Work Ethics
To be effective, technical education must include two key elements. First, it should provide training and experiences that approximate the conditions found in the actual workplace. Of equal importance, an effective technical education program must identify and develop those personal characteristics often referred to as “soft skills”. These skills include attitude, communication, planning and organization, critical thinking, interpersonal/social skills, teamwork, professionalism, regular attendance, punctuality, dependability, initiative, attitude, cooperation, respect, character, appearance, and media rules. The Technical College System of Georgia instructs and evaluates students on their work ethic in all programs of study. Ten work ethic traits have been identified and defined as essential for student success: appearance, attendance, attitude, character, communication, cooperation, organizational skills, productivity, respect, and teamwork. Savannah Technical College measures these ten traits through the Conover Workplace Readiness Assessment and through student learning outcomes embedded into each course. Studies show that 50 percent of local employers say new employees do not have the critical thinking and soft skills they need to be successful in the workplace. Savannah Technical College has therefore developed a system to promote, teach, and evaluate work ethics in each occupational program. New Savannah Technical College students will take the Conover Workplace Readiness Assessment. Additionally, all students will complete a critical thinking assignment in every course, designed to enhance and assess their soft skills. Final work ethics grades based on those assignments are reported each semester and are recorded as a separate grade on the student’s permanent record. Work ethic grades will be placed to the immediate right of the academic letter grades.
Work Ethic Scale:
- 3 — Mastery
- 2 — Partial Mastery
- 1 — No Mastery
- 0 — Did not complete assignment