For educators and employers, understanding the knowledge, attitudes, and skills that ultimately contribute to success in school, work, and life is a priority. Although young people need many skills to be successful in the workplace, one aspect of employability has gained attention in recent years—the need for workers to have strong social and emotional skills. Afterschool programs have a role to play in supporting the development of these skills for all youth.

This planning tool is based on the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education’s (OCTAE’s) Employability Skills Framework. Part 1 helps users identify priority areas for employability skills building based on youth and employer input. Part 2 describes how to plan next steps based on that input. Refer back to the accompanying brief, Ready for Work? How Afterschool Programs Can Support Employability Through Social and Emotional Learning, for more information on the research behind these action steps.