Skills for Employment
There are a wide range of skills for employment that can be acquired and developed for a particular occupation or activity.
Qualifications form part of these skills but employers are also looking for employees who have developed a wide range of Employability Skills
Skills for employment can be developed and practised from an early age e.g.
Work experience
Taking part in a school/college project
Duke of Edinburgh and similar schemes
Being a young carer
Being a member of a team (sports, enterprise)
Part time work
Volunteering
Partners from Hull and East Riding were asked what were the top 5 skills that made someone ‘Work Ready’. This was their response.
Self discipline and management
Social skills
Communication
Team working
Basic literacy and numeracy
To see individual responses use the links below
Work Experience
Work Experience provides young people with the chance to experience the world of work first hand.
Work experience is defined as:
“A placement on an employer‘s premises in which a pupil carries out a particular task or duty, or range of tasks and duties, more or less as would an employee, but with the emphasis on the learning aspects of the experience.”(DfES1997)
Work experience is an important part of any young person’s education.
Its many benefits can include:
- Experiencing working life and all that means
- To develop and practice employability skills
- Understanding how curriculum subjects link to work
- Developing networks with potential future employers
- Use the experience to update a CV or personal statement
Employability Skills
Employability Skills have been defined after extensive collaboration with business by the Confederation of British Industries (CBI). They are a set of attributes, skills and knowledge that all labour market participants should possess to ensure they have the capability of being effective in the workplace to the benefit of themselves, their employer and the wider economy.
Employability skills include:
- Self-management – readiness to accept responsibility, flexibility, resilience, self-starting, appropriate assertiveness, time management, readiness to improve own performance based on feedback/reflective learning
- Teamworking – respecting others, co-operating, negotiating/persuading, contributing to discussions, and awareness of interdependence with others
- Business and customer awareness – basic understanding of the key drivers for business success – including the importance of innovation and taking calculated risks – and the need to provide customer satisfaction and build customer loyalty
- Problem solving – analysing facts and situations and applying creative thinking to develop appropriate solutions
Communication and literacy – application of literacy, ability to produce clear, structured written work and oral literacy – including listening and questioning - Application of numeracy – manipulation of numbers, general mathematical awareness and its application in practical contexts (e.g. measuring, weighing, estimating and applying formulae)
- Application of information technology – basic IT skills, including familiarity with word processing, spreadsheets, file management and use of internet search engines
Social Media
Have you updated your Facebook, MySpace or Linkedin profiles lately?
A recent survey by Career Builder confirmed that recruitment managers are using social networking websites to research candidates. In fact, according to the survey as many as one in five managers have done so, and more than one in three of them found reason to reject the candidate’s application.
Social networking websites have blurred the line between public and private; friend and acquaintance. Perhaps you’ve heard horror stories of how someone’s online profile got them fired from their job. However, it’s not all bad. You can in fact use social networking to get yourself hired, not just fired.
Quick Facts
According to research by Brave New Talent – a social network connecting employers to talent:
- 73% of employers currently use online social networks or social media to support their recruiting efforts
- 30% of employers always check out candidates social media profiles when vetting them
- 58% of employers have successfully hired candidates through social networking websites
“We investigate everyone who applies; if there is no online presence at all, we will not invite them”
Useful Links
The site provides a range of resources and clips that could be used by learners
The Hull and East Riding 14-19 Prospectus and Common Application Process (CAP)
