Social and Job Skills for Independence: Smile & Succeed for Teens Online Course

According to Harvard University social skills are the top factor in getting a job. Is your teen or young adult prepared? Social skills are especially difficult for individuals on the autism spectrum, however many of these skills can be learned, and with practice, can become habit. Social skills are critically important to make friends, get and keep a job, get along with co-workers, and live a fulfilling, independent (or as independent as possible) life.

I created the Smile & Succeed for Teens Online Course as an engaging, easy and fun way for teens and young adults to learn and master valuable social and job skills. The content is quick and easy to learn with no wasted words, perfect for short attention spans.

"Smile & Succeed for Teens is a fantastic resource to help teens be successful at work." —Temple Grandin, One of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world, leading autism advocate, author, Thinking in Pictures, The Autistic Brain

At-Home Learning
The pandemic has negatively affected many teens and young adults’ social skills. Smile & Succeed for Teens Online Course is perfect for at-home, in-class or remote learning, self-paced or instructor led. This flexible course provides an ideal resource for all young people, including those in transition and autism support programs, to gain the social and job skills necessary for success. The course is mobile friendly and can be viewed on a cell phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer.

Now is a perfect time for your son or daughter to learn or refresh vital social and job skills. The online course mirrors the content in my Teachers' Choice Award and Mom’s Choice Gold Award-winning book, Smile & Succeed for Teens: Must Know People Skills for Today's Wired World. The seven modules in the online course correspond to the seven chapters in my book. Your young adult will learn the same life-changing skills.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR TEENS:

• How to interview effectively, land a job and keep it!
• How to make friends.
• Electronic etiquette.
• The important life skills your first job can teach you.
• Customer service, sales and fundraising skills to excel.
• The many benefits of volunteering.
• How to handle stress.
• Job skills that make you stand out.
• Improved confidence and self-esteem.
• What colleges are looking for in applicants, and a lot more.
  
  The online course is perfect for middle, high school and college students and all young adults.

Course Benefits

• Quick and easy to implement. Simply log in and begin using!
• Straightforward, simple and extremely user-friendly.
• Bookmarks and highlights. Users can bookmark, make notes and highlight key points.
• Search function to refresh skills and for quick and easy reference.
• Interactive questions and answers make learning fun.
• Curated videos reinforce concepts.
• Mobile friendly.
• “Wired Tips” remind students of the benefits of face-to-face communication and electronic etiquette.
• ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.
• Compatible with free Read&Write extension for Google Chrome.
• Lexile: 720L (4^th grade reading level)

A Solution for Schools and Students
Many students are struggling with “soft skills” (social skills). This online course provides instructors with an easy way to teach students these powerful skills. There are opportunities for comprehension testing along the way.

For school purchases with multiple users (instructor(s) and students), the instructor(s) will receive the instructor version of this online course that includes an embedded teaching guide with differentiated activities and lesson plans that make it easy to teach the content and provide additional learning opportunities.

Prep time is very minimal. A teacher can purchase and implement the same or next day. Results from quizzes automatically populate into the gradebook with the gradebook export feature.

The specific curriculum for customer service skills in this online course meets Customer Service Standards as outlined by the Ohio Department of Education.

Note: This course is a content delivery system. It can stand alone or fit inside your Learning Management System (LMS). It can even integrate with your video conferencing tools such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Course Benefits

• User-friendly common-sense approach to people skills.
• Written in an upbeat manner that holds the interest of young people.
• Entertaining graphics with educational captions enhance the content.
• Reaches a wide variety of teen and young adult abilities.
• Allows for independent use.

Excerpt from the Online Course

Once you land a job you will want to work hard to keep it.

HERE’S HOW

• Follow directions
• Communicate clearly
• Be on time
• Be enthusiastic
• Practice self-control 
• Take responsibility for assigned tasks
• Be able to work without supervision
• Be respectful
• Accept instruction eagerly

Why do most young people lose a job?

• Being late or being absent
• Not making an effort to get along with others
• Slow to learn good work habits

Whether they are looking for a job, already working, starting their own business, volunteering, or applying to college, Smile and Succeed for Teens Online Course is ideal for young adults. Packed with indispensable tips, proven techniques, and “must-do-now” strategies, this course generates results.

Parts taken from “Smile & Succeed for Teens: Must-Know People Skills for Today’s Wired World” Copyright © 2014-2021 by Kirt Manecke. Kirt Manecke is the award-winning author of “Smile & Succeed for Teens: Must-Know People Skills for Today’s Wired World” online course and book, and “The Teaching Guide for Smile & Succeed for Teens”.