Understanding My Journey (UMJ)

Piloting a Toolkit for Soft Skills Development for Young People

Welcome to the UMJ Toolkit Pilot and thank you for agreeing to be a part of the project.

What is the UMJ project?

It is a European project funded by Erasmus+, involving organisations in 7 countries that work
to support young people and is available in English, Portuguese, Italian, Greek, Croatian
and Polish.

The project’s toolkit aims to allow young people such as you to develop “soft skills” – the
transferable skills that complement technical and academic skills. The toolkit is mainly
intended for young people who are already involved in some kind of activity or project, such
as study, youth volunteering projects, work experience or employability training. By trying out
techniques, you can increase your level of the skills and gain in self-confidence.

What is the purpose of the pilot?

The project has developed practical guidance for 8 soft skills together with overall advice on
how to use the toolkit. The 8 soft skills are as follows:

1. Positive Attitude 2. Communication 3. Adaptability

4. Time & Energy 5. Work Ethic 6. Problem Solving &
Management Analytical Thinking
7. Teamwork 8. Leadership
The toolkit now needs to be tested and evaluated in this pilot, to get feedback as to the
effectiveness and usefulness of the toolkit.

What do I need to do?

You will be working with one of the organisations that have developed the toolkit and they
will provide full guidance on what you need to do. In summary you will:
a) First agree with the UMJ partner, which of the toolkit elements you will be piloting.
b) Next you will read through the introduction and guidance which explains how to use the
toolkit and has an initial overall soft skills check. If you are not sure what you need to do,
then check back with your UMJ partner organisation.
c) Then you follow the toolkit element(s) which you have agreed to try out by:
o undertaking the initial skill check
o reflecting on the soft skill and deciding on how to develop the skill
o practicing the soft skill over a period of weeks
o undertaking a final skill check and reflecting on what you have learned
d) Finally provide feedback on your experience of using the toolkit using the form provided
by the UMJ Partner, completing a form for every soft skill that you worked on.
What will the project do with my feedback?
We will take all the feedback and use it to modify the toolkit where users have made
suggestions on how to improve it.
How much time do I need to spend?
There isn’t a fixed answer to this question. However, we recommend that you should give
yourself at least 6 weeks to work on developing the soft skill, with your feedback completed
by Friday 31st May 2019.

UMJ Toolkit Pilot – Participant Guide Version 01-Mar-19 Page 1 of 1