Employability Skills
Topic Questions:
1. Are you aware of any more employability skills that ought to be
developed (in addition to those listed below)?
2. Can you cite an employability skill development program which has been
successful for you, a friend or acquaintance? Please share any case
studies, briefly, about a program that has helped you in developing
professional workplace skills.
Employability skills can broadly identified keys skills that students need
to develop during their courses. ' ' is a term commonly used to provide a
more detailed definition of the key skills. The main areas that are
highlighted as being beneficial to employers and, therefore, to graduates
starting and continuing in their careers include:
Problem solving skills
Communication skills
Analytical skills
Data analysis
Critical appraisal
Time management
Team work
The employment market is increasingly more competitive for new graduates
as greater numbers of students undertake Higher Education courses.
Employers are looking for graduates who have more to offer than simply a
good degree. Those graduates who stay within the scientific community will
be required to have skills beyond the laboratory. In today's environment
they will need skills that will allow them to communicate effectively with
both customers and other team members, and to adapt rapidly to a changing
environment.
Many graduates will use their science degree as a route into a wide range
of unrelated professions from accountancy, management training, to working
in the City. During their degree they will have needed to develop a range
of transferable skills in order to succeed in these areas.
How can employability skills be developed?
Students need to develop an early awareness of the importance of these
skills and the impact on the work place and the need for forward career
planning. A reflection of the value of early career planning is shown by
the move many departments are making towards the introduction of career
modules. These modules can help students in a number of ways and are
particularly advantageous when introduced early, at a time when students
are considering individual module choices.
Often students will reach the end of the course only to discover a
particular career option has been restricted by an inappropriate choice of
modules. Initiating forward thinking can lead to an informed choice of
optional modules depending on how specialized or general they see their
future career path.
Clear advice on job applications, interview techniques and presentations
can offer students a strong advantage. Making students aware of the skills
considered desirable can also help the student to gain more from their
degree. Frequently students are unable to secure limited work placements
during their course. Careers modules can help to clarify to students the
advantages of undertaking voluntary work or work shadowing to obtain
experience of the workplace and further develop the key employability
skills.
Discussion Leader
Tony Mathur
tony@yesweb.org
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : 01/30/04 EST