Extension
It Starts With Us
Enhance Life Skills and Workforce Development
Enhancing Life Skills and Workforce Development
Shane Bogle, Rhonda Jewell, Ashley Board
Family and Consumer Science
Communications & Expressive Arts
Financial Education - General
In a constantly changing world, having life skills is an essential part of being able to adapt and meet the challenges of everyday life. Learning to how to communicate with others, create and live within a budget, prepare nutritious meals safely, nurture children, create a safe a pleasant home environment, practice common courtesies, and form relationships with others – are basic to everyday life.
The 2019 Kentucky Extension Community Assessment Statewide Report indicates that money management for families and youth and employee "soft/essential skills" training continue to be important issues statewide. Research conducted by Harvard University, the Carnegie Foundation, and Stanford Research Center indicates 85% of job success comes from having well developed soft and people skills, and only 15% of job success comes from technical skills and knowledge. Employers are often prepared to teach technical job skills; however, the intangible skills of being a team player, time management, and positive attitude are difficult to teach on-sight but are critical to success.
Cooperative Extension provides opportunities for youth and adults to learn basic life skills, soft/essential skills, and financial management. In a study by Olson, Croymans and Ji (2014), 4-Hers reported that participating in 1 or 2 educational opportunities influenced the development of critical thinking and decision making skills, and participating in 6 to 8 opportunities significantly increased the program’s influence by adding development of life skills in leadership, planning/organization, wise use of resources, useful/marketable skills and accepting differences.
*Better family money management skills, such as reducing debt, increasing savings, and financial planning.
*More effective employees and community leaders.
*Improved financial capability, resulting in better quality of life and stronger families.
*Be responsible and contributing individuals and family members
*Gain and maintain employment through life skill development
*Contribute to a safe, pleasant and productive home and family
*Youth will utilize the skills gained through education and involvement in Extension programs to serve as leaders in 4-H and other organizations.
*Youth become more comfortable sharing their thoughts with others.
*Individuals will practice one or more resource management behaviors resulting in increased savings or investments.
*Individuals adopt financial planning strategies for short, mid, and long-term goals.
*Individuals practice better employee "soft/essential skills."
*Improved employability through practical living skills and continued education practices.
*Youth construct a speech that has a clear introduction, body and closing.
*Youth use their communication skills to assume a leadership role in 4-H and other organizations.
*Change knowledge, opinions, skills,and aspirations to improve employability through work and practical living skills and continuing educations practices.
*Increase financial literacy related to savings and investments.
*Gain knowledge and develop skills in Family & Consumer Science Projects and programs
*Understand the decision-making process
*Gain skills in setting a goal and developing a plan of action
*Learn to read and follow instructions
*Show increased knowledge and skills related to managing available financial resources
*Change knowledge opinions, skills and attitudes to improve employability through practical living skills
*Youth create a formal presentation, speech or outline using the written outline.
*Youth research a presentation topic prior to developing a speech or demonstration.
Initial Outcome: Increased knowledge of basic life and employability skills.
Indicator: number of individuals reporting change in knowledge, opinion, skills, or aspirations
Method: pre-post survey
Timeline: ongoing
Intermediate Outcome: Improved employability skills
Indicator: number of individuals reporting intent to utilize "soft/essential" skills in the workplace
Method: pre-post survey
Timeline: ongoing
Long-term Outcome: More effective employees and community leaders
Indicator: number of individuals employed in county
Method: Kentucky Extension Community Needs Assessment report
Timeline: yearly
Audience: Community Members
Project or Activity: Where Does Your Money Go?
Content or Curriculum: MITT Curriculum
Inputs: Extension Agents
Date: 2024-2025
Audience: Youth ages 5-18
Project or Activity: Communications Contest
Content or Curriculum: KY CES Resources, National 4-H Resources
Inputs- Parents, volunteers, school system, donations, Extension Agents
Date: Spring 2025
Audience: Middle / High School
Project or Activity: Teen Cuisine
Content or Curriculum: Teen Cuisine
Inputs: Extension Agents
Dates: September 2024-May 2025
Audience: Middle School Students from Caldwell, Crittenden, Livingston, Lyon and Trigg Counties
Project or Activity: 4-H Teen Leadership Academy
Content or Curriculum: County Directed
Inputs: Extension Agents
Dates: September 2024-April 2025
Audience: Teens
Project or Activity: Livestock & Equine Industry Workforce Prep
Content or Curriculum: Various
Inputs: Business owners, Extension Agents
Dates: TBD
Audience: High School, Drug Court Participants, PACS Clientele
Project or Activity: Positive Employability
Content or Curriculum: Positive Employability
Inputs: school, Extension Agents
Dates: TBD
Audience: 8th graders
Project or Activity: Middle School Reality Store
Content or Curriculum: various
Inputs: FRYSC, Volunteers, Extension Agents
Date: Fall 2024
