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Course Structure |
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The structure of the Para-IT course came about through many discussions with business leaders at the local Chamber of Commerce, staff at community colleges, and by observing how learning challenged individuals best apply themselves in a business context. The structure of the Para-IT course features the following:
a) Entrance Requirements
Entrance to the Para-IT certification program is through an Assessment Interview. At this interview the candidate is provided with information on the course format, curriculum, assignment commitments and the nature of its emphasis on the development of employment oriented skills.
At the interview we look for candidates that want to learn new skills and most importantly are coming to Para-IT on their own initiative and free will.
There are no academic entry requirements for Para-IT. This policy is in line with our directive on no barriers to access. However, a high school diploma is recommended for those that aspire to graduate at the Gold level. The minimum age limit is 18 or equivalent level of maturity.
b) Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP)
The IPDP is a joint commitment by both the intern and Para-IT and focuses on the student strengths. Persons with learning challenges benefit most when their education is centred around their IPDP. This strategy is adopted in order to steer the intern towards a career seeking goal. This approach caters to the intern's special needs and skills deficits.
c) Co-op Placement
Co-op placement can be arranged through personal contacts developed by the interns' support or local community services. Since most Para-IT candidates have part-time jobs, it has been found beneficial to exercise the technical and interpersonal skills developed at
Para-IT, in their current employment.
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d) Training Methods
Training at Para-IT is strictly one-on-one .Typically, three hours of instructions are scheduled for every week. A minimum of 300 hours of instruction are required to cover most of the curriculum. Interns are expected to spend 3 hours on off-site assignments for every hour of instruction received at Para-IT.
The training is imparted mostly through the computer based displays on dual screen monitors. The use of two monitors allows instructional videos to the displayed on one monitor while the student carries out instructions on the second monitor.
Many interpersonal skills are such as networking, cold calling, interviews skills and attending meetings are simulated by play acting and role playing. Some of these activities are video taped for review by the intern.
Knowledge and skills retention are verified continuously by multiple choice quizzes and crosswords. Interns are encouraged to demonstrate the depth of their understanding by drawing on a whiteboard, creating PowerPoint presentations or videos based on material from the Internet or their own ideas.
Further tests of the interns' knowledge retention are achieved through projects that involve digital story telling and graphic novels.
e) Curriculum Summary
The curriculum consists of a Foundation Class of skill sets, Core Skills and World View content. The Foundation Class content is mandatory for all interns but the route through the Core Skills and World View section depends on the intern's IPDP.
f) Para-IT Certification
Interns negotiate through the Para-IT curriculum in stages. Acknowledging that there are differences in capability within any cohort of challenged adults, three levels of certification are offered. Candidates start at the Bronze Level and then go on to the Silver level and finally the Gold level.
At the Bronze and Silver level, the level of difficult is set by the interns own capabilities and hence there are no formal or absolute requirements. The interns and Para-IT decide on the level of difficulty possible and try to achieve or even exceed this level. At the Bronze and Silver levels the interns are competing against themselves.
From an employers' point of view, Certification at the Bronze Level implies that the intern can function with hourly supervision.
At the Silver Level, the interns would work with greater independence but their work would need to be checked several times during the day.
At the Gold level, interns would function like any entry-level employee with daily supervisory control.
Regardless of the standards reached at any level of certification, a minimum set of modules, from the Core Competencies section of the curriculum, must be completed by each intern before going to the next certification level.
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