4.22 Skills for Today's Work Place

Employability and Essential Skills 

You're more likely to have success in your work life if you know what kinds of skills are useful in the workplace and valued by employers.

Read the following sections on "Employability Skills" and "Essential Skills" to get an idea of the types of skills that are in demand.

What are employability skills? The Conference Board of Canada introduced the term "Employability Skills" in 1992. These are the set of skills that employers say are needed for a high-quality Canadian workforce. You'll need these general, transferable skills throughout your career and life journeys. 

Employability skills can be applied in all environments and transferred into new and changing situations. You could think of them as survival skills and tools that will help you progress in the work world. Make Employability Skills part of your career development process and you'll be guaranteeing your own future.

Employability skills will give you "skills security" in a world where job security is disappearing. Learn about employability skills to identify what employers are looking for, what skills you already have and what skills you need to develop. Another benefit:  when you can identify your skills and talk about them with confidence, employers will listen.

Employability Skills include:
Fundamental Skills: The basic skills you need.
Personal Management Skills: The personal skills, attitudes and behaviours that help you move ahead.
Teamwork Skills: The skills and qualities you need to contribute productively to team efforts.

To get more details on these skills, have a look at the Conference Board's online brochure Employability Skills 2000+. 

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