An Introduction to Employability Skills

Employability Skills... • ...enable you to apply your technical skills to a

variety of jobs.

They - • Help you perform better in the workplace• Can be used in any future job • Help your organisation achieve more goals

If you were the boss, what sort of skills would you want your employees to have if they were a:

• Plumber• Librarian• Teacher• Secretary• Shop attendant• Telemarketer• Hairdresser

Employers have identified 8 employability skills as important.

1. Communication2. Teamwork3. Self management4. Learning skills5. Problem solving6. Technology7. Planning and organisation8. Initiative & enterprise

COMMUNICATION

Communication skills - contribute to productive and harmonious relations between employees and customers.

Examples of communication skills?

EXAMPLE:

• I phoned my lecturer to let her know I was going to be late for class today.

“TEAMWORK: a group of people working

together towards a common goal."

TEAMWORK skills - contribute to productive working relationships and outcomes.

Examples of teamwork?

EXAMPLE:

• I assisted a classmate with a problem they were having.

SELF MANAGEMENT

Self management skills - contribute to employee satisfaction and growth

Self management

skills – examples?

SELF MANAGEMENT EXAMPLE:

• I put aside one hour each morning to revise the previous days notes.

Learning Skills

Learning skills - contribute to ongoing improvement and expansion in employee and company operations and outcomes.

Examples of learning skills ?

LEARNING EXAMPLE:

• I asked my teacher for extra work to help me improve my skills.

Problem solving skills

Problem solving skills - contribute to innovative outcomes.

Examples of problem solving skills?

PROBLEM SOLVING EXAMPLE:

• At work, we spend a lot of time sending emails between staff members. I devised an internet blog page to help staff members keep up with news and make contributions themselves.

Technology skills

Examples of skills in technology?

Technology skills - contribute to effective execution of tasks

TECHNOLOGY EXAMPLE:

• I created a newsletter for my soccer club using Word, Publisher, and Irfanview. I then converted it into a PDF files and emailed it to all the members.

Planning and organising skills

Planning and organising skills - contribute to long-term and short-term strategic planning

Examples?

PLANNING & ORGANISING EXAMPLE:

• I was part of a group that organised a weekend camping trip. I was in charge of organising suitable accommodation & making sure everyone paid for it on time. We had a great time – no accommodation problems.

Initiative & Enterprise Skills

Initiative and enterprise skills - contribute to innovative projects

• Examples?

INITIATIVE EXAMPLE:

• At work, we spend a lot of time sending emails between staff members. I devised an internet blog page to help staff members keep up with news and make contributions themselves.

• NOTE; this is the same example as problem solving. Sometimes these skills overlap).

Employers want their workers to have these basic skills. Which ones do you have? Which ones can you improve on?

1. Communication2. Teamwork3. Self management4. Learning skills5. Problem solving6. Technology7. Planning and organisation8. Initiative & enterprise