Employability Skills: Job 'Currency' of the Future

Objectives

What you will learn:

• What employability skills are
• What characteristics, attributes, behaviours and values are valued in the workplace
• How to acquire, develop and evidence those skills in your Employability Portfolio

Introduction

Changes in the workplace landscape and the evolving nature of employment has meant that both employees and employers need to be adaptive.  The future of the workplace involves being ready for change and developing skills that are portable across positions and employments. These skills, known as employability or transferable skills, are highly valued by employers because they can ‘transfer’ across a variety of roles, positions and contexts. In that same way, they are valuable to you because you are more employable having a range of abilities, qualities and aptitudes .

The list of employability skills is varied and expansive, however there is consensus about some of the main themes, those being:

In this module, we’ll provide information on the attributes and qualities of each of the skills area listed above, discuss how they can be further developed, and suggest ways that you might evidence them in your Employability Portfolio.

A couple last items to note:

• At University College the word ‘artefacts’ is used throughout the module – this term refers to anything that documents your skill development (e.g. written text, video, graphics, etc).  For more information on artefacts visit the Portfolio Artefacts module.
• The Employability Portfolio is your professional folder which showcases the development of these important skills . This Employability Portfolio will be shared with you by Academic Coaches, and opportunities to attend informational sessions provided through the Semester.

Communication

The ability to communicate effectively is an essential skill and recognised as one of the most important employability skills. In fact, many of the other skills are underpinned by good communication skills. For example, one aspect of good leadership relies on the ability to communicate and motivate people.

Effective communication skills are sought after by employers in almost all areas of work. When, and how, you communicate affects how others perceive you and how your message is received. Therefore, communicating effectively in your professional and personal life ultimately means that you develop better organisational performance in your job and relationships.

Communication can be defined as the process of transmitting messages to create shared meaning. The function of communication is to inform, persuade and promote goodwill with those inside and outside the workplace. For this reason, good communication skills are a key attribute that employers expect their staff to be competent.

In regards to this skill, employers expectations for their employees include the ability to:

(Dwyer 2013)

Evidence

Some of the types of artefacts that can be used to evidence your communication skills include:

Further information/reading

If you would like to review more material on communication, and find ideas about other evidence you may use to promote communication skills, please click on the modules below:

The Foundations of Communication

Non-verbal Communication

Selling Your Product (Pitches/Proposals)

Core Literacies

Literacy means having competence or knowledge in a specific area. There are many areas of our life - personal, professional, and academic - where it is important to have certain core literacies, or competencies.

Below is a list of core literacies with a brief explanation of each:

Evidence

Some of the types of artefacts that can be used to evidence your skills in the various areas of literacy include:

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

Critical Thinking

It is the skill of taking a metaphorical step backwards and examining an issue from as many angles as possible in the most objective manner possible, to make a considered judgment. Critical thinking requires you to consider all available information to enable a reasoned judgment.

A Critical Thinker:

(Adapted from Skills You Need [SYN] 2017)

Evidence

A good start to evidence your critical thinking skill development would be to look at the dot points above and thinking about how you might find evidence that highlights any of them.

In addition, you may have evidence that is very similar to what you would upload for problem solving (further down the module), because to be a good problem solver, you need to be a critical thinker. Other skills needed for critical thinking include:

Problem Solving

Effective problem solving often requires you to collect, process, analyse and evaluate information to find a solution (or solutions). Along with other employability skills like communication, planning and organisation, teamwork, critical thinking, digital literacy, and active inquiry (for example), it is essential in work and in life in general.

There are a few different stages in the problem solving process, which makes it a little more complicated than it probably sounds. These steps include:

Evidence

The evidence, or artefacts, you might include in your Employability Portfolio to show the development of this skill are listed below:

• Mind Mapping
• Brainstorming
• The Fishbone Diagram (or Cause and Effect Diagram)
• Affinity Mapping
• The 5W’s (and the 5 WHY’s)
• SWOT Analysis

NOTE: These tools will be introduced to you in your units.

Other evidence might include drawings, sketches, photos, or videos with explanatory notes (or voice-overs) to show how you used a design thinking or action learning approach to solving a problem or how you worked on a wicked problem or applied appreciative inquiry. Alternatively, you could upload evidence of any kind that highlights problem-based learning experiences that you engaged in.

Upload evidence that shows you can:

• assess a situation and identify problems
• seek different points of view and evaluate them based on facts
• be creative and innovative in exploring possible solutions
• readily look at and use the evidence-base to think, gain, and share knowledge, solve problems, and make decisions
• evaluate and implement solutions or decisions
• act on opportunities for improvement
  (Adapted from The Conference Board of Canada 2019)

Further information/reading

If you would like to, you can review more material on Critical Thinking in this module.

If you want to, you can review more material on Problem Solving Tools and Techniques in this module.

Inquiry, Planning and Organisation

Active Inquiry

'Inquiry' is searching for information or understanding. It involves questioning, investigating and communicating. Inquiry is often employed as a skill when engaged in problem-based learning or project-based learning or when design thinking approaches are applied to explore and understand issues and generate solutions.

Inquiry is more likely to occur in active learning contexts that involve posing questions and discussing potential solutions.

Working on wicked problems, applying the method of appreciative inquiry or completing local projects might also draw on your inquiry skills.

Evidence

Evidence of your ability to inquire might therefore include:

Planning and Organisation

The ability to plan and organise is highly valued by employers. These skills are needed to ensure all tasks in every project are identified, outlined and actioned to ensure objectives can be met.

According to The Complete Leader (2023):

Evidence

Evidence of your ability to plan and organise may include:

Teamwork and Collaboration

The ability to work in teams and collaborate with others is highly sought after in contemporary work environments.

Working in teams often includes:

As well as it also includes:

Evidence

Some of the types of artefacts that can be used to evidence your skills in this area include:

Further information/reading

For ideas on what types of evidence you can collect, and more material about teams and group work, please review Team Roles and Group Work.

Alternatively, you might explore websites and articles, such as the excerpts from 'Employability Skills 2000+' (The Coference Board of Canada 2019).

Ethics and Social Responsibility

Ethics and social responsibility are connected with doing the ‘right thing’; that is, being guided by strong moral principles and acting for the benefit of others. Ethics are important for our own sense of worth, as well as for the betterment of society.

Ethics are demonstrated in the way we problem-solve, our decision-making, our contribution to teamwork and our nonverbal and verbal communication.

Social responsibility involves being aware of and accountable for your individual actions and the decisions which affect the group, community and society. Some of the attributes of being socially responsible include equity, sustainability and sensitivity to diverse populations.

Evidence

Some ways you might evidence ethical behaviour and social responsibility are:

Further Information/Reading

There is also an ethics module you may find useful to explore:

Ethics

Leadership

Leadership is the ability to influence and inspire people to a common goal. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, summarised leadership as the ability to empower others (Forbes 2019).

Employers value leadership in their employees, as leaders demonstrate the ability to communicate, collaborate and motivate. In addition to these qualities, some of the commonly identified characteristics of leadership include:

• Upholding integrity, ethics, and values
• Applying active listening skills
• Demonstrating passion and commitment
• Demonstrating a positive and empathetic approach
• Thinking innovatively and creatively
  (Greenberg 2010)

There are many different leadership styles and approaches and we encourage you to think broadly when evidencing this skill. Evidence that highlights leadership might be:

• Decision-making capability
• Diplomacy
• Accountability
• Persistence and commitment
• Teamwork

Leadership may be exemplified in the tutorials, workshops, on-site visits and also in clubs/societies, through mentorship and/or project work.

Understanding what good leadership is, and the valued attributes of good leadership, may help with identifying your own style.

Evidence

Some of the types of artefacts that can be used to evidence your skills in this area include:

Further information/reading

To learn more about leadership, view the modules titled Adaptive Leadership and Leading Change.

Critical Reflection, Learning and Self-Management

Critical Reflection

Reflection is serious and careful thought, that helps the thinker create meaning from an experience, and informs their decisions in the future for the benefit of themselves, and of others.

At University College (UC), when you engage in any experience and 'learn by doing', we encourage you to reflect on that experience. This is because critical reflection increases your understanding of that moment in time - and generates thoughts and ideas about what to do in the future (in similar contexts or situations).

Evidence

Reflective writing pieces and artefacts with explanatory notes are two of the most common types of evidence students upload.

We recommend the following questions guide your critical reflections:

But please, look at the Reflective Cycle module as it explains each step!

Learning and Self-Management

This skill is about you taking control of your own learning and managing yourself personally and professionally.

We encourage you to provide evidence that highlights continuous learning, improvement and self-management. To do this, we recommend you to include some evidence around the following (informed by Employability Skills 2000+):

Evidence

Some of the types of artefacts that can be used to evidence your skills in these areas include:

Continuous Learning:

Self-Management:

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Innovation and entrepreneurship can come in different forms and take on different shapes and sizes. Innovation can occur in products, services, or processes. Generally, the entrepreneurial process begins with an innovative idea. The characteristics of the entrepreneur play a role in making this innovation a reality.

Some widely agreed-upon entrepreneurial attributes include:

Employers value candidates and employees who demonstrate these entrepreneurial characteristics. They bring motivation, passion and initiative to the team, organisation, or business. For more information on entrepreneurial attributes, refer to the module here.

Evidence

To evidence your development in Innovation and Entrepreneurship you may consider artefacts that demonstrate your creativity and the ability to see things differently, such as:

• Participation in the design thinking process
• Brainstorms of product and/or service ideas
• Reflection or evaluation of innovative practice, products or services
• Documentation of goal setting and milestones towards achieving that goal
• Opportunities to seek leadership roles

Further information/reading

For more on entrepreneurship, including motivational factors and quotes (including the one from Bruce Bachenheimer above) please click on Business News Daily.

Refer to the module here for more information on Ethics and Entrepreneurship.

Creativity, Initiative and Enterprise

Creativity

Most definitions of creativity associate it with imagination, inventiveness and originality. Sometimes it is additionally associated with innovation. Creativity is therefore about producing something that is new, or original, typically to solve a problem or to communicate. It allows for self-expression, celebrating individual difference or talent and embracing diversity.

Employers typically value creativity in employees because it can result in problem-solving and productivity by inspiring others and bringing teams together. It can also lead to solutions that create greater efficiencies in the workplace.

Initiative

Initiative is about the ability to look at something and act independently without having to be told to. It involves making independent decisions based on good judgement and then putting in place a plan or a process to complete a task or address a problem.

Initiative is a sought-after skill because it often leads to the implementation of projects or programs (or 'initiatives') that eliminate or decrease costs, by reducing time, cutting back on other resources, and improving performance or productivity.

Enterprise

The word ‘enterprise’ is often associated with starting up a new or different initiative or business. However, as a behaviour or characteristic, it is about seeing opportunities. It is often linked to initiative, or creativity, because it involves drawing on imagination to do something new or different, or design and implement projects or processes.

To be 'enterprising', you need to think independently, strategically, and differently; analyse the facts behind opportunities before making decisions; and then have the skills, awareness, and confidence to act on your new initiative/idea.

Evidence

We recommend that you collect evidence against how you have developed or applied your creativity skills. The list below provides some examples of the attributes you could provide evidence against:

• Imagination
• Inventiveness
• Originality
• Creative Problem-Solving
• Independent Decision-Making
• Strategic Thinking

More concrete pieces of evidence or artefacts might therefore include:

• Creative or enterprising plans or proposals that address an inefficiency or problem in the workplace, community, or home
• Mind maps, diagrams or flowcharts highlighting a new process to reduce waste, cost and time
• Tools or methods you used to initiate an original project or process
• Plans, pictures or stories that capture how you saw an opportunity, explored the possibilities or evidence-base, and applied sound judgement to implement
• Photographs, sketches, process charts, or other visuals that highlight creativity or enterprise or initiative

Finally, we strongly encourage that you visit The TED Series: The Way We Work, which contains dozens of short talks on a variety of topics related to work.

References and Resources

Conference Board of Canada, 2019, Employability Skills 2000+, viewed on 6 September 2022.

Dwyer, J 2013, Communication for business and the professions strategies and skills, Pearson, NSW, Australia.

Forbes, 2013, What is Leadership? Viewed on 7 September 2019.

Gibbs, G 1988, Learning by doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods, Further Education Unit, Oxford Brookes University.

Greenberg, J, 2011, Behaviour in organizations, Pearson Education, New Jersey.

Patterson, R 2017, ‘7 ways to improve your critical thinking skills’, CollegeInfoGeek, blog, viewed on 6 September 2019, https://collegeinfogeek.com/improve-critical-thinking-skills/

Skills You Need, 2017, Skills you Need, viewed on 6 September 2019.

The Complete Leader 2023, Planning and Organization, viewed 24 January 2023, <https://www.thecompleteleader.org/competencies/planning-organization>.

Other Useful Sources of Information

Problem Solving (Business Dictionary)

Entrepreneurship (Business News Daily)

Financial Literacy (Learning Potential)

Media Literacy in the Classroom (Common Sense Org)

Problem Solving (Mind Tools)

Planning and Organisation (The Complete Leader)

Ethics and Social Responsibility (The Ethics Centre)