the students to work more creatively, they will also learn how to make their company differ

from the competition and through this added value, attract customers.

- the Issue of Differences in Students’ Skills and Knowledge

The fact that the members of the clubs and training companies usually come from all the

forms and differ by skills, knowledge and age, may be one of the biggest challenges that the

soteICT mentors need to address. Also, there are students joining and leaving the clubs

every year, which could negatively impact the continuity of activities or the quality of their

outcomes. Therefore, it is important to minimise these threats and, if approached

creatively, use the differences for the benefit of the club and the training companies.

Naturally, when younger students join the soteICT clubs or training companies, their

knowledge of computers or business is significantly lower than the knowledge of their older

counterparts. As they don’t want to slow the others down, they let the older students lead

without contributing themselves. However, if the older students carry out all the important

activities and decision making, the younger ones do not really get space for learning and

improvement and they would rely on the leadership of the older students too much.

Moreover, this development does not only hold back the young ones, but also the older

students, who could be working on more complex things.

One of the ways around this problem may be splitting students into Junior (Form 1, 2) and

Senior (Form 3, 4) companies, where everyone would be able to participate, contribute and

develop in accordance with their skills or needs. This allows the younger ones progress and

learn together, while the older ones can work on a higher level. As the companies within

one school usually do not focus on a similar business field, they would not pose an unequal

competition to each other.

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Within these schools with a Senior/Junior structures, but also outside them, a system of

sororities and brotherhoods may be effective. For instance, a president of a Senior company

has a sister from a Junior firm to mentor; then the twinning can be done on each level, also

between regular members. In this way, they can both learn from each other, the older ones

could develop their leadership skills further, while the younger ones would have support in

their counterparts and therefore should not feel intimidated by their roles. But this system

can be also used within a single company, especially after recruitment of new members.

These new recruits should be included in the departments where they are needed most –

hence, usually to cover the empty spots after the Form 4 students. The pairs would then be

created within these single departments. The responsibility of the older members is then to

acquaint the recruited with how the department operates and teach them to work with the

programs central to firm’s functioning so that they can catch up fast.

4. Resolving Attendance Issues

Training companies operate as a simulation of real-life firms and therefore, similarly, the

attendance and performance of employees is the key to their success. Thus, irregular

attendance may lead to a decrease in productivity and quality of work as it impedes the

work of the other members. Due to insufficiency of work force, the firms may be missing

deadlines or be unavailable to potential customers. Furthermore, this development may

result in deterioration of morals and discipline within the companies. These problems could

show up in late arrivals and early departures, long breaks or unexplained and unscheduled

absences.

The first thing to do is, therefore, identifying the problem clearly. Each company and IT club

need to keep records of the attendance of their members so that the facilitator can monitor

the situation. Of course, reasonable absences and breaks are very natural to companies’

everyday functioning but if there exists a clear pattern, an action should be taken in order to

prevent the behaviour.

Students often do not understand what is expected of them, so one of most important

things is to set strong and clear standards for everyone in the beginning and acquaint them

with possible consequences of misbehaviour. In case that an intervention is necessary, the

facilitator can usually resolve the problems simply by communication. The problem may be

temporary, such as sickness, a need to work harder on school assignments, important

examination period, but also family illness or financial problems, or even serious issues such

as abuse. It is not teacher’s job to rectify the problematic issues, but rather to provide the

student with enough time scope or resources to be able to catch up with their work. All of

these, if handled well, can be resolved and a student can be re-integrated in the group.

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However, if the absence seems to be chronic and the member struggles to explain the

underlying reasons, a teacher or the company itself (Human Resources - HR department)

should take an action and proceed accordingly to their internal rules. After sending a

warning letters, HR department may carry out a disciplinary process and in serious cases,

the member may be expelled. It may be harsh, but just the awareness that this may happen,

may make students realise that there is many of their counterparts who would like to join in

but cannot due to the high number of the interested and a limited capacity of ICT labs.

Hence, the student should start appreciating their positions more and act responsively.

After taking the corrective measures on the attendance and the re-integration of the

student, the facilitator should keep monitoring the situation as the elimination of absences

can shift into other undesirable behaviours or reoccur again after several months. In these

cases, creation of long-term improvement plans or schedules could be useful so that the

member can demonstrate an improvement.

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Running a Training Company

Simulation Game

As mentioned in previous chapters, the essential teaching method in training company

practice is simulation of the real business environment. Training firms replicate all the

functions, structures, organisation and working processes of real companies. They are

established by trainees – students with a support of a facilitator – a teacher. The simulation

method enables the students to gain hands-on experience through silhoutting the real

working environment – they can test their ideas and come up with new ones, learn from

their mistakes, take risks and accountability for their actions. Even though the firms are not

real, the inscenation requires the students to concentrate, develop their soft and hard skills

and approach the ‘game’ seriously. The point is to make the firms operate as real as

possible.

All the students involved in training companies hold concrete positions within the

departments and are assigned their own specific tasks for which accomplishment they are

responsible. This can be perceived as a role play. For that, all the members need to

understand their roles and what they are expected to deliver. The simulation allows

students to solve dynamic tasks, such as various business cases when the goods and services

are sold to virtual or imaginative customers or the firms can work as a cluster and trade

products or services.

Facilitator’s role is to ensure that the education is connected to reality. Teaching is

integrated in the simulation scenario and learning takes place during the process of work

adhering to real-world business organisation structures. The facilitator should create a safe

learning environment which would support students’ creativity and initiative.

The Roles of the SoteICT Structures in the Simulation Game

Even though the businesses may not be real, all the successes, failures, problems and

customer feedback that firms receive need to be reflecting those of actual people. This will

ensure that during their studies the members will have gained such experience and

knowledge which will help them to stand on their own two feet in the real world. In order to

ensure this, each of the soteICT structures plays a specific role in the simulation game.

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Students – roles of company’s presidents, managers, their deputies, employees and other

personnel

Teachers – role of companies’ external consultants and advisors

Training companies – the network of businesses, a simulation of world’s business

environment. They can work as a cluster or compete against each other.

Schools, teachers, parents and the Kenyan – Slovak company network – testing grounds

for the potential of companies’ products and services; potential customers

SoteICT Centre – the simulation of state governmental business administration offices: the

registration office, tax office, etc… The Centre also organises trade fairs, vocational trainings

and other events.

Slovak Centre of Training Companies – is a partner and mentor of soteICT Centre and

registers training companies at Practice Enterprise Network (PEN). It also provides trainings

to Kenyan teachers on the PEN methodology and tools and organizes various trade fairs.

Practice Enterprise Network – is an international organization based in Germany that has

currently more than 40 full and associated country members. It is responsible for the

training company methodology and issues certificates for student training companies that

are well established and keep certain minimal standards. Slovakia is mentoring Kenya in

training company methodology in order for Kenya to become a full member.

Training Company Organisational Structures

Even though a product is very important, on its own it may not be enough to ensure

company’s success. Besides production, an effective firm needs to be able to attract

customers by appropriate advertising of the product, take care of company’s employees and

ensure their competence and performance, as well as manage the financial issues and many

more. A failure to secure all of these aspects may lead to a decrease in company revenue

and profitability.

The case of Walt Disney’s may be a good example here. After getting a long-dreamed-about

job in a newspaper, Disney was fired by the editor for ‘lacking imagination’. With a Mickey

Mouse existing only in his head at the time, he decided to start his own company. However,

despite being very skilled in drawing and creative when coming up with ideas for the stories,

Disney did not know anything about marketing or managing his finances. Thus, the company

did not do well. Therefore, Walt Disney asked his brother to help him. The brother turned

out to be great with numbers and advertising and after some time, the company started

profiting and grew into what we know as Disney’s today. This instance illustrates that

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sometime, even despite the best product or an idea, the company cannot prosper without

securing all the other important aspects.

In order to be able to manage all of the aspects effectively, companies should work within

departments. A clear hierarchy structure will allow more students to benefit. We present

one example of company structure with traditional names for its leaders – President, Vice-

President, Department Managers. It should be noted, that company structure in the real

world varies considerably because of many factors – size, core business, legal requirements,

etc... Often the top management has different titles such as a Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

and a Chief Operations Officer (COO). Students are free to choose these titles or titles that

are common within their business sector in Kenya. But we decided to stick with the

traditional title of a President. Besides the presidents, vice-presidents and secretaries seated

in the Directorial Department, each department should have a Manager and a Deputy

Manager. This is efficient in terms of management of the firm – as there will be many issues

to deal with, it is better to ensure that smaller teams can manage their own work, instead of

leaving all the supervision and monitoring solely to the top management. The managers and

the deputies are responsible for operations of their departments and updating the President

on the most important issues, which should be discussed.

Hence, the picture below illustrates the example of structure to which each company should

adhere and have clearly described. The President, Vice-President and General Secretary are

together known as the Directorial Department, even though each of them has a separate

role. All of the other departments consist of a Manager, Deputy Manager and employees.

The Managers answer to the President, based on the agreed mechanism of firm’s internal

communication.

President

A President is a main director, executor and decision-maker. This means that s/he provides

strategic leadership by presiding over company’s day-to-day operations and overseeing all

President

Customer Relations

Financial Department

Human Resources

Marketing Department

Production Department

Vice-President

General Secretary

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the other managers and employees. The president holds the overall accountability to the

stakeholders, such as employees, investors, partners, customers, and also the general

public. His/Her duties include establishing firm’s strategies, plans and goals. Overseeing the

budgets, the President makes sure that all the resources are allocated appropriately.

Further, by organising frequent meetings with managers of the departments, the President

monitors if the departments meet their specific goals, and presides over the quality of their

work and products in offer. Presidents always look for new opportunities, initiate beneficial

partnerships and represent the firm at various occasions (in public, at business meetings, in

contact with governmental officials, etc.).

Vice-President

A Vice-President is the second in command to the company President. Therefore, his/her

duties mirror those of a President with only little differences. In situation, when the

President is absent or cannot fulfil the duties for whatever reasons, the Vice-President acts

in his/her stand. Besides the surrogacy of the President, the Vice-President also has his/her

own roles to play. While the President sets up companies agenda, objectives and strategies,

the Vice-President carries out the plans and can be directly appointed to assign

responsibilities to the employees. Being directly involved in firm’s operations, the Vice-

President collects information, which is then passed on to the President or presented at

corporate meetings. Usually, Vice-Presidents are more accessible and are in closer touch

with the common employees than Presidents. Also, in order to increase the efficiency and

unburden the President, the two leaders can agree on splitting the care of the departments

between each other (e.g. the Presidents presides over the Secretary, Financial Department

and Marketing, while the Vice-President oversees the operations of Human Resources,

Customer Relations and Production Department). In this case, it is important that the

President and Vice-President meet regularly in order to inform each other and discuss

further procedures and developments.

General Secretary

Secretary’s main role is to support the President and Vice-President and, if assigned, even

the Managers of the departments. Secretaries maintain effective records on firm’s

operations, take care of administration and correspondence, and organise meetings. During

these meetings and negotiations, they take minutes and prepare the respective documents.

A Secretary may also be responsible for organising President’s time, and follows his/her

agenda. Among the duties also belongs making any travel arrangements, collection and

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distribution of information and spreadsheets, and preparation of all necessary

documentation. It is advised that Secretary’s records are organised in a manner, which

allows an external auditor to get a clear picture about firm’s operations since the last visit

up to the present.

Financial Department

The Financial Department is, first and foremost, responsible for company’s day-to-day

financial operations (any deposits, withdrawals, transfers, tracking and recording the

transactions, etc.). All the operations are done in PEN or Slovak Centre of Training

Companies tools for online banking. Therefore, the department, as well as the Directorial

need to ensure that company’s log-in details for online banking are kept safe.

Keeping records, the department informs on the financial situation of the company,

analyses current financial performance, and prepares annual budget and suggestions for the

future operations or policies of the company. It also creates payment policies for both the

customers and the suppliers.

The department does extensive reporting – from informing and discussing issues with the

President and Vice-President, to all the internal and external financial reports, such as

monthly or annual reports, to reporting for the government (for the educational purposes of

the training company these reports will resemble the requirements of Kenyan authorities

and will be delivered to soteICT Centre). Besides reports, the department also prepares

receipts, invoices, shipping documents etc...

The department is also responsible for preparation of annual reports and focuses on

transparency, assists auditors and also takes active measures to prevent financial crime and

fraud.

Another duty of the department is management of firm’s cash flow. The employees ensure

that the company has enough funds to make payments to its creditors. If saving is

necessary, the Financial Department prepares a plan of savings for a pre-set period of time.

In case a loan is necessary, this department asks for it in Mshindi KCB Mshindi (the training

firm at Marungu Secondary), fills in all the necessary forms, records the details sent by the

bank (loan numbers, conditions of the loan payments) and makes sure that all the

instalments are paid on time. The department also makes sure the company pays taxes

properly and on time.

Further, the department carries out payments of salaries to all the firm’s employees.

However, this responsibility can be delegated to the Human Resources Department.

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Last but not least, this departments should monitor if and how the company prospers and

adjust all the financial operations and planning to the situation. The Manager of the

department informs the President about the problems and suggests solutions or further

procedures. The department can also create forecasts and advise the President on where to

invest or with whom to partner. Based on that, department’s head communicates with the

President on regular and frequent basis.

Customer Relations Department

The main role of the Customers Relations Department is to ensure customers’ satisfaction.

This section is concerned with customers’ perceptions of the company and its products and

services. The main objective of Customer Relations is to instil a positive image of the firm in

the public, in order to convert them to buy its products or services.

Firstly, in order to make sure that the firm produces goods or services, which are needed on

the market, the Customer Relations can conduct customer preference research. This allows

the customers to express their opinions and hence the firm is able to identify what the

customers want. This department should understand consumers’ buying habits - what

influences their decision to buy, and what, on the other hand, discourages them from doing

so. The company then adjusts to these findings and proposes innovative products or

solutions or improves its customer services in order to attract more customers and hence,

increase the revenue of the company.

It is important to realise that customers are central and overall important to any business.

Most companies operate locally and cannot rely on constant supply of new customers.

Therefore, their customer relations need to be developed in a way that they do not only

attract the customer to buy once, but convince them to come back and spread a good word

about the firm, as this, after all, is the best way of advertising.

Hence, in order to establish good customer relations, the department needs to ensure that

their consumers are provided with satisfactory services. Customers’ satisfaction is delivered

by a series of activities or steps designed to provide customers with what they need and

give them a positive buying experience. Effective businesses thrive to meet or even exceed

consumers’ expectations. This process is based on understanding customers’ needs and

behaviours. This can be done by effective communication based on asking questions and

building a rapport during direct interactions. In this way, firm employees can establish what

the customer wants and provide them with the best product or service.

One of the aspects which underpin customers’ satisfaction is ease of use. This means that

the buying experience should not be too complicated. Companies need to ensure that

information provided on their website or the website itself is easy to understand. In direct

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interaction, the employees need to use vocabulary adjusted to customer’s abilities (e.g.

when talking to a customer about a computer, a sale assistant should firstly establish how

well the person understands ICT and then use the jargon appropriately). An emphasis

should also be put on building relationships with the customers. If the employee manages to

create a pleasant atmosphere, the customer starts creating positive relation to the brand

and may come more often. Therefore, a smile and a polite conversation are priceless.

Customer care starts with the initial contact and continues after the sale has been closed. In

order to make sure the customer is happy about the service and the bought product, if

appropriate, the department can send them a follow-up email asking about their

experience.

This section also deals with complains. There should be a set policy about how to proceed if

the customer is not satisfied or wants to return the product. It should not be forgotten that

unhappy customers tend to spread a bad word about the firm very eagerly,which negatively

impacts its reputation. Therefore, the employees must always be polite and ensure that the

customer leaves happy, even if it means that the firm needs to return the money. The profit

will come back as soon as the happy customer starts telling his friend about the great

services they have gotten. Sometimes, the conflict may be solved out by provision of any

complimentary products or offers and discounts. Of course, the money or the product

should be returned only if the complaint is reasonable. If it is not, the students have a great

opportunity to practice their negotiation skills and come to a compromising conclusion.

The department also answers customers’ questions and provides information about the

company to the public. This section should be responsible for updating firm’s website. The

role is not only to communicate with the old customers, but also to attract new. All the

positive examples and best practices can then be shared with the Marketing Department for

advertising purposes. These two departments also focus closely on building a good

reputation of the training company by creating and adhering to corporate social

responsibility strategy.

Marketing Department

Marketing is the process and means of communicating the product and its value to

customers in a way which will make them want to own the product or experience the

service. It is meant to influence their buying decision and convert them to close a sale.

Hence, similarly to the Customer Relations, the main role of the Marketing Department is to

focus on customers and their desires. For this reason, the two sections cooperate closely. In

order to be able to market their products effectively, the department needs to establish

who their customer target group is and adjust the advertising strategies around that.

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The department is responsible for creating new marketing strategies, business plans and

keeping records on the achieved sales. These are later used to determine if the expected

outcomes have been met. If not, the information serves as basis for decision-making about

the next strategies and approaches. As advised by the Customer Relations Department and

the President, the marketing section sets up company’s pricing. They also develop the

tactics of how to reach the potential customers most efficiently – they create business

cards, posters, leaflets, billboards, commercials, brochures, catalogues, prospects, etc...

They need to come up with slogans and images which would best capture the advantages of

owning the product, while emphasising company’s uniqueness and core values. They can

produce those materials internally or externally and approach other training companies (for

example Dragon Advertising at Buguta Secondary) to send them proposals and select the

most suitable or cheapest one.

This means that the department is also responsible for building the brand for the company.

Being different is one of the main keys to success. In order to capture people’s attention and

lure them to use the service, the brand of the company should be positive, memorable, and

distinctive. In this way they ensure the brand gets noticed and imprints in people’s minds.

Looking for a service or a product, customers naturally choose the company which they

remember as interesting, price-friendly, with pleasant employees.

It is also advised that both the name and the logo of the company should be easily

memorable. The more words in the title and the more complicated the logo, the more

difficult it is for the customers to memorise the company, which will make it more difficult

for them to find the firm and identify the product. The point is to create and promote a

good, strong and trustworthy brand with an excellent reputation.

Furthermore, researching company’s competition is one of the essential responsibilities of

the Marketing Department. It allows the firm to spot a gap on the market and fill it in in

both product- and service-wise. It is necessary to observe in what ways the competition

communicate with their customer base and identify if it works for them. Then, the firm

needs to establish, how its marketing should differ.

Company’s advertising and marketing must always be active, therefore the departments

tend to employ creative and initiative individuals.

Powerful brands and leading companies have a corporate responsibility strategy that

defines how they relate to their stakeholders (local community, employees, environment

and suppliers) in a responsible way. This means active and strategic reduction of harmful

activities (paper and energy waste, pollution, irresponsible behaviour towards customers,

employees and suppliers) and active support for responsible initiatives (supporting local

community through philanthropy, reducing paper work, increasing ecological sustainability,

giving employees more benefits and flexibility than law requires, paying suppliers on time

and checking if they behave responsibly).

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Human Resources Department

The Human Resources Department manages company’s manpower. Because firm’s success

depends first and foremost on its workforce, the Human Resources play a crucial role in

firm’s growth.

Among duties of this section belongs monitoring and determination of how many

employees leave the company and thus, how many people the firm has to recruit. This is

called manpower planning.

The section organises and oversees the overall process of recruitment. It prepares job

descriptions, which contain information on job responsibilities, work environment and the

skills which are required of the candidates. The goal is to recruit people who are the best fits

for the positions in order to make the company even more prosperous. After advertising the

job offers, the department short-lists the most interesting people for a job interview. The

job interviews take place in front of a panel consisting of Human Resources recruitment

specialists who effectively question the candidates in order to identify the best fit.

Further, after consulting the President, the department determines salaries of all the

employees, including the Directorial Department. After receiving money from the Financial

Department, this section sends out the salaries on regular basis.

Human Resources also keep records of all the employees. Such include employees’ details,

but also their performance, attendance or achievements. If an employee shows a pattern of

a problem with attendance, a disciplinary process can be started. The procedure of the

disciplinary process is embedded in the policies of the department. A disciplinary action can

also be taken against individuals who do not respect internal regulations or rules. Best

employees can be rewarded for their performance and contributions. This is an important

aspect of motivation of employees who need to see a meaning in their work and feel

appreciated. Appreciation encourages further development and thriving performance.

The company can also provide the employees with any necessary training, from the

introductory programmes to personal and professional development. These trainings could

be designed and carried out by internal Human Resources specialists.

In order for a team to work effectively, employees have to learn to communicate and work

together. Therefore, the department may organise team building events, like dinners,

games, or trips. The aim of these activities is that the members get to know each other

better and learn to trust one another.

In addition, the section monitors employees’ satisfaction and tries to solve any emerging

issues. It always tries to create the best working environment for all. Employees are the

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most valuable resource of the company and need to be treated in respectful and

transparent manner.

Finally, based on all the collected information, the department after the discussion with the

President determines who to dismiss or make redundant. Again, strong internal policies on

the process need to be developed.

Production Department

The main responsibility of the Production Department is to turn inputs into outputs in the

form of concrete finished goods or services. It receives raw materials, makes records and

reports to the President. The section oversees that the products are made to the best

quality possible for the lowest cost. The Manager supervises the whole procedure of

production and ensures safety of employees.

The department orders or purchases the necessary components and technology to carry out

the process effectively. After the materials arrive, the section checks their state and quality.

All the equipment necessary for the production procedure is stored under supervision of

this section.

As the employees of the department are usually creative individuals, they can test their

ideas, come up with new ones and research on various options and opportunities. They can

propose the Directorial that they put new goods into production. Constantly, they try to

make production most cost effective.

As other departments, even this one keeps effective records. It monitors reception of

materials, the process of production, and the finished outputs. All the stock taken out of the

store is recorded, too. These records and their analysis are then reported to the President.

Also, they report on any damages or necessary maintenance of equipment.

Finally, the department is responsible for ensuring quality of outputs and report if the

products do not achieve required parameters. They can cooperate with internal or external

designer and conduct research and development projects to come up with innovative ways

of production that are cheaper, more ecological and with a better design.

Setting Up a Training Company

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In order to successfully set up an active training company, facilitators and students should

follow these steps:

1. Informative stage - A facilitator explains the students what a training firm is, and

what its purposes and benefits are. The mentor can use posters, leaflets, business

cards and brochures of older companies, or companies from other schools to

illustrate companies’ operations better. If there are no hard copies of such materials

available, the club can take a look at promotional materials which other firms post

on soteICT Facebook page.

Similarly as in the reality, the success of the training company depends on its

directorial and employees. Therefore, it is important to stress to the students that

the companies entail much work and focus which means that if they want to get

involved, they need to be serious about their engagement.

2. Choosing the business subject and creating a business plan – Firstly, the facilitator

initiates brainstorming about the business subject of the new firm. They allow

students to express their opinions and gives everyone serious consideration. When

choosing the subject, the group should use their knowledge of what their country or

their communities need – they know best what products are there in offer, what

products are absent and how services are provided. By observing and discussing how

the current market looks like, they should be able to identify a gap on the market

and try to fill it in or provide the services better. The students need to keep in mind

the ‘demand and supply’ rule in order to establish if their services are really

necessary and are able to make the firm profitable. The power of the brand and

marketing is crucial in most business sectors and you cannot only compete with

price. Students should make a market research and see which service or product is

missing in their neighbourhood. For example, if they want to open a café, they need

to find out how many similar companies operate in town, what are their prices,

quality of coffee and the customer service and try to beat the competition either in

price or in quality and the overal customer experience and market their brand as a

trendy lifestyle choice.

Further, the students can also look at the existing soteICT firm list and use their

creativity to come up with a special idea and fill in the gap there. Maybe they could

look at what the network lacks or how their company could fit into the cluster of

companies that creates synergy between their services and products.

3. Creating a company name – The students work on their suggestions of firm’s names

and decide upon the issue democratically. The company name should reflect its

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business subject. Also, it should not be too long, in order to make it more

memorable for customers.

4. Setting up an email account – the firm members set up an email account for their

company in order to be able to communicate with their counterparts, and receive

necessary correspondence.

5. Registering the firm at the soteICT Centre – Altogether with the email address, the

company sends their details to the soteICT team that registers them at the Slovak

Centre of Training Companies (SCCF) and within the network of the project itself.

After a short time, the team will send the firm their details for logging in the SCCF

and PEN portals. Besides other benefits, both portals offer companies a tool of

internet banking through which they can deposit, withdraw and transfer the virtual

money, as well as track their records.

6. Splitting the members into departments – In order to manage the business

effectively, it is essential that the company consists of respective departments. Also,

working in departments gives more individuals an opportunity to actively participate.

The process of division should be student-led but the facilitator oversees the

situation and intervenes if necessary. The mentor should also make sure that all the

students hold concrete positions. There should be a top management and each of

the departments should have a Manager and Deputy Manager. In the beginning, the

students can do what they do best and what they are really interested in. After some

time the company may consider moving some people from one department to

another, so that they can learn more.

7. Researching the market and competition – before the firm can start operating the

students need to understand their competition and the market in the respective

field. This will allow the company to decide for appropriate ways of marketing,

setting prices for the products and services, etc… (e.g., who is the customer/target

group? How many companies provide similar services? Who is the main

competition? What is the pricing? What marketing strategies does the competition

use? How do the strategies work for them? How can you differ from the

competition?).

8. Starting company’s operations – Now, after gathering all the necessary information,

the company can start operating. The Production Department focuses on

development of their own product. The Marketing Department decides on the

marketing strategy and starts creating the first promotional materials, such as

posters, business cards, commercials, etc... Human Resources collect records on the

employees, monitor attendance or recruit other members if necessary. The Financial

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Department works on setting up a bank account with Mshindi KCB in Marungu and

may also ask for a loan. Customer Relations conduct customer research and start

contacting potential customers. The Secretary can compose emails to send to the

soteICT team and the firms within the project’s portfolio to introduce the company

and possibly even initiate cooperation. The President and Vice-President oversee

and monitor the operations of single departments, do the main decision-making,

represent the company, look for new opportunities, etc… They also look for partners

abroad, cooperate, try looking for opportunities how to export their goods and

arrange Skype negotiations with other firms. The departments cooperate, share

relevant information or look for advice.

9. Running the company - After taking all the initial actions, the company is ready to

start functioning on regular basis and conduct all of its operations as described in the

part on the firm structure.

Keeping the Companies Active

One of the best things about training companies is that there is nothing that would be

limiting their activities. While real-world firms often fight difficulties such as insufficiency of

production materials, financial problems or missing customers, the training companies have

an advantage of being able to work virtually – hence, even the products and customers can

be virtual.

According to the Practice Enterprise Network methodology every operation of training

company is only for educational purposes and therefore they don’t start doing real business

and earn real money. However in some cases the school or local community might become

customers for example in case of printing business cards, calendars, etc... It can happen that

the students get discouraged if they lack means to finance their production or they struggle

finding customers. With the loss of motivation also the activity and effectivity of the

company tend to decrease. Therefore, it is important that the teachers remind the students

of the fact that the firms are here for them in order to learn and develop. Instead of being

seen as ends to themselves, the training companies should be perceived as a method of

teaching and learning. They should not focus solely on production, but help the members

enhance their business management skills in each of the aspects mentioned in the chapter

on the company structure. Thus, in some cases it may be even better for the students to

lack finances as this forces them to move from production, which is usually on a very high

level, to other attributes of running a business successfully. Even though this may not bring

them real profit during their studies, the gained knowledge and skills are surely going to pay

off once they look for a job or want to start their own businesses.

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Best practices show that the companies do best in keeping active and progressing, when

they adhere to and balance the following points:

1. Emphasis Should Be Put on Activities of the Single Departments

If the departments are busy, the students are busy which means they are improving their

skills. This makes them bring the best out of themselves and consequently results in more

prosperous, successful companies.

As an example of how to put all the departments in move, a model situation will be used.

Let us say, that a company called XY deals with pottery. Unfortunately, for some time they

have struggled to sell their products and so they cannot afford buying new materials for the

production of any new goods. Therefore, they decide that even against the odds they want

to make the best out of their time in the training firms and agree on running their business

virtually. The unsold goods can now pose as a great material to use in their virtual marketing

strategies. However, because the school is having internet connectivity challenges, the firm

cannot do online marketing or contact other training firms to sell them the products. Still,

they manage to take pictures of the products and use them in their posters, leaflets,

brochures and catalouges. Before they can move to imaginative transactions, they firstly

check if they have carried out all the activities and steps as mentioned in the section on

Setting Up a Training Company. If they have, this means that the firm is ready for their first

customer.

Now, the firm asks the teacher to act as a customer and welcomes them to their company

or shop. The teacher is being taken care of by employees of the Customer Relations

Department who present the products and proceed according to firm’s internal regulations

on customer service. After being converted to buy, the teacher spends virtual 6000 KSh and

leaves with imaginative products.

The money is now sent to the Financial Department. The Financial Department prepares all

the necessary documentation – receipts if necessary, invoices, and records. They send the

information about the transaction to the Secretary and the Marketing Department. The

Secretary takes the record about the transaction, marks it in her/his books, and distributes

the information to the President and the Vice-President.

Further, the Financial Department puts the respective amount of money in their bank

account in Mshindi KCB from Marungu. They can also transfer the amount necessary to pay

off the employees to the Human Resources Department and then deposit the rest into the

bank (as they have 20 members, they divide 6000 shillings into 25 portions – they keep the 5

portions in the bank and use the rest for paying off the salaries). Consequently, they prepare

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a report for the President informing about how much money there is in the account and

start working on their analysis of company’s performance. The information should, again, be

sent through the Secretary.

The Human Resources Department now accepts the transfer from the Financial

Department and depending on the agreed mechanism of paying salaries, starts preparing

the payments to their employees. Besides that, the section monitors all the departments

and employee’s performance based on which they prepare appraisals in forms of ‘thank

you’ letters or identifying an ‘employee of the month’. The department also researches

employee’s satisfaction and proposes amendments to be made in the future.

As the company does have the details of their customer - teacher, the Customer Relations

Department sends them a follow up email thanking them for choosing shopping in XY

Company. They ask the customer about their shopping experience and if they were satisfied

with the services provided. This is called customer satisfaction research. Based on the

answer, they prepare reports for the President and Vice-President, which is again sent

through the Secretary. The feedback is also sent to the Marketing Department so that they

can adjust the marketing strategies and advertising based on that. If the customer is

unsatisfied, the Customer Relations come up with the best solution and rectification. They

compose an apology letter in which they inform the customer about the proposed

compensation.

The Marketing Department now uses the information they have been given to improve

their marketing and advertising. They brainstorm and come up with an idea how to improve

their product or think of a new one. This decision must be based on the available account

balance. The money earned can now be used to increase the production. The department

consults the Customer Relations Department on whether the product would be wanted on

the market. If the answer is positive, the Marketing Department asks the Secretary to

organise a meeting with the President and Vice-President in order to discuss the issue

further.

In case that the Directorial Department has decided to go on with the production, they

agree on the amount which the Financial Department sends to the Production Department.

After the Financial Department has gone through with the transaction, the Production

section starts planning the producing process. They order materials and do all the necessary

paper work. Now, as the money which they have received is just virtual, they still cannot

afford buying real materials. Therefore, the section can create the picture of the product

using MS Office tools. Throughout the process, the manager of the department checks on

the quality of the product. After the product has been made, the Production section asks

the Secretary to organise a visit by the Marketing Department so that the marketers can

take pictures and use them in new promotional materials, such as brochures, posters,

leaflets, commercials, etc…

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Throughout the process, the President and Vice-President preside over operations of all the

departments. Two of them also meet regularly to talk about emerging issues, look for other

opportunities and try looking for new partnerships.

Besides the actions mentioned in this model situation, all the departments react and take

further actions as specified in the chapter dealing with the company structures.

2. Companies Should Work As a Cluster And Look to Establish International

Partnerships

In order to make the training firm experience even more interesting and real, the companies

within the soteICT network should work as a cluster. This means that they are

interconnected by a supply chain or they share similar interests and goals and work together

to achieve them.

Therefore, a company may look for firms working in the same or similar business field and

initiate cooperation. For example, a pottery firm would partner a training company that

makes clay (or, e.g. an advertising company creates marketing campaign for a travel agency,

investment promotion agency or a computer distributor). For the potters it is feasible as

they hope to get cheaper clay; the clay firm has a great opportunity to gain a regular

customer. Therefore, the pottery company’s President would contact clay firm’s President

and arrange a meeting. If a personal meeting is not possible, the representatives hold a

Skype call to negotiate the conditions. This activity will help the students understand the

process of negotiations, importance of appropriate communication, and the influence, that

the outcomes of such a meeting can have on their businesses. When discussing the

conditions, both sides do their best to protect their companies’ interests but they also need

to be prepared to make compromises. The practice enterprises would than trade with one

another while applying strict commercial principles such as the applicable laws and keeping

of documentation.

Furthermore, two companies can organise a Skype call or a meeting even when they face a

similar problem and want to discuss approaches or solutions of the issues. Also, the older

companies can volunteer to coach the younger ones and guide them throughout the initial

period. By consisting of both, companies in Kenya and in Slovakia, the soteICT network

provides the students with a great opportunity to get in touch with firms working in very

different conditions and maybe compare the two markets and respective laws. The firms

can also work on export-import basis.

Sometimes, the firms can also make an effort to contact real firms or professionals in order

to get some real-world business information to mirror in the virtual environment or they

can start looking for opportunities of additional coaching or excursions.

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Appendices

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Appendix A: CVs, Cover Letters and

Emails

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Nowadays, the competition at the job market is becoming more and more tremendous.

With the current Kenyan unemployment rate of 40 percent (Trading Economics, 2014),

there can be hundreds or even thousands of applications for the same position. Therefore,

in order to capture recruiter’s attention and secure an invitation for a job interview, the

students will once need to be able to distinguish themselves from other applicants and

convince the employers that they are the right fit for the vacancy.

Especially in bigger companies, organisations or institutions, a CV is usually the first

encounter between an employer and job seekers. It provides an overview of candidate’s

education, experience and relevant qualifications. As the recruiters usually do not know the

applicants, they create a picture of them solely according to the information given. To some

extent, CVs can be understood as tools of marketing strategy trying to ‘sell’ the ‘product -

candidate’. Hence, as a form of self-advertising, CVs need to be able to capture attention

and inflict interest, stressing the advantages of ‘having the product - applicant’, which would

persuade the recruiter to short-list the candidate for an interview.

A good CV should adhere to the following basic principles:

1. Tailoring the CV to the job advertisement – One of the common mistakes of CV

writing is sending the same CV to a multiple number of potential employers. It is

important to realise that even though candidate’s experience indeed remains the

same, companies tend to vary in their requirements. Even firms working in the same

business field or developing very similar products, usually differ on what they expect

from their recruitees. These differences are based on companies‘ backgrounds,

needs and most importantly, the nature of problem they want the new recruitee to

solve for them. Therefore, the same CV may work for one company, but for the

other one it may be completely irrelevant.

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For an illustration, here are two job advertisements of two companies, both

concentrating on software development, which are aiming to recruit for a position of

a Junior Software Developer:

Company 1: ...looking for a result-oriented individual with analytical skills

experienced working with Java and MS Office.

Company 2: …looking for a detail-oriented individual with good research skills

experienced in Oracle and MS Office.

As shown, despite the fact that both companies are recruiting for the same position,

both have very different expectations. Hence, a CV which is not tailored specifically

to each of the advertisements, could, in the best case, work only for one of the

positions, in the worst, it would not meet the requirements of neither of them.

The words which are highlighted in the job advertisements are called key words, or

key skills, on which candidates should focus during writing their CVs. Therefore, the

first step in the process of writing would be identifying these key skills and then

emphasising them within applicant’s experience. If the candidate lacks experience in

the relevant field, they can use transferable skills from other jobs, voluntary or

school activities. This will convince the recruiters that the applicant meets the

requirements and has what it takes to do the job.

A great comparative advantage of the soteICT practice enterprise members is that

unlike their counterparts who are not involved in project’s activities, they can use the

training firm experience as a great reference point to prove their competence. This

means that instead of just putting down that they are ‘high school graduates’, they

should mention their training company experience (for instance, that they have

worked as marketing managers for Mshindi KCB for 3 years and point to their

successes).

2. Being concrete – Broad and general phrases offer very unclear picture about

applicant’ real achievements or performance. Therefore, in their CVs, the candidates

should be as concrete as possible. Adding some maths always helps and makes the

person look more professional.

For instance, instead of saying ‘I helped increase sales’, it sounds better it the

applicant tells the employer that they ‘helped increase sales by 20 percent over a 4

month period by introducing special offer for regular customers’.

3. Personal statements – A personal statement in the CV serves as a profile summary,

which allows the employer to screen the applicants and identify their suitability for

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the position and value for the company. Again, such statement should reflect the key

requirements and should not exceed 200 words.

For instance, if the job advertisement is

Position: Junior Software Developer

Company 1: ...looking for a result-oriented individual with analytical skills

experienced working with Java and MS Office.

…then the statement could be:

A result-oriented high school graduate experienced working with Java and MS Office

through active participation in school’s ICT Club, and with a proven record of

analytical skills, now seeking to bring value and develop further as a Software

Developer.

4. The length of the CV – The longer the CV, the more difficult it is for the potential

employers to find the information they need. The recruiters are often busy and with

a great number of CVs they do not have more than a few seconds to screen them all

and decide if they should pay it any more attention. The key skills required should

clearly stand out from the CV, so that the potential employer does not need to look

for them or struggle identifying them. If not absolutely necessary, the candidate

should not exceed 2 pages of A4 format sheet of paper. 3 pages must not be

exceeded in any case.

5. Keeping it current – Candidates need to make sure that they update their CVs every

time a new event occurs. The CV can contain information on all relevant educational

qualifications, full time and part time jobs, as well as internships and volunteering. It

is advised that there are no time gaps in the CV, as these may give the impression

that the candidate has been idle and inactive. Even during the time of a job hunt, the

candidates can use their talents and experience to undertake some initiative – e.g.

absolvents of training companies can take one hour a week to provide free business

training to people in their communities. This experience can be listed in the CV as

volunteering. Doing so, the candidate will add value to their CVs and prove

themselves as active individuals.

6. Telling the truth - The applicants should never put untruthful information in their

CVs. Employers have their ways of verifying the facts or they can ask the candidate

to bring the proof of their experience to the interview. The reputation or image of a

candidate who has been caught lying cannot be rectified.

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7. Double-checking for errors - It is important that the applicants make sure that there

are no grammar mistakes or maladjustment to their CVs. Especially in case when the

candidates claim to be detail-oriented, such mistakes can prove them otherwise.

Microsoft Word offers tools which can help in this matter.

8. Making it look good – As the CV portrays the qualities of a person, it should always

be neat, clean, with the text adjusted to the format or the chosen design. If the

company wants someone creative, the CV should reflect upon that. However, for

jobs in governmental institutions or for serious positions, very creative formats and

designs are not recommended. Also, the overall design of the CV shows the level of

candidate’s computing skills.

The following CVs illustrate the above mentioned points ascending from the simplest, to

more complex ones. Their electronic versions, which the teachers can obtain by request on

soteict@gmail.com, can be used at the ICT club classes. They can either serve as illustrations

for the students to clear up how a CV can look like and how creative they could be. Also, the

members could be assigned the task to analyse the CV, find out how they fulfil the above

mentioned points. In case they do not meet some of the requirements, the students can

discuss which conditions have not been met and how the CV could be improved. After

distributing the electronic versions to all the ICT members, they can do the amendments

and improvements individually, while being provided with a feedback by the teacher.

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C U R R I C U L U M V I T A E

CONTACT INFORMATION NAME DATE OF BIRTH ADDRESS PHONE CONTACT EMAIL CONTACT

Peter Parker 1st January 1985 Kingston Street 1234-123456, Nairobi +254 721 001 001 peter.parker@hotmail.com

EDUCATION 2008 – 2012

2004 – 2008

University of Nairobi - College of Architecture and Engineering

Master’s Degree in Engineering

P. O. Box 30197 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya

Moi High School Kabarak

KCSE – Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education

Nakuru, Kenya

WORK EXPERIENCE 2013 – 2014

2012 – 2013

Safaricom, Ltd.

Network & Service Operation Department

Responsible for network operation and problem solutions in regional centre

P.O.Box 66827, 00800 Nairobi, Kenya

Bata Shoe Company, Ltd.

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Engineering Department

Chief Department Assistant responsible for supervision of a branch

P.O.Box 34213, 00120 Nairobi, Kenya

LANGUAGE SKILLS

English – fluent Kiswahili – fluent French – basic

CORE SKILLS

IT: Microsoft Office – Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, Linux, Photoshop, Windows Movie Maker

Personal: Target driven with developed analytical and numerical ability, reliable, flexible, communicative with proactive approach, innovative, detail oriented with eager to learn

INTERESTS

Engineering, technology, media, books, football, running

REFERENCES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

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Cover letter

A cover letter explains candidate’s experience as provided in the CV in a story-like format. It

is an opportunity to go in depth about applicant’s skills and relate them to the key

requirements from the job advertisement. It should stress applicant’s added value and

comparative advantage. Furthermore, it also serves as a sample of written communication

skills. This means that similarly to a CV, the cover letter has to be individualised, too. It must

be included in the application every time unless the job advertisement clearly states not to.

A good cover letter needs to include the following:

1. Candidate’s personal details on the top of the page

2. Date

3. Addressing the recipient in a proper and polite form. If known, the name of the

recruiter should be included (Dear Ms./Mr.)

4. In the first paragraph, the candidate should mention the position they are applying

for and how they learnt about it. This is especially useful if the recruiting body opens

more than one position at the time.

5. The middle section should start explaining why the applicant is interested in the job

and what they have to offer or how they can add value to the company. The

experience and skills should be connected to the job requirements very specifically.

Every claim should be supported by evidence. A few shorter paragraphs can be used

instead of putting all the information in the same section.

6. The conclusion should begin by thanking the recruiter for their time and

consideration of the application. It should end on a positive note, stating the

candidate is looking forward to ‘hearing from’ the company or ‘looking forward to

the meeting/job interview’.

7. Final greetings (Yours sincerely, or yours faithfully in case you do not know the name

of the recruiter)

8. Signature

The following cover letter can serve as a sample for the students:

51

Peter Parker Kingston Street 1234-123456, Nairobi

Phone: +254 721 001 001, E-mail: peter.parker@hotmail.com

23 March 2014

Dear Taylor Keynes,

I am writing in order to apply for a position of a Junior Accountant in your company as advertised in Daily Nation on 15/3/2014.

In 2012 I graduated from University of Nairobi, obtaining a Master’s Degree in Accounting. During this period I completed student exchange studies covered by bilateral agreements between Republic of Kenya and the United Kingdom at University of Bath in the UK where I developed my accounting abilities as well as enhanced my English language skills.

Since 2012 I have worked for AAC, the global leader of audit and consulting services in Nairobi on a position a chief assistant at the Department of Audit. In the last two years I have significantly deepened my knowledge of accounting processes, personal management and consultancy. Recently, I have been an active part of a team responsible for managing an audit process of two major financial companies established in Nairobi.

I am convinced that by putting into practice my advanced organisation and communication skills, detail-oriented approach, innovative thinking and enthusiasm, I would be able to contribute to your company’s success and become a meaningful part of your team.

Thank you for consideration!

Yours Sincerely,

Peter Parker

52

Emails

Before, it was a normal practise to submit job applications personally or send a hard copy of

the CV and cover letter by post. Nowadays, candidates are more and more often required to

apply for a job online or send it by email. The employers and recruiters receive a high

number of emails every day, therefore it is crucial that they are able to figure out quickly

why the person is contacting them and how to classify that person. Moreover, that first

email is important in terms of creating good first impression of the candidate. Hence, every

email must be accompanied by a text, explaining who the sender is, why they are writing

and what they are attaching to the email. Therefore, in the subject it needs to be clearly

identified what the main purpose or the message of the email is.

Some basic rules of composing an email include:

1. The email address from which the application is send needs to look professional –

candidates should avoid childish or shameful addresses, such as

littleprincess33@gmail.com or supersenator@yahoo.com. These could disadvantage

the applicants in the recruitment process. Most appropriate are email addresses

including the name of their owner, such as catherine.njeri@gmail.com.

2. The subject of the message needs to clearly identify the purpose or main theme of

the email (e.g. Application for a marketing assistant position). An empty field is

inacceptable.

3. In the introductory address, it is best if the applicant uses the name of the recipient

(e.g. Dear Mr. Mghadi). If the name is not known, Dear. Mr./Ms., or Dear Sir or

Madam can be used.

4. A simple explanation of why the person is sending the email should follow (e.g. I am

writing in order to apply for a position of a marketing assistant in your company. I

am attaching my CV and cover letter which both demonstrate that my experience

and educational background make me a perfect fit for the position). There is no need

to include much information as this can be found in the attached documents.

5. The email can conclude by politely thanking the recruiter for their time and wishing

them a nice day (e.g. Thank you very much for your time, Have a nice day).

6. Signing the email is essential. Even though the recruiter can see sender’s name in the

email address, sending the email without signature is unacceptable, as it looks

unprofessional and can make an impression that the sender lack attention to detail.

53

If the applicant knows recipient’s name, they would use ‘Yours sincerely’. In case, the

name is unknown, ‘Yours faithfully’ should be used. (e.g. Yours sincerely, Catherine

Njeri).

7. The documents which the applicant attaches to the email should be named e.g. CV,

cover letter or e.g. CV Catherine Njeri, Cover Letter Catherine Njeri. It should never

be named CV for Bata, Cover Letter for Safaricom, etc. as these make an impression

that the applicants are just hunting for the job and working for these respective firm

may not necessarily be their dream job.

54

Appendix B: Slovak – English

Dictionary for SCCF Internet Banking

This dictionary contains most important and reocurring phrases from the online internet banking

tool of the Slovak Centre of Training Companies, which can be accessed from http://www.sccf.sk -

Online Služby.

Slovak English

Aktuálne je prihlásený používateľ The user currently logged on

Centrobanka Cental bank

Centrobanka pri SCCF Central bank at SCCF

Colný úrad Customs office

Číslo účtu Account number

Daňový úrad Tax office

Daňový úrad - DPH Tax office - VAT

Dátum Date

Dátum operácie Date of operation

Disponibilný zostatok Available Balance

Fiktívny dodávateľ Virtual/fictitious supplier

Finančné platby - mzdy Financial payments - salaries

IBAN IBAN

Informácie o prihlásenom používateľovi Information about the registered user

Konštantný symbol Constant symbol

Majiteľ účtu Owner of the account

Moje účty My accounts

Nastavenia Settings

55

Názov účtu Account name

Názov/meno a priezvisko príjemcu Recipient’title/name

Obchodné meno Business name

Odhlásiť Log out

Online služby Online services

Online služby Online services

Platby poistného poisťovniam Insurance premiums to insurance companies

Platby za služby Payments for services

Platby za tovary Payments for goods

Pokračovať Continue

Popis Description

Právna forma Legal form

Prevod na účet v SR Transfer to an account within the SR

Prevod na účet v zahraničí Tranfer to a foreign account

Sociálna poisťovňa Social insurance company

Späť Back

Splátky úverov a pôžičiek Repayments of loans and borrowings

Spoločnosť s ručením obmedzeným Limited Liability Company

Suma Amount

SWIFT SWIFT

Špecifický symbol Specific symbol

Štátna pokladnica pri SCCF The treasury at SCCF

Typ platby Payment type

Typ účtu Account type

Účet príjemcu Beneficiary's account

56

Variabilný symbol Variable symbol

Vitajte v internet bankingu Centrobanky pri SCCF. Welcome to Internet banking of the Central Bank at the Slovak Centre of Training Companies.

Vložiť peniaze na účet Deposit money into the account

Všeobecný - ostatný prevod z účtu na účet General - Other transfers from account to account

Vyberte si, čo chcete robiť Choose what you want to do

Vybrať konštantný symbol Select a constant symbol

Vybrať peniaze z účtu Withdraw money from the account

Vybrať z predvolených účtov Select the default accounts

Vykonať jednorazový hromadný prevodný príkaz Perform a single bulk transfer order

Vykonať jednorazový prevod Perform a one-time transfer

Výška vkladu The amount to be deposited to the account

Výška výberu The amount to be withdrawn

Zdravotná poisťovňa Health insurance company

Zobraziť históriu prevodov View history of transfers

Zostatok Balance

Zrážky z miezd Deductions from wages

57

Appendix C: Our Teachers’ Practices

Herman Mwalukuku - ICT Integration in Teaching and Learning

In the Beginning

I wish not to keep in mind the older practice that kept me in anguish for many years. I have had very

little enjoyment for years now with repetitive and boring teaching style: Talking the chalk and

chalking the talk. I kept on producing results that never gave me happiness instead they left me

bored and almost giving up. I want to admit that I have been hearing about ICT integration but could

not realize its reality till 11th February 2012 with the launch of ict4voi at Marungu secondary school.

Major Huddle

Teaching of Chemistry and Mathematics is full of challenges. Most students still confess that these

are the most difficult subjects in terms of abstractness and depth of content. This is aggravated by

teaching the subjects without practical approach. Trying to engage practical sessions comes with its

challenges. The common challenges faced by developing schools like Marungu are: Not enough

apparatus, Consumables like chemicals which are not replaced in good time, Fume chambers which

are not functioning, Big classes which could not fit in the laboratories, Lack of laboratory technicians

to prepare the practicals etc.

The challenges however made me grow…

ICT Integration, the Solution

Of all the methods tried, ICT integration seem to be answering my problem. ICT integration may be

wide in its definition, but in my context, I use it to mean applying simple ICT tools in teaching and

learning. So far, I have managed to use a digital camera and a computer to make teaching of

Chemistry simple, interesting and real. With these tools, I can boast of being able to simplify abstract

subject to a learner level. Focusing on “Qualitative analysis”, the learner is now able to enjoy as they

learn. They are able to make accurate observation and quick inferences. Furthermore, I am able to

preserve the environment for not allowing poisonous gases escape into the environment. Clips on

“the effects of heat on Nitrates” are prepared and played in class for students to follow. With or

without the functioning fume chamber, such practicals which produce poisonous gases can be done

with no worry at all. More still, such clips can be replayed or paused for clarification hence child

friendly.

Thanks to Kenya-Slovak cooperation funded by Slovak Aid.

58

Harry Mwailengo: How to Start and Effectively Manage a School ICT

Club

Mr Harry Mwailengo- PJ Mwangola Secondary School ICT Patron shares his best practice for

effective management of the ICT Clubs as follows

Find responsible members: Clubs cannot start with only one person. There are positions needing to be filled with responsible students, defined as loyal, intelligent, and hardworking. A club containing student like this will definitely succeed. Also starting to talk with the responsible student will help in the planning of the club so that one will not have to do it by oneself beforehand. Assign meaningful roles to club members!

Find a club adviser/Patron: A club adviser/ patron is not a adult/teacher that is supposed to babysit a club; they are a trusted mentor. They also need to possess an interest in the club's activity or goal. So find the perfect one that would take an interest in the club. So that they would love to be involved making the club more active and prosperous.

Spread the word to the school administration: Even with the best team, you still need approval and the justification of the club by the student and administration. Let everyone know about the club activity. Carry out club dissemination at the assembly, student baraza even with other schools. Punch line: Share, network and collaborate your club activities!

Plan out how the club will run: At the beginning of the term, come up with a work plan. Failure to plan is planning to fail!

Talk with the other club officers: Make sure there is a high level of communication between the club officers. Without good communication, there will be infinitely many problems occurring. Associating with others beforehand makes it easy for an alternative or a solution. Encourage Communication!

Convince others to join: Once the club is running, all of the work rest in the officials of the club hands. The first thing in order is to get more students to join. Without members it is not considered a club, it is good to get people to join if they have a motive to join your club. ICT skills for all = Sote ICT !

Stay organized: Now that a club has started, it is not over yet. All of the hard parts may have passed, but there is still the maintenance of the club, and with low maintenance the club will later on be rejected and disbanded. Have plenty of activities that encourage greater participation and involvement of Members!

59

David Lemera: My Passion and Love for Computer Projects

I joined Taita Academy in Mwatate Sub-county in May 2000 to start a Computer Project in that

school. The school had purchased 20 computers from a company in Nairobi called Rejomech

Technologies Ltd, but had no teacher/trainer to start off the project. By the time I left the place in

May 2002 due to cash flow problems in the school, everyone in the school including pupils, students,

workers and teachers were computer literate. That was my greatest joy and achievement at the

time.

I joined Mwakitawa Secondary School on Monday 3rd March 2003. At the time, there was a student

population of 360. Since then the population has risen to about 700. When I joined, there wasn’t

even a single computer in the whole school. These computers started arriving one week after I

joined the school. I had to manually prepare all input records/documents. After a week, we received

6 computers. Thereafter, the number kept on rising up to the current 40 for which we thank God.

In Term 2 of the year 2005, the school under the headship of Mr Joseph Mwadime allowed me to

form a computer club in the school. It was formed on Tuesday 17th May 2005 with me as its first

patron. To date, I am still the patron of the club. Since the club’ formation, many students have

learnt a lot about computers and their uses as tool for data processing and learning. Through the

computer club, members have participated in various activities outside the school such as

symposiums, debates, quizzes, presentations etc, giving them a chance to compete and interact with

computer students from computer clubs in other schools in Taita Taveta County. This club was also

affiliated to Computers for Schools Kenya (CFSK) and has a certificate from CFSK to that effect issued

to it in 2006. But the support from CFSK has since stopped and the club is on its own. This challenge

has really discouraged many members, most of whom have pulled out of the club. We are now left

with Form 1,2 and few Form 4 students. Apart from college, I have been working with computers for

over 30 years, including 14 years in primary and secondary schools.

The following are some of the objectives of the club:

1. To ensure that its members become computer literate such that even if they do not take computer studies as a subject in Forms 3 and 4, they can still be able to work with computers when they leave school with the help of the certificate obtained while in school.

2. To broaden their minds so that they can think of best ways of initiating income generating projects to develop the club

3. To help club members to interact with members from other schools through exchange programmes

4. To enable members in all classes i.e. Form 1, 2, 3, and 4 to interact freely without any discrimination

As a club, we welcome ideas from teachers and members of other clubs on how to make the club

even better than it is now since we believe that there is always room for improvement. The

members have that sense of feeling that they own the club, hence the determination for prosperity.

However, there is a lot of sacrifice involved for any project or initiative to become a reality/success.

God bless you all.

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William Oloishorua: SoteICT Project in Kajire Girls’ High School

First, let me take this humble opportunity to thank the whole SoteICT management for coming up

with this noble idea of writing a manual for sharing ideas and experiences among all stakeholders.

SoteICT through its programs is aimed at transforming the lives of many people including teachers,

students, parents and the community in this remote part of Kenya- TAITA TAVETA through ICT

integration in teaching and learning.

Four years ago, the term technology in the project schools was a vocabulary only read in papers or

heard on radios/TVs. However, today the schools are leading in the Whole County in terms of ICT

integration in teaching and learning, thanks to our sponsors Slovak-Aid through the Pontis

Foundation.

As clearly stipulated in Kenya’s Vision 2030, the country aim is to turn into a globally competitive and

prosperous nation with a high quality life. It is expected that achievement of these noble goals

envisaged in the Vision, will be anchored on an all round adoption of ICT as an implementation tool

(vision 2030). The Sessional paper No. 1 of 2005 recommends that education in Kenya provide a

policy framework within which integration of modern ICT tools in teaching and learning.

This will help bridge the digital gap in the digital world and particularly in the use of the internet.

One vital way of bridging this gap is introducing computers and related infrastructure as medium of

instruction in schools. This is one major area Slovak Aid has assisted our schools. ICT will equip the

future labour force (students) with necessary skills to participate and compete in in the 21st Century

education and at the same time attain Kenya’s Education goals. Employers out there also expect

digital literacy such as communication, collaboration, creative thinking and problem solving.

It is our role as educators/teachers, managers and departments of education to ensure that people

(Students) leaving schools have the skills and employability they need in the workplace. Through the

practice companies/firms in our schools for example Marvelous Art Association, Mshindi KCB, Ken-

Slov, I believe most of those students involved will come out with these necessary skills required in

the business world.. It is also our duty as educators to help every student realize their full potential

and help them exploit their talents. Communities are also critical for learning and teachers must

connect with parents, administrators and students in order to achieve these goals.

As teachers, we need to be self-driven and passionate in the activities of this noble project. I know

that it is challenging to to balance between our normal school programs, which are very crowded,

and extra-curricular programs e.g. coordinating Practice Companies, but at the same time, we can

make it out of self-sacrifice. One way of succeeding in winning the students spirit is by motivating

them with whatever one can, from simple gifts to rewards/certificates or even trips where possible.

The initial stages of this project seems to be faced with its own challenges but I believe if we work

together as a team, we shall overcome these challenges and realize our objectives.

The success of the project solely depend on us teachers on the ground. What we do, how we do it

and how much we are dedicated to achieving our goals. Remember that what you do today

determines who you become tomorrow.

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Appendix D: Certification requirements

of Practice Enterprise Network

EUROPEN Practice Firms Certification Assessment Practice Firm Name

Institution

Address

City

Post Code

Date of Application

Contact Name

Telephone Number

E-mail address

PRACTICE FIRM Administrative office of the practice firm equipped as the office of the practice firm, with space and distribution for the different departments, with their respective equipment (only used for PF).

62

OFFICE EQUIPMENT Evidence Reference Number

• Telephone line • Fax • Telephone for each department

and secretary • Photocopier • Calculators for each office • Letter scales • All students should have access to

a PC • Printer/Scanner • All students should have access to

Internet and practice firm e-mail • Office Suite Software (up to date) • Sales and Purchasing SW • Accountancy SW • Personnel SW • Office furniture • Each trainee has a working area

and has access to archives/files and consumables

• Business paper • Business documents

STRUCTURE AND ORGANISATION OF PRACTICE FIRM Every practice firm must have:

Evidence Reference Number

• A business organisational structure

• Legal form • Company registration • Company policy • Annual report • Departmental procedures for all

departments • Job descriptions for each job in

different • Departments • Flow charts • Business documentation used • Regular meetings • Access to the current practice firm

database • Up to date marketing materials (in

national language and English for

63

international trade) COMMUNICATION AND RELATION WITH OTHER PRACTICE FIRMS

Evidence Reference Number

• Practice firms must trade nationally and/or internationally.

PEDAGOGICAL TEAM - TRAINERS – STAFF

Evidence Reference Number

Trainers knowledge of • Theory part concerning the p.f.

concept and EUROPEN network, p.f. setting up, functions and roles within the p.f., communication tools, learning by doing concept, problem solving, working within a national and international network, mentor company, Central Office and services offered by C.O., relationships with the C.O and practice firms, softwares used in the p.f. and C.O., the role of the trainer in p.f.

• Enclose evidence of knowledge of

practice firm set up and operations in relations to business procedures; systems and documentation

64

PEDAGOGICAL TEAM - TRAINERS – STAFF

Evidence Reference Number

Training skills and or managerial skills • Enclose evidence which guarantees

the achievement of didactic and training objectives

• Enclose evidence which checks and controls skills acquired during the trainees work in p.f., suggesting times for people to stay in that specific area and promoting autonomy to the participants (assessment and verification process)

• Enclose evidence that there is a training programme with regular (personalised) training reviews and training plans

• Enclose evidence which guarantees the technical, professional and social skills acquirement through developing incentives for each participant in terms of learning process, learning time, behavioural social and professional aspects.

• Enclose evidence of business procedures

• Enclose evidence which proves that your practice firm is up to date with the current business procedures

65

Assessed by Central Office

Compliant/Non -Compliant

Date

Authorised Central Office assessor

Notified Practice Firm of Decision

Certificate Number issued for compliant

66

EUROPEN Practice Firms Trainee Certification Assess ment Practice Firm Name

Practice Firm Certification Number

Trainee Name

Trainee Date of Birth

Technical Skills Evidence Reference

Number Date Initial

Office Suite Software a) Computer use, Viruses Print and File Management Basic Skill

� Switch on, restart and shut down computer

� Close down in-operative software applications

� Identify operating system and version number

� Update desktop configuration to the needs of the user –date, time, and display

� Use keyboard print screen key and paste details into document

� Use help functions � Recognize and open files, folders,

applications, printers and recycle bin icons

� Create, select, move and locate desktop icons on the screen to the needs of the user

� Open, close, switch between, collapse, expand, resize and move windows

� Identify and use title bar, menu bar, toolbar, status bar and scroll bar

� Knowledge concerning the main security aspects, copyright and legislation

67

Technical Skills Evidence Reference

Number Date Initial

Office Suite Software b) Viruses

� Use a virus scanner � Understand what is a virus and

the need to update virus scanner c) Print Management

� Print a document � View, pause, restart and delete a

print job using print manager d) File Management

� Open window to locate, access, display, create

folders, sub-folders and files � Identify name, size and location of

folders, sub-folders and files � Identify and select word, access,

spreadsheet, database, PowerPoint, image, audio, video, compressed and temporary files as appropriate to the needs of the job undertaking

� Change read only and read-write status

� Sort files – name, date, size and type

� Use find to locate a file or folder – date, size, content, wildcard

� Rename files and use correct extensions as appropriate

� Duplicate, move/copy and backup files and folders as appropriate

� Delete, restore and empty the recycle bin

68

Technical Skills Evidence Reference Number

Date Initial

b) Word Processing- basic, objects, mail merge and print in a business environment within the Practice Firm Basic skills

� Open, close, create, save, save as, switch between one or more documents

� Use help function � Adjust settings – page view,

zoom, and toolbars � Insert, select, edit, move,

duplicate, delete and undo text, characters, symbols, paragraph marks, pictures

� Search and replace word or phrase

� Format and copy format (word, line, paragraph) – font size, font type, subscript, change case, change colour, add bold, italic and underline (as appropriate)

� Align text - Left, centre, right and justify

� Indent paragraphs � Use single and double spacing � Apply and remove and change

tabs and bullets � Use borders and shading as

appropriate � Change document – orientation –

portrait/landscape � Change document paper size � Add, delete and change margins,

page breaks,

69

Technical Skills Evidence Reference Number

Date Initial

b) Word Processing- basic, objects, mail merge and print in a business environment within the Practice Firm Basic skills Objects

• Insert, delete a table, row or column

• Insert, edit data • Modify column height or width • Change border width, style colour • Add, delete cell shading • Select, insert, duplicate, resize

and delete a picture, image, chart Mail Merge

• Prepare mailing list for mail merge • Prepare document with data fields

for mail merge and merge mail Print

• Proof read document • Use spell check • Select preview document • Print document – entire, specific

pages, number of copies

70

Technical Skills Evidence Reference Number

Date Initial

c) Spreadsheets-basic, graphs/charts, and print in a business environment within the Practice Firm Basic skills

� Open, close, create, save, save as, switch between one or more spreadsheets, worksheets

� Use help function � Adjust settings –zoom, toolbars,

freeze/unfreeze row and/or column titles

� Insert, select, edit, move, modify, delete, duplicate and undo, redo text, date, number in a cell

� Insert, modify, delete rows, columns, worksheet

� Search and replace content in a worksheet

� Sort a range of cells � Insert, rename, delete, duplicate

and move a worksheet � Add, subtract, multiply and divide

numerical data � Generate formulae using sum,

average, minimum, maximum, count, functions and logical function

� Format cells to display numbers to 2 decimal places with or without commas, date, currency, percentages

� Format and copy format - font size, font type, add bold, italic, colour, background, underline and double underline (as appropriate)

� Wrap text � Align content and orientation of

cell - Left, centre, right and justify � Centre title � Use borders and shading as

appropriate

71

Technical Skills Evidence Reference Number

Date Initial

Graphs/Charts • Create, modify a range of

charts/graphs from spreadsheet data

• Add/remove chart title and background colours

• Add, move, duplicate, delete and resize chart in worksheet

Print

� Change worksheet – orientation – portrait/landscape

� Change worksheet paper size � Adjust page set-up to fit details on

page � Add, delete and change margins,

page breaks, headers and footers fields

• Proof read worksheet • Use spell check • Turn on/off gridlines • Preview worksheet • Print document – entire, specific

pages, number of copies

Internet and E -Mail for Practice Firm Business Communications

Internet • Use a username and password • Open, close a web browser • Display, refresh a web page • Go to a URL • Activate hyperlink/image link • Navigate between web pages • Complete a web-based form and

information • Select a specific search engine

and search for specific business information

• Download a file, text and image from the web

• Print a web page

72

Technical Skills Evidence Reference Number

Date Initial

Internet and E -Mail for Practice Firm Business Communications

E-mail • Open, close an e-mail application • Open, close mail inbox - access

mail • Use help function • Read mail and save attached files

onto a drive • Create new message or reply to

mail • Insert address, title, Copy Cc,

attach file, and send message • Insert, edit, spell check and delete

text in a message • Add, amend, delete mail address

book • Preview message and then print

Use of communication tools and office equipment

Telephone • Prepare and make call to correct

client • Answer calls promptly and

professionally • Greet callers politely • Give name and company to

client/caller • Identify name of caller/client • Identify reason for call or

communicate reason for call • Give clear and accurate

information • Confirm with caller/client details

given or received • Record details of call accurately • Pass any messages to correct

person • Transfer call to correct person

73

Professional Skills Evidence Reference Number

Date Initial

Use of communication tools and office equipment

Fax • Identify purpose of fax • Collect necessary data

• Prepare details using correct tone, language and content

• Identify correct salutations • Prepare fax

• Check spelling, punctuation and grammar

• Complete fax header and message details in a professional manner

• Use fax machine correctly • Send fax to correct client • Record all sent and received faxes • File all sent faxes

• Deliver fax to correct person/department/section

Mail -post

• Comply with procedures for receiving mail

• Sort mail in accordance with instructions

• Deliver mail to correct person/department/section

• Any delivery delays are reported promptly to manager

• Any damaged document report to manager

• Comply with procedures for despatching mail

• Any enclosures are securely attached

• Missing items are reported promptly to manager

• Mail is legible and correctly addressed

74

• Mail is despatched within deadlines

75

Professional Skills Evidence Reference Number

Date Initial

Use of communication tools and office equipment

Photocopier • Read and follow instructions • Operate equipment correctly • Comply with health and safety

requirements • Produce correct number of copies • Print to correct quality • Collate copies following

instructions • Documents are neatly and

securely fastened • Copies and originals are

distributed correctly • Delays in delivering documents

are reported promptly • Operating equipment faults are

reported in accordance with procedures

• Maintenance of document confidentiality is maintained

Calculators

• Read data from business documentation accurately

• Enter the data accurately • Use correct mathematical

functions • Read resultant correctly • Record resultant in to correct

business documentation location accurately

76

Professional Skills Evidence Reference Number

Date Initial

Use of communication tools and office equipment

Printers • Read and follow instructions • Operate equipment correctly • Comply with health and safety

requirements • Produce correct number of copies • Print to correct quality • Collate copies following

instructions • Documents are neatly and

securely fastened • Copies and originals are

distributed correctly • Operating equipment faults are

reported in accordance with procedures

• Maintenance of document confidentiality is maintained

National language � The ability to communicate with

colleagues, business relation, external institutions in the national language. (listening, writing, reading, speaking, understanding)

Foreign language � Reading, speaking, writing and

understanding for commercial communication

77

Professional Skills Evidence Reference Number

Date Initial

Health and Safety awareness • Trainee complies with

Health and Safely regulations, which are implemented in the Practice Firm

• Trainee has demonstrated awareness of the Health and Safety regulations.

Business procedures awareness • The student has to be

aware of the organisation and structure of the practice firm that guarantees the implementation of business procedures.

• Purchase and Sales Procedure awareness (from order to settlement of invoice) and compliance with specific business forms

Documentation • The student is able to

find out and use the appropriate business forms, documentation and standards as implemented in the organisation of the practice firm (complete correctly – business documentation and procedures)

• Access, complete and file a range of business documentation to a professional standard (– accurately, neatly, and correctly)

Information flow charts • The student complies with the

workflow procedures

PS: All professional skills acquired according to the national curriculum.

78

Social Skills Evidence Reference

Number Date Initial

Communication Deal with people effectively

• Use correct tone and language when dealing with people

• Adopt a suitable body language when dealing with people

• Listen and respond to requests for information

• Give the correct information to the right person

• Join in a discussion • Summarise correctly the main

points made in a discussion Work with colleagues effectively

• Behave correctly with different colleagues

• Respond in the best way to requests

• Ask for help when needed • Offer help to colleagues in the

workplace when needed • Find out about procedures in the

work place • Explain procedures to others

Find out information and interpret instructions

• Ask suitable questions to find out information

• Follow the instructions • Find out the information from the

best sources • Act upon the information

79

Social Skills Evidence Reference Number

Date Initial

Cooperation • Respond to requests for support

willingly and promptly • Anticipate the needs of others

where possible and offer support • Take positive action to promote

harmony within the team • Attend team meetings • Share responsibility for team task

Decision making

Identify options • Discuss and plan task • Identify alternative methods of

completing task • Evaluate them • Prioritise tasks to be completed • Decide on the best method to

carry out the task

Assertiveness • Shared consciousness that what

you say and what you do is correct

• Says no when necessary • Able to protect himself/herself

Time management

• Use available working time effectively

• Meet deadlines • Prioritise own work effectively in

the event of changing circumstances

80

Social Skills Evidence Reference Number

Date Initial

Flexibility • Being able to respond readily to

changing plans • Being able to respond readily to

changing situations • Being prepared to do anticipated

work on top of own work • Take over workload from

colleagues when needed • Can apply skills and knowledge in

new situations

Problem solving • Identify and analyse problems • Identify the possible solutions • Choose the best option available • Put the best option into action • Evaluate the effectiveness of the

solutions to the problems Motivation

• Identify own strengths and weaknesses within

the job role and set targets • Identify ways to improve personal

effectiveness • Identify and use opportunities for

improving • self motivation and effectiveness

81

Social Skills Evidence Reference

Number Date Initial

Responsibility • Comprehension of the individual

worker function in the collective human organisation of the practice firm. (Example of the clock: the worker is a piece of the mechanism of a clock. If he doesn’t his job correctly, the clock will be in advance or late, but won’t give correct time)

• He/she controls his/her own work and products

• He/she works according to plans and deadlines

• He/she takes good care of equipment and materials

• He/she doesn’t let confidential material lying sound

• He/she respects appointments • Respects other persons without

any racist or discrimination attitude

Autonomy

• Trainee is able to work on his or her own and to participate individually in creating collective added value.

82

Candidate Signature

Date

Confirmation that Candidate has been confirmed competent and has met the above assessment criteria

Name of approved assessor

Approved Assessor Signature

Date

Form to be sent to Central Office Assessed by Central Office

Compliant/Non -Compliant

Date

Authorised Central Office assessor

Certificate Number issued to Trainee

83

References and Useful Sources

boyd, danah. it’s complicated: the social lives of networked teens. [Online] Available at:

http://www.danah.org/itscomplicated/ [Accessed 10 October 2014].

GSMA, Digital Entrepreneurship in Kenya 2014, [Online] Available at:

http://www.gsmaentrepreneurshipkenya.com/ [Accessed 10 October 2014].

Design Thinking for Educators, IDEO [Online] Available at:

http://www.designthinkingforeducators.com/ [Accessed 10 October 2014].

Papert, Seymour. Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. Basic Books. 1980.

Partners in Learning, Microsoft [Online] Available at: http://www.pil-network.com/ [Accessed 10

October 2014].

Practice Enterprise Network, [Online] Available at: http://www.europen.info/ [Accessed 10 October

2014].

Slovenské Centrum Cvičných Firiem (2014) Internet Banking [Online] Available at: http://sccf.sk/

[Accessed 12 May 2014].

Trading Economics (2014) Kenya Unemployment Rate [Online] Available at:

http://www.tradingeconomics.com/kenya/unemployment-rate [Accessed 10 May 2014].