Employability Skills

The third set of skills you need for today's economy are employability skills. There are many labels for these particular skills. You may find all, some, or combinations of them referred to as generic skills, transferable skills, basic skills, core skills, core competencies, critical workplace competencies, workability skills, non-technical skills, soft skills, and/or essential skills. It is important to understand that these are essentially the same skills. Note that employability skills are different from work search skills, such as resume writing, interview preparation and networking.

The term "employability skills" was coined by the Conference Board of Canada in 1992 to describe the set of skills employers identify as needed for a high-quality Canadian workforce. We have come to realize that these transferable, generic skills are the ones that are needed throughout all career and life development activities. They can be applied in all environments and may be transferred to new and constantly changing contexts. For this reason, the acquisition of employability skills must be part of the career development process.

The Conference Board has published a list of employability skills called Employability Skills 2000+.

The Employability Skills Toolkit

The Employability Skills Toolkit for the Self-Managing Learner is a resource produced by the Conference Board of Canada based on the Employability Skills 2000+ project. The Toolkit is designed for individuals to identify and improve their employability skills.

This group of practical tools is designed to help you:

• know yourself and get feedback
• identify and reflect on your skills
• plan skills development activities
• implement your development plans and practice your skills
• document and market your skills for best success

For more information on the Toolkit, visit the Conference Board website at: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/education/learning-tools/ employability-skills.htm

The following is a strategy that will help you develop or improve your employability skills. Improving these skills also increases and supports your career development competencies.

Know what each skill is. The first step to learning is being aware of what it is you need to know. Study the wording on the Employability Skills 2000+ list and start to use the skills language. It is important to be able to describe these skills in the language employers recognize.

To view the Adobe Acrobat file, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader. The software is free and is available online at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/.

Look for places where each skill is being used. Begin by observing people using each skill in everyday activities and you will see how these skills are used all around you. Talk about a particular skill with a colleague or a family member to see how often they use that skill and the kind of situations they see themselves in when they have had to use or apply it. Remember that the key to possessing these skills is being able to demonstrate them.

You might interview other workers about their use of skills to gain a more in-depth knowledge of their application. Develop questions that will help you see how these skills are used in action. Some example questions are listed below.

Under the Personal Management Skills column of Employability Skills 2000+, see Be Adaptable, be able to work independently or as part of a team.

With respect to this skill, you could ask:

• Do you work alone? When do you have to work on your own? What kind of skills do you need to work alone?
• When do you work as part of a team? Is this the way you always work or does it change from time to time?
• What kind of projects or activities do you work on with others? Who does most of the work in the group?
• What kind of a role do you have when you work with others? Are you the leader? Do you get a chance to express your opinions? To contribute suggestions to the group?
• What other skills do you have to use at the same time? Communication skills? Problem-solving skills?

Decide how well you use these skills yourself. Think about times when you have really been able to excel at using each skill and times when you wish you had been a little better. Ask yourself if you think you have completely mastered this skill or whether you need to improve it.

Find examples in your own life experiences where you have used each skill well. You can begin to use those examples as a foundation on which to build your repertoire of skills, as well as your ability to talk about their use. Keep a record, such as a journal or notes for a portfolio, so you can draw upon your experiences and examples when you need them. Being able to talk about how you use these skills and feeling confident enough to give examples will be an advantage when preparing for an interview or creating a skills portfolio.

Identify those employability skills which you feel need improvement. Develop a plan for their improvement and remember that these skills can be improved on every day throughout your life. You already have more skills than you realize. You have multiple opportunities to enhance these skills while working, pursuing educational opportunities, and living your life. That is why these skills are often called transferable skills.

If you can solve problems in one area of your life, chances are you will be able to solve them in other areas as well. By knowing that you are flexible in one situation, you can remind yourself to apply that ability to another situation.

Ask the question, "What does it look like?" when you think about these skills. What would you see yourself (or others) doing when you are performing this skill? If you have trouble answering this question, look for ways to expand your knowledge of these skills in action. Look at the bulleted points under each heading on the Employability Skills 2000+ list to get ideas of what kinds of activities to look for.

Realize skills cannot and do not operate in isolation. Every skill needs a context in which to be performed. You can't show your computer skills if you don't have any specific content to use; you can't show your writing skills if you don't have a subject about which to write; you can't demonstrate your ability at working with others if you don't have a project to work on with someone; and a problem doesn't exist without a situation - you need to have a problem to solve or decisions to make about a specific topic.

As such, you should attempt to learn and improve these skills at the time you are learning other things, taking courses, working, and going through your daily life. They cannot exist without the context or setting in which to use them.

Other skill descriptions are:

This project involved interviewing more than 3,000 working people across Canada, looking at the following skills in greater detail:

The results from the project are compiled into a database that:

• shows how these skills vary in content and difficulty, depending on the job.
• gives examples of how these skills are used in different jobs.
• provides detailed profiles of the skills requirements of a broad range of specific occupations, including examples of materials used in actual workplace situations.

A link to information about this project is located at:
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/essential_skills/general/home.shtml
This site is constantly being enhanced. It shows how essential skills are used in over 200 occupations at Skill Levels C and D of the National Occupational Classification system.

Blueprint for Life/Work Designs Appendix D of the National Life/Work Centre's Blueprint framework provides an overview of how to define and identify skills. Includes information about employability and essential skills and multiple intelligences as well as a comprehensive skills checklist. http://www.blueprint4life.ca/

Essential Skills Profiles Database This site gives an overview of the Essential Skills Project and describes how Essential Skills are used in over 200 occupations, mainly at the C and D levels of the NOC. This searchable database is frequently updated. http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/essential_skills/general/home.shtml

Small Business BC Information for anyone interested in starting a small business in B.C. http://www.smallbusinessbc.ca/

Employability Skills Checklist This Service Canada checklist allows you to rate yourself against the skills employers say are needed in today's workplace. http://www.jobsetc.ca/toolbox/checklists/employability.jsp?lang=e