Eight Employability Skills

1. Communication

  • listen & understand
  • speak  clearly & directly
  • write to the needs of the audience
  • use numeracy effectively
  • establish & use networks
  • persuade effectively
  • negotiate positively
  • empathize
  • be assertive
  • Share information
  • read independently

2. Teamwork


  • contribute to productive working relationships and outcomes
  • work with people of different ages, gender, race, religion or political persuasion
  • know how to define a role in the team
  • apply teamwork skills to a range of situations
  • identify the strengths of team members
  • coach, mentor and give feedback

3. Problem-solving


  • apply problem-solving strategies across a range of areas
  • develop creative, innovative solutions
  • develop practical solutions
  • show independence and initiative in identifying problems and solving them
  • solve problems in teams
  • apply a range of strategies to problem-solving
  • use mathematics including budgeting and financial management to solve problems
  • test assumptions relevant to the specific situation
  • resolve customer concerns in relation to complex project issues

4. Self-management

  • have a personal vision and goals
  • evaluate and monitor your own performance
  • have knowledge and confidence in your own ideas and vision
  • take responsibility

5. Planning and organizing


  • understand short-term and long-term planning
  • manage time and priorities – set timelines, coordinate tasks for yourself and with others
  • take initiative and make decisions
  • adapt resources to cope with contingencies
  • establish clear project goals and deliverables
  • allocate people and other resources to tasks
  • plan the use of resources including time management
  • participate in continuous improvement and planning processes
  • develop a vision and a proactive plan to accompany it
  • predict –weigh up risk, evaluate alternatives and apply evaluation criteria
  • collect, analyze and organize information
  • understand basic business systems and their relationships

6. Technology


  • have a range of basic IT skills
  • apply IT as a management tool
  • use IT to organize data
  • be willing to learn new IT skills
  • be aware of the impact of technology on your field and ensure your skills are up to date

7. Learning


  • have enthusiasm for ongoing learning
  • manage your own learning
  • be open to new ideas and techniques
  • be prepared to invest time and effort in learning new skills
  • acknowledge the need to learn in order to accommodate change
  • be willing to learn in any setting – on and off the job
  • contribute to the learning community at the workplace
  • use a range of mediums to learn – mentoring, peer support, networking, information technology, courses
  • applying learning to technical issues and people issues

8. Initiative and enterprise


  • translate new ideas into action
  • identify opportunities not obvious to others
  • adapt to new situations
  • develop a strategic, creative, long-term vision
  • be creative
  • generate a range of options
  • initiate innovative solutions

Reference:

Department of Education, Science & Technology, 2002, Employability Skills for the Future

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