Employability Skills

Why?
 To improve your chances of getting a Job – employers will look
to your skills to try to establish your personality and abilities for
the role. You will need to write about your skills and how you
have developed them in your CV. Employers can ask about
these at interview – you will have examples to talk about which
will put you at ease and allow you to demonstrate what a
suitable candidate you are.
 To improve your chances of writing a good personal statement
part of which is showing the university why you would make an
excellent student – what skills you have to ensure you succeed
on the course
 To gain relevant work experiences (sometimes a necessity for
university or jobs)
This is an update
 Have you been keeping a record of your skills and how you have developed
them?
 If not then you need to start - each subject you take will have
posters/handbooks/moodle pages where they show the skills you can gain
when studying their subject start with these.
 This term we start looking forward to what you will do after you leave
college.
[Education – Further or Higher (Degree) or Employment/Apprenticeship]
These options all require you to write what skills you have developed
and how you have developed them (examples) for their application process.
Employability skills.
 Teamwork: Working well with other people from different disciplines, backgrounds
and expertise to accomplish a task or goal e.g. team sports, club activities, hobbies,
volunteering activities, workplace experiences.

 IT Skills: Most students are very familiar with IT and how to use it, particularly the
different software packages that have been used in lessons, at home and in workplace
experiences. Any hobbies that show IT skills e.g. blogging, gaming, designing games.

 Leadership: Guiding other individuals or teams. Are you a captain? Team leader? In
charge of activities?

 Communication: The ability to explain what you mean in a clear and concise way
through written and spoken means. To listen and relate to other people, and to act on
key information. Workplaces require a range of communication skills including verbal,
preparing PowerPoint presentations, meeting customers and answering the phone.
Written skills are also important such as prose, reports, handwriting skills and typing
skills.
Employability skills - Continued
 Organisation: Being organised and methodical. Able to plan work to meet deadlines and targets.
Monitoring progress of work to ensure you are on track for deadlines. Do you use files? Do you
use revision cards? Can you find things? Can you manage college and outside activities? Do you
action plan? Do you meet all deadlines?
 Numeracy Skills: The ability to use data and mathematics to support evidence or demonstrate a
point. Do you have GCSE mathematics at a grade C or above? Can you use numeracy? Do your
college lessons include any numeracy work (you don’t have to be studying maths). Most courses
have some numeracy in them. Do any of your out of college activities allow you to use
numeracy?
 Decision and problem solving skills: The ability to understand a problem by breaking it down
into smaller parts, and identifying the key issues, implications and identifying solutions. To apply
your knowledge from many different areas to solve a task.
 Negotiating skills: To take on board other people’s feelings and express your own requirements
in an unemotional clear fashion to achieve a win-win outcome. This is a difficult one to gain
when you have limited experiences but workplace experiences might provide you with
opportunities.
How?
 You can develop skills across a wide range of activities some
of which might include: Paid work; Volunteering; Work for
family/friends; Work experiences; Community projects;
Hobbies; Clubs and societies; Sporting activities.
 You might need support and guidance in seeking opportunities
that exist and in developing openings for yourself.
 For example a journalist can start by writing articles for the
college magazine, writing a blog, offering to write articles for
local/club newsletters or just getting involved with these
groups. Gaining experiences at newspapers and magazines -
the BBC have a range of opportunities for students
Using skills you have gained at college in
your subjects
 Each subject you study will over the 2 years will give you employability skills.
 Some departments will have posters on display for you to see what skills you
should be developing
 You can use the lists on the previous slides on employability skills to see what
activities or part of your courses you can link to the skills
 Ask your teachers!
Showing the skills
 For each skill write a short paragraph showing how you have developed that
skill - what activities have you done which demonstrate that skill, explaining
the activity.

NOT
 I have good communication skills as I have a part time job.
BUT
 As a goalie in my local football team, which I have been a regular player for
10 years, I show good verbal communication skills as I give regular updates to
the other players during a game about who to mark and what tactics to
employ. My written communication skills are shown in my Applied Business
coursework…..
Employability Skills Grid
Employability Skills Grid - Continued
Some useful websites
 https://www.volunteeressex.org/
 http://www.colchester.gov.uk/volunteering
 http://www.ccvs.org/what-we-do/volunteer-centre-time-bank/volunteer-
centre/
 http://www.colchester-zoo.com/about/careers-volunteering/volunteering-
at-colchester-zoo
 http://www.sthelenahospice.org.uk/vacancies/default/Volunteer-at-St-
Helena-Hospice.aspx
 https://volunteeringmatters.org.uk/
 http://www.clhf.co.uk/volunteer/
 http://www.colchesterhospital.nhs.uk/recruitment_volunteers.shtml
 http://www.redcross.org.uk/Get-
involved/Volunteer?gclid=CP37vvqs6c4CFYkp0wodE3INLw