WORKSHOP ON

EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS

The Workforce of Tomorrow**How young people of today can be prepared for

their future employment?

**What is the gap between the skills available with them and what industries and business expect ?

**How this Gap can be bridged?

What we’ll cover

•What employers want?•Why they want it?

•How we can help them...and the young people with us?

Are we doing enough?

“…we believe the current supply of graduates and even Post graduates are broadly acceptable in

terms of quantity, there are question marks over quality – especially what they’re studying and how

they use what they’ve learnt.”

What employers are looking for ?

Subject vs General Ability

• 44% looking for specific technical knowledge, eg

•48% take degree as indication of all-round ability

Employability skills• Highly sought-after

• Need to hit the ground running and add value

• Evidence of skills in team-working, • communication, • creativity,

• having a positive attitude,• good work ethic,• being punctual,• reliable and

• able to meet deadlines.

Common Top 10 Skills

1.Honesty and integrity;2. Basic literacy skills;

3. Basic oral communication skills (e.g. telephone skills);

4. Reliability;5. Being hardworking and having a good work

ethic;6. Numeracy skills;

7. A positive, ‘can do’ attitude;8. Punctuality;

9. The ability to meet deadlines; and10. Team working and co-operation skills

Employers most impressed by...

•Honesty and integrity (93%)•IT skills (85%)•Reliability (85%)

•Ability to work in teams (82%)

...but less impressed by gaps

• Business acumen

• Leadership skills

• Decision-making

• Negotiating/influencing skills

Where evidenced, a big “sell” for employers

Net result•Only 25% of employers believe young people (graduates and post-graduates)

are well-prepared for employment•Employability skills keenly sought•90% of directors believe universities

should do more to enhance employability skills

Overall

•Most companies satisfied overall with standard

•Many satisfied with technical skills but dissatisfied with other skills

How universities compare

•51% - quality of university education good or excellent

•But there is a gap needs to be filled.

Recommendations

•No one “right” way, but employability and enterprise must be central to education•Embed within programmes – not an

optional extra

Three big changes required...

• Skills embedded in programmes – not “do you know how to do it?”, but “have you done it?”

• Leadership and mentoring module– compulsory part of every programme

• Team working assignments- having to work with people you don’t like, persuading and

influencing, presentation skills

...and the biggest one of all

- cross disciplinary problems- synthesising knowledge

- concentrates on “real world” application

- managing in an uncertain environment- group dynamics

We develop in them?

•Business acumen• Leadership skills•Decision-making

•Communication skills

Thank you

Opportunity for questions ???????