Employability skills
In March 2002, a survey of employers commissioned by the Business Council of
Australia and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry was undertaken by
DEST.
The results of the survey lead to the development of a framework of employability
skills that were identified as “required not only to gain employment, but also to
progress within an enterprise so as to achieve one’s potential and contribute
successfully to enterprise strategic directions”.
These employability skills include:
Communication skills as demonstrated by:
Listening and understanding
Speaking clearly and directly
Writing to the needs of the audience
Negotiating responsively
Reading independantly
Empathising
Using numeracy effectively
Persuading effectively
Establishing and using networks
Being assertive
Sharing information
Speaking and writing in languages other than English
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Teamwork skills as demonstrated by:
Working with people of different ages, gender, race, religion or political
persuasion
Applying teamwork skills to a range of situations, E.g. Future planning, crisis
problem solving
Identifying the strengths of team members
coaching, mentoring and giving feedback.
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Problem-solving skills as demonstrated by:
Developing creative, innovative solutions
Developing practical solutions
Solving problems in teams
Showing independence and initiative in identifying and solving problems
Using mathematics including budgeting and financial management to solve
problems
Applying a range of problem-solving strategies across a range of areas
Testing assumptions taking the context of data and circumstances into account
Resolving customer concerns in relation to complex project issues
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Initiative and enterprise as demonstrated by:
Adapting to new situations
Being creative
Developing a strategic, creative, long-term vision
Identifying opportunities not obvious to others
Translating ideas into action
Initiating innovative solutions
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Planning and organising as demonstrated by:
Managing time and priorities – setting timelines, coordinating tasks for self
and with others
Establishing clear project goals and deliverables
Allocating people and other resources to tasks
Planning the use of resources including time management
Participating in continuous improvement and planning processes
Predicting – weigh up risk, evaluating alternatives and applying criteria
Collecting, analysing and organising information
Understanding basic business systems and their relationship
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Self-management as demonstrated by:
Having a personal vision and goals
Evaluating and monitoring own performance
Having knowledge and confidence in own ideas and vision
Articulating own ideas and vision
Taking responsibility
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Learning skills as demonstrated by:
Managing own learning
Being open to new ideas and techniques
Contributing to the learning community at the workplace
Using a range of mediums to learn – mentoring, peers support, networking,
information technology (IT), courses
Applying learning to technical issues and people issues
Having enthusiasm for ongoing learning
Being willing to learn in any setting – on and off the job
Being prepared to invest time and effort in learning new skills
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Technology skills as demonstrated by:
Applying IT as a management tool
Using IT to organise data
Being willing to learn new IT skills
Having a range of basic IT skills
Having the occupational health and safety knowledge to apply technology
Having the appropriate physical capacity
