NCFE Level 1 Certificate in Employability Skills Part A: Unit 1. NCFE Level 1

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1 NCFE Level 1 Part A 1

2 These learning resources and assessments have been reviewed and approved by NCFE as meeting the requirements of the Level 1 Award and Certificate in Employability Skills. Disclaimer: All references to individuals, groups and companies contained within these resources are fictitious and do not relate to any person or company.

3 PART A Welcome to NCFE s Level 1 Certificate in Employability Skills. We hope you find all of the information contained in this resource pack interesting and informative. These learning resources and assessments have been approved by NCFE as a great way to meet the learning outcomes for this qualification. (A complete list of the learning outcomes can be found on the last page of this workbook). The course is divided into three parts (A, B and C). This is Part A which contains three units: Unit 1: Business and Customer Awareness Page 2 Unit 2: Problem Solving at Work Page 15 UNIT 3: Working in a Team Page 28 As you start to read through each page you will be able to make notes and comments on things you have learnt or may want to revisit at a later stage. Each unit has a number of small sections. At the end of each section you will be asked to go to your assessment booklet and answer the relevant questions. Once you have answered the questions go to the next section and continue studying until all of the assessments have been completed. Please make sure that you set aside enough time to read each section carefully, making notes and completing all of the activities. This will allow you to gain a better understanding of the subject content and will help you to answer all of the assessment questions accurately. Good luck with your studies. Now let s begin! 3

4 Unit 1: business and customer awareness Welcome to unit one, Business and Customer Awareness. This unit is split into three sections. These are: Section 1: Different types of businesses and organisations This section will look at different types of businesses, the differences between sole trader and sole trading partnerships, and differences found in Private Limited Companies and Public Limited Companies (Ltd and plc). Section 2: Different types of customers This section will look at the differences in customers and the needs that they have. Section 3: Attitudes and expectations The final section of this unit will look at positive and negative attitudes, as well as why having the right attitude at work is important. 4

5 Section 1: Different types of businesses and organisations Types of business Most aspects of our lives include being involved with business of some sort; this is within both our working and privates lives. The table on the next page shows how even the most simple daily activities include contact with large businesses or companies. Daily activity Making a cup of tea Having a shower Getting dressed Getting the bus to work Being at work Looking for work Buying food for your evening meal Going to the gym Watching TV Business / company involved Electricity company Gas or electricity company Clothes bought from retail businesses Transport company Whatever your business is Government agencies supporting job seekers Supermarket Gym Television / network provider It is quite astonishing how so much of our lives involve dealing with businesses of different kinds. It is useful to know a little bit about how these companies operate and how they differ from one another. Your individual dealings with each company will be different. For example, think about how you pay for products; you would not necessarily expect to pay for the services of a Job Seeker Agency, but you wouldn t expect your electricity to be free. We might expect most businesses to have making a profit as their number one priority. This may be the case for many but certainly not for all. With this thought in mind, we will start by having a look at different types of businesses, some that operate for profit and others that operate as non-profit organisations. 5

6 Different types of business In the United Kingdom (UK) there are lots of different businesses and organisations. Some are profit making and some are non-profit making. Examples of common non-profit organisations: Local sports associations Charities The Scouts / Guides Examples of common profit making businesses: Supermarkets Private care homes Private nurseries Youth clubs Unions Citizens Advice Bureau Churches Hairdressers Professional football teams Factories Retail shops Most businesses or organisations in the UK fall into one of four main business types: 1. Sole Trader 2. Private Limited Company (Ltd) 3. Public Limited Company (plc) 4. Guarantee Company (non-profit) These businesses could be local, i.e. just have one or two premises in the local town, or they could be national, such as supermarket chains that have stores in nearly every town and city across the UK. 6

7 Sole Trader or Sole Trading Partnership This is the most common form of business in the UK. A Sole Trader organisation is when a business is owned and controlled by one person who makes all the decisions. If it is a Sole Trading partnership then it would be owned by more than one person. For example, a husband and wife, or two friends. A negative side to a Sole Trader organisation is that the owner s personal belongings (e.g. their house or car) are at risk if the business struggles and becomes bankrupt. Examples of a Sole Trader are: Independent hair dresser Local electrician A mobile DJ. Private Limited Company (Ltd) A Private Limited Company (Ltd), is owned by one or more Directors. Each Director can claim a share of the company. Each Director is not personally liable if the company becomes bankrupt. The negative side to a Ltd company is that they have to pay another tax called corporation tax in addition to all other taxes. They must also register and supply accounts from the company every year to Companies House as well as to the Inland Revenue. Examples of a Private Limited Company are: A privately run care home A food manufacturer A training company. 7

8 Public Limited Company (plc) A Public Limited Company (plc), is a business that offers shares to the public so that they can buy into the services the company provides and get some money back with profit for doing so. Large companies offer shares for sale and the price of these depends on the profits the business makes. Each plc must have at least two directors and a company secretary, according to the regulations of Companies House. A downside to a plc is that each share holder has a right to vote on issues affecting the company. This is a negative point because there could be thousands of shareholders. Examples of a Public Limited Company are: Some national super market chains Some professional football clubs Large manufacturing businesses. Guarantee Company (non-profit) A Guarantee Company usually has members rather than shareholders and these members act as guarantors. A downside to a Guarantee Company might be that as a member there is a lot of work and responsibility for no financial reward. However, being a member of a Guarantee Company can be very personally rewarding. Examples of a Guarantee company are: Charities Student unions Sports clubs. i Key Fact In a Guarantee Company, any profits made are put back into the organisation to cover its running costs and activities. 8

9 A Activity 1: Business match Match the four businesses / organisations to one of the four business types we discussed in the previous pages. One has been done for you. Maggie s Mobile Hair Salon ASDA Supermarkets RS Mouldings Ltd The RSPCA Guarantee Company Public Limited Company Sole Trader Private Limited Company A Activity 2: Local or national? Of the four businesses / organisations identified in the previous activity, from your own knowledge list two local and two national companies or organisations. Local: National: Congratulations, You have now completed section 1. PLEASE NOW GO TO YOUR UNIT 1 ASSESSMENT AND ANSWER QUESTION Q1a. 9