CAR20001 – Assignment 2
CAR20001 – Future Work Skills
Assignment 2 – Labour Market
Word limit: 1750 words (+/- 10%)
Due date: 29 January 2023, by 11:59 pm [AEST]
Method of submission: Electronically via Canvas
Assessment value: 50% of your total mark
ASSIGNMENT AIMS
1. Demonstrate labour market research skills to locate relevant information from a range of
sources for career planning purposes.
2. Demonstrate the ability to critically review, analyse and interpret different types of labour market
information relevant to career planning.
3. Demonstrate a capacity to use labour market research to construct career goals and plans.
RELATED UNIT LEARNING OUTCOMES
ULO 2 Exhibit a capacity to apply skills that reflects an understanding of current discipline-related
skills, employability skills, labour-market trends and employment opportunities.
ULO 3 Critically review, analyse and synthesise knowledge of skills, attributes, strengths, and
values for job-readiness.
WHAT YOU NEED TO PRODUCE
Based on your current interests, research and write a 1500-word research report consisting of 3
sections:
1. Occupation (around 700 words)
? must be suitable for early graduates OR after further study
? does not have to relate directly to your current studies (but does relate to your
Professional Purpose statement)
2.1. Employer (around 700 words):
Choose this option if:
? you are not in your final year of study, or
? you are in your final year of study and do not plan to start your own business
immediately after graduation
OR
2.2. Self-employment (around 700 words):
Choose this option if:
? you are currently in your final year of study
? you intend starting your own business immediately after graduation
? your business idea relates to your chosen occupation (section 1), i.e. you design or
produce or deliver the product/service
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CAR20001 – Assignment 2
Note: If you are interested in running your own business in the longer term (1-5 years after
graduation), you must do 2.1 Employer as your most likely first step after graduating.
3. My Career Plan (around 350 words)
WRITING STYLE
A blend of first person and academic report styles of writing as appropriate to each assignment
section.
REFERENCING
All references must be acknowledged within the text and in a reference list, using either APA,
Harvard or IEEE referencing style to avoid plagiarism. Note, references are not included in the word
count.
Minimal reference requirements:
• Section 1: at least 5 references
• Section 2: at least 3 references
• Section 3: at least 2 references
Note: a single reference may be used in more than one section in the assignment and the
minimum total number of references is 8.
APPENDIX
Will be required if:
• Current job ads are referenced (provide a readable image of the ad as an appendix)
• You conducted an informational interview with a person from industry, then you need to
include:
o The signed Interviewee Consent form
o The questions and a summary of the interviewee’s responses.
SUMBISSION REQUIREMENTS
Use the Assignment 2 Template for your work and submit via Turnitin using the submission portal
located in the Assessment section of Canvas.
ASSIGNMENT DETAILS AND MARKING CRITERIA
In this assignment you will research and report on an occupation and an employment option
suitable for graduates in your field of interest.
SECTION 1 – GRADUATE OCCUPATION – 15 marks
SECTION 2 – EMPLOYER OR SELF-EMPLOYMENT – 15 marks
SECTION 3 – MY PLAN – 15 marks
RESEARCH EFFORT AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION – 5 marks
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CAR20001 – Assignment 2
SECTION 1 – GRADUATE OCCUPATION (15 marks)
1. Introduction (3 marks)
Using references, present 3 different occupations that relate to your Professional Purpose
statement and identify which one will be the focus of your report.
2. Job Description and Employment Options (3 marks)
Provide a referenced summary of the occupation’s typical duties, specialisations, types of
employment and the industries/sectors where people in this occupation may find employment.
3. Entry Requirements (3 marks)
Provide a referenced (at least 3) list of the typical qualifications, experience, knowledge,
capabilities and skills required to enter the occupation.
4. Occupational Labour Market Trends (3 marks)
State the geographic focus of this report (i.e. country, or state) then provide a referenced
discussion of one projected trend and possible driver of that trend for the occupation for that
geographic location.
5. Professional Supports (2 marks)
Briefly outline the main professional groups related to the occupation and report on the benefits of
membership of the groups (e.g. professional association, society, union, registration board,
interest group).
References (1 mark)
At least 5 intext references from different sources required; may be from primary and/or
secondary sources. Include these references in the Reference List at the end of your report.
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CAR20001 – Assignment 2
SECTION 2 – EMPLOYER OR SELF-EMPLOYMENT (15 marks)
Choose either:
2.1 EMPLOYER
Research and select an employer that recruits people in the occupation you researched in
Section 1.
1. Introduction: Your Criteria (2 mark)
Provide a brief description of your ideal work environment (e.g. industry, size, location,
values/mission, type of clients/projects, reputation, working conditions, opportunities for
development or type of employment) and why this is important to you (you may refer to
your workview or professional purpose statement).
2. Employer Function and Match (2 marks)
Name the employer you researched for this report and provide a brief, referenced outline
of the employer’s main function/services, size, location and values. Provide evidence of
how this employer matches (or doesn’t match) your criteria (outlined above).
3. Employer’s Media Platforms (2 marks)
Research and identify all the employer’s media platforms (e.g. website, LinkedIn, Twitter)
and provide a summary of the type of information you found on each. Describe how you
might use this information in your career planning (e.g. job search, networking, job
application etc).
4. Employer’s Priorities (2 marks)
From your review of the employer’s media platforms, provide a brief summary of a piece
of current news or statement of the employer’s business priorities that you find
interesting.
5. Employer’s Recruitment Methods (2 marks)
Detail the employer’s recruitment methods (type of application, interview, testing etc) and
what they look for when recruiting your target occupation (note if different to your findings
in Section 1 requirements). Identify whether this employer offers opportunities for
university students and graduates (e.g. internships, graduate programs).
6. External Information on the Employer (2 marks)
Briefly report and reference any information you found about this employer, external to
their website and media platforms. If you were not able to find information external to the
employer’s sites, explain where you looked.
7. Your Sources of Information About the Employer (2 marks)
Briefly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the sources of information used in the
Employer section of your report and state how this might impact your career planning.
References (1 mark)
At least 3 intext references from different sources required. List these references in the
Reference List at the end of this report.
OR
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CAR20001 – Assignment 2
2.2 SELF-EMPLOYMENT
Note: Must be in your final year of studies.
1. Introduction: Your Business Idea (2 marks)
Briefly outline your business idea – the product/s or services you will offer and the industry
your business would operate within – and your draft ideas for your business values. State
the type of self-employment (e.g. sole trader, contractor, company, partnership,
cooperative) and your reasons for choosing this type (include reference/s).
2. Demand, Customers and Competitors (3 marks)
Demonstrate your market research by giving a brief summary of your target
customers/clients and the problem your business will solve for them. Include data or
evidence showing demand or the gap in the market for your business idea). List your main
competitors and explain what makes your business different.
3. Your Business Plan (3 marks)
Briefly summarise your current 6-12 month plan (including funding, production, marketing),
outlining what you have achieved to date and what is yet to be accomplished (include
target timelines).
4. Your Business Support/s (2 marks)
Identify at least one support or resource (include reference/s) you plan to access or have
already accessed to support your business development. Briefly describe how this support
or resource will be useful to you.
5. Skills and Competencies Required (2 marks)
Provide a referenced list of skills and competencies you will require to make your business
successful. Provide evidence of your Assessment of your current strengths and weaknesses
in relation to this list.
6. Your Information Sources Underpinning Your Business Idea (2 marks)
Briefly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the sources of information used in the
Self-Employment section of your report and state how this might impact your career
planning.
References (1 mark)
At least 3 intext references from different sources required. List these references in the
Reference List at the end of this report.
NOTE: INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW
This research strategy is recommended but optional for this assignment. You may use this
research method for Section 1 or Section 2 or both.
If you do an interview you must:
• Obtain signed consent from your interviewee – access the Interviewee Consent Form in
Canvas
• Submit the signed Interviewee Consent Form with your assignment
• Adhere to the confidentiality protocols set out in the Interviewee Consent Form
• Reference the interview within the body of your assignment and include a transcript or
summary of the interview as an appendix to your assignment (not included in your word
count) or you will lose marks in the References section of the rubric.
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CAR20001 – Assignment 2
SECTION 3 – MY CAREER PLAN (15 marks)
Use your findings from Sections 1 & 2 of your report to create a plan for the next 6 –
12 months.
1. Two short term (6-12 months) SMART goals (4 marks)
a. Goal 1 for your target occupation (e.g. filling a requirement gap from 1.3 or gaining
experience/employment) OR related to your self-employment plan:
o Must be written as a SMART goal
o Must be based on information from Section 1 of 2 of your report.
b. Goal 2 for building your industry awareness or connections
o Must be written as a SMART goal
o Must relate to information from Section 1 or 2 of your report.
2. Four Action Statements – two for each goal (8 marks)
• Each action statement must clearly relate to ONE of your SMART goals
• Each statement must be structured to contain specific information about:
• WHAT you plan to do (include references where possible)
• HOW you plan to do it
• WHEN you plan to do it
3. Your key strength (2 marks)
Identify ONE of the occupational entry requirements listed in Section 1 of your report that
is a current strength of yours. Provide ONE piece of evidence that this is an actual
strength of yours (i.e. brief description of where and when you demonstrated the strength).
References (1 mark)
At least 2 intext references required.
Research effort and written communication (5 marks)
1. A range of credible and appropriate references used
2. References used accurately match the content referenced
3. Correct and consistent referencing style for intext referencing and reference list
4. Information clearly and concisely expressed
5. Minimal spelling and grammatical errors (less than 4)
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CAR20001 – Assignment 2
Assignment 2 Rubric
Does Not Meet
Standard (N)
0 – 7
Meets Standard
(P)
7.5 – 9
Meets Standard
(C)
9.5 – 11
Above Standard
(D)
11.5 – 13
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This is a prompt for an assignment in the field of future work skills. The assignment requires the student to conduct research on a suitable occupation and employment option for themselves, based on their interests. The report should consist of three sections: 1) Occupation, 2) Employer or Self-employment, and 3) My Career Plan. The assignment should be 1500 words in length, with references acknowledged in either APA, Harvard, or IEEE style. The student should use a blend of first-person and academic report styles of writing. The assignment is worth 50% of the total grade, and will be assessed based on the research effort and written communication, as well as the contents of each section of the report. The submission should be made via Turnitin and should follow the provided Assignment 2 Template.
