You receive a letter in the mail. The letter is from the American Psychological

Question

You receive a letter in the mail. The letter is from the American Psychological Association(APA), and it grants you unlimited funds to visit any country in the world you want, and set up a project there. It could be educational, health related(including awareness, etc).

Examples of previous projects by students have included such varied projects as a teen prevention program in two states, a midday meal program for schoolchildren in Africa, a counseling center for victims of a natural disaster in Asia, and more. Next, write up your project and post directly into this conference.

So please choose a country and a project. You may refer to the sample as an illustration of what is expected. The sample is not perfect, but meant to give an idea of what the project can look like.

Put the title in the main conference(Universal mental health support by 2020 in Country A, Model schools in the desert, No more homelessness for children in Country B, etc)

Instructions

Structure the project with the following sections:

Title: This should be short and to the point: identify the target population, the focus of the project, and the country/region.

Background of the project: This should be one paragraph.

Purpose of the project: This is the point of the study—why you are doing it (one paragraph).

Method: Here, you will describe the participants, the instruments/measurement methods/resources used, and the process: in other words, the target population, methods, and procedure (one paragraph each for participants, instruments/resources, and process).

Outcome and rationale: What do you hope to achieve in this project, and how, specifically, will the project make a difference in the living conditions of your target population? Take into account the socio-cultural context (one to two paragraphs).

Please note that this has to do with improving the lot of people with the focus on the psychology of human beings(so for eg. saving animals, though a good cause, does not necessarily mean what we are looking for here, and we are not in political science class, we are psychological scientists choosing to improve the state of the world's well-being) from any part of the globe. Also, the country you choose needs to be described in respectful terms-so although there are problems that need to be solved, this is not a reason to blame people, or berate cultures different or unfamiliar to our usual socio-cultural conditions. Some ideas of what psychologists are doing in different parts of the world are also provided(via a clickable link on humanitarian heroes from the APA) under Content>Dr H supplement>change the world(which also has the sample assignment).

At last, add at least two references in APA style.

Explanation / Answer

Title: Improving youth employability skills in India through applied psychology

Background: India is second largest in terms of population (1.32 billion as of 2016) and thus aiming to become human resource hub for the world. India's workforce is approximately 711 million people strong in the working age group of under 59 years till 2016 and 21 million people added to this workforce every year* (Leighton Ernsberger, Market Research-Skill Requirements among young professionals in India, 2016, page 11). The youth here needs employability training to acquire skills, so that there will be sustainable growth and achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals like "No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Decent Work and Economic Growth." A vital role played by applied psychology in terms of skill gap assessment, training, retention of employees, etc.

Purpose of the project: At the Sustainable Development Summit on September 25, 2015, UN Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030* (UNDP SDG Booklet, 2015). Meeting the sustainable development goals like no poverty, zero hunger, decent work and economic growth is possible by enabling youth to acquire skills needed to join the workforce. For achieving this, applying psychology is imperative like assessing the skill gap with test batteries, designing quality coursework to enhance learning experience, apply psychology theories to boost employee motivation, study what workforce needs, etc. Hence, the project skill development in India through psychological perspective.

Method: The method involves researching the youth's strengths and weakness for employability, that is skill-gap assessment, and to design the training program suitable for both candidate and also employer.

Target Population: Youths in the country who are aged between 18 and 35 years. Population of this age group is high in strength and adaptability to new standards and training programs. These youths may range from high school diploma holders to university graduates who are trying to have a job placement, so that they can earn for livelihood and can contribute to nation's economic growth. Many of youths are not aware of new industry standards and lack skills required to become employed. These youths needed to be assessed through test batteries including aptitude, power test, attitude scales, so that the areas of training need can be identified.

Resources: The main resources utilized here are test batteries designed to assess the youth's skills and abilities and find the difference between industry standards and candidate's score/ability. Also, career counselors who are psychology graduates and trained in counseling are of great help to assess, counsel, train the youth and put into the workforce. Some essential infrastructure to conduct assessment and training program are utilized, these are usually already existing schools, colleges, public libraries, training centers, etc. By utilizing the above-mentioned resources, the candidates are assessed, counseled on opportunities and possibilities on one-on-one basis, trained to acquire skills essential to join workforce.

Procedure: Firstly, skills tests to be conducted to analyze where the current candidates are standing in terms of skills needed to get a job. These skill assessment tests are designed considering aspects to measure such as intelligence, emotions, motivation, vocational ability, etc. These test results are compared to present industry standards, i.e., what the industry currently needs, thus skill gap analysis is conducted. After this, the results including strength, weakness, opportunities, threats of the candidates should be taken into consideration which aid in designing effective training program to match industry standards. The same results are conveyed to the candidates and formal counseling will be conducted to make them aware their strengths and weakness as well as opportunities for them if they acquire new skills at par with industry standards. Formal training program designed considering data collected through assessment and counseling. The designing process involves psychology theory of learning, memory, etc., so that training is effective and learner friendly. Training program is imparted and trainee motivation and retention are maintained throughout the training program with help of psychology graduates through counseling and boosting motivation.

Outcome/rationale: The aim of this project is achievement of sustainable development goals of poverty reduction, zero hunger, decent economic growth through skills development program making the youth job ready. This goal is achieved with the help of psychological principles such as assessing motivation, emotional intelligence, general intelligence, memory, adaptability, etc. Main beneficiaries are youth in the nation who will be joining workforce and earn for livelihood resulting in economic stability and hence reduction in poverty and hunger. As hunger reduces and nutrition level increases, it will result in more sustainable economy through more healthy strong workforce. If an individual is able to afford good amount of nutrition, then ability to work increases.

By encouraging the youths to adapt to appropriate emerging technologies, steady economic as well as social growth can be observed in terms of good shelter, education, transportation. The skill development program with psychological counseling will boost the motivation of the youth to earn decently and also reduces malnutrition. This program increases intercultural harmony and creates new social well-developed youth workforce who are adaptable multiple cultures.

*References:

1. Ernsberger, L, Market Research-Skill Requirements among young professionals in India, (2016) British Council.

2. UNDP SDG Booklet, (2015) UNDP.

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