Employability Skills

Employability Skills Generic skills that enable our technical skills

A group of industry representatives agreed that we need some general skills in the work place to help complete work based activities effectively. These skills can be used in different work settings and job roles and are sometimes referred to as soft skills. These eight skills are:

Communication … that contributes to productive and harmonious relations in the workplace Communication includes reading, writing, speaking, listening and numeracy.

Reading Some things we might read in a workplace…

Writing Some things we might write in the workplace …

Speaking Some things we may say in the workplace …

Listening Some things we listen to in the workplace …

Numeracy Some ways we use numbers in the workplace …

Team Work … that contributes to productive working relationships and outcomes

Examples • Working with new workers/mentoring or coaching • Providing feedback • Sharing ideas/brainstorming • Working together to complete a task • Understanding your role in a team • Working with people irrespective of their gender, race, religion or political persuasion It was Jan’s birthday. The people in the office decided to get her a present. We discussed what we thought she would like and how much we each would contribute. We agreed that Marie should buy the present and a card which we could all sign.

Problem Solving … that contributes to productive outcomes

Examples • Developing creative, innovative and practical solutions • Showing independence and initiative in identifying and solving problems • Working with other people to solve problems – getting feedback from others, brainstorming solutions, designating roles • Using a number of different ideas to solve problems – if this doesn’t work, what can I try next? • Using mathematics to solve problems – what do I need to do first, how many do I need, how much time do I have to fix this?

Initiative & Enterprise … that contributes to innovative outcomes

Examples • Adapting to new situations • Being creative • Assessing risks • Translating ideas into actions • Identifying a range of options • Identifying opportunities • Developing a long term, strategic vision

Planning & Organising … that contributes to long and short term strategic planning

Examples • Planning a holiday • Planning an event • Researching and organising information • Planning the use of resources including time management • Allocating people and other resources to tasks • Managing time and priorities (setting timelines, Getting to meetings, appointments on time • Predicting – weighing up risk, evaluating alternatives and applying evaluation criteria

Self-management …that contributes to employee satisfaction and growth

Examples • Setting goals and working to complete them • Knowing your own strengths and weaknesses • Taking responsibility • Working safely • Evaluating and monitoring own performance I wanted to learn to use Windows 8. I enrolled in a course at the local Neighbourhood House and I set aside an hour each evening to practice what I learnt in class.

Learning … that contributes to continuous improvement in growth and operations

Examples • Being prepared to learn new things • Being aware of the way you learn • Contributing to the learning environment in the workplace • Managing your own learning • Using a range of methods to learn (mentoring, peer support, networking, courses) • Being open to new ideas and techniques

Technology … that contributes to effective execution of tasks

Examples • Using office equipment appropriately • Having a range of IT skills • Applying IT as a management tool • Using IT to organise data • Having OHS knowledge to apply technology

Do you volunteer, work in a family business, coach a sports team, play a team sport, manage a budget, care for a family member …? You have employability skills!

Identifying Your Employability Skills using the STARR System • What happened? (Situation) • What did you have to do? (Task) • What did you do? (Activities) • What was the result? (Result) • What did you learn? (Reflection)

An example I was asked to send a document to Nigeria. I needed to find a way to send this document so it would arrive safely. I searched the internet to find a courier company that could transport mail to Nigeria. I rang a friend who had worked for a logistics company to confirm that this company was reliable. A courier came to pick up the document and it was sent to Nigeria. I used initiative and technology to find a secure way to send the document and I learned how to track the document using the company web site and the parcel code.I can now send documents anywhere in the world.

Keeping a record of your employability skills A portfolio is a collection of work which demonstrates your achievements over a period of time. When you are collecting information about your employability skills, you should include a description of the activity you completed, the evidence you have of this activity and a personal reflection on the activity. There are many ways to collect evidence of your employability skills. For example: reports from a supervisor or teacher, personal reflections on learning activities, videos, photos, recordings and examples of work you have done. There are different ways you can store these records. You could use an e- portfolio which is an electronic record of your work or you could keep a collection of samples in a binder or folder. This portfolio will help you apply for jobs and prepare for job interviews Would you use employability skills developing your portfolio of employability skills?

References • A Learner’s Guide to Employability Skills http://tinyurl.com/7m6bv78 • Employability Skills: From Framework to Practice http://tinyurl.com/pqlc3t8 • Images sourced under a Creative Commons licence and from Microsoft Clipart • http://www.monash.edu.au/careers/students-grads/employability-skills.html

Employability Skills