Programming Blog: January 2010

Employability Skills – An Introduction:

In 2002 The Business Council of Australia (BCA) and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), with funding from the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA), published Employability Skills for the Future. This report was produced in consultation with other peak employer bodies and with the support of government. It indicated that the skills and knowledge contained in the Key Competencies needed to be revised and expanded to reflect the changing world of work and the broader range of skills which employers currently require.

Employability Skills, in and of themselves, are not a new concept. They describe non-technical skills and competencies that have always been an important part of effective and successful participation in the workplace. Their explicit inclusion in Training Packages represents the progression of competency based training into a system which develops the full range of transferable skills, attitudes and behavior required for successful participation in the workplace.

What is new about Employability Skills is the emphasis they are being given. Enterprises are increasingly asking for Employability Skills, and as a result learners and candidates for assessment need to know what these skills are and how to demonstrate them.

Employability Skills are already an inherent part of all components of Training Packages and units of competency. Their inclusion, or embedding as it is sometimes referred to, highlights what these particular skills are in the context of particular job roles, as they are presented throughout the National Training System. For those trainers, assessors and RTOs who are familiar with Key Competencies, Employability Skills will represent an opportunity to build on existing practices and techniques. Whether we are new to the VET sector or an experienced practitioner, Employability Skills are a meaningful tool. They assist learners and candidates for assessment to reflect on and/or demonstrate that they are not only technically competent, but also that they have the skills necessary to achieve and maintain successful employment outcomes.

History:

Employability Skills, like Key Competencies before them, are specific conceptualizations of what are known more broadly as generic skills. They are also referred to as generic capabilities, enabling skills or even key skills. What they describe are non-technical skills and competencies which play a significant part in contributing to an individual’s effective and successful participation in the workplace. The use and popularity of concepts of generic skills has increased around the world, and particularly in Australia, since the 1980s. No matter where they have been adapted, or how they have been named, these conceptualizations of skills share a common goal. They seek to establish the basis for recognizing an important set of skills which support the successful.

Accomplishment of the task-based activities central to any job role. While generic skills all have contextualized applications unique to a work-place and job role, it is important to keep in mind that they are also highly transferable. A generic skill learned or applied in one workplace will also be applicable in another.

For example the teamwork skills utilized in a fast food environment are transferable and applicable to working as a waiter in a hotel. The environment and context of the job roles is different, but an understanding of the relationships between roles and team members is important to both. The success of an individual in a new job role is, in part, based on their ability to draw on previous experiences and relate them to the present situation

What are Employability Skills?

The two greatest concerns of employers today are finding good workers and training them. The difference between the skills needed on the job and those possessed by applicants, sometimes called the skills-gap, is of real concern to human resource managers and business owners looking to hire competent employees. While employers would prefer to hire people who are trained and ready to go to work, they are usually willing to provide the specialized, job-specific training necessary for those lacking such skills.

Most discussions concerning today’s workforce eventually turn to employability skills. Finding workers who have employability or job readiness skills that help them fit into and remain in the work environment is a real problem. Employers need reliable, responsible workers who can solve problems and who have the social skills and attitudes to work together with other workers. Creativity, once a trait avoided by employers who used a cookie cutter system, is now prized among employers who are trying to create the empowered, high performance workforce needed for competitiveness in today’s marketplace. Employees with these skills are in demand and are considered valuable human capital assets to companies.

The employability skills includes as follows:

· Communication

· Teamwork

· Problem Solving

· Initiative and Enterprise

· Planning and Organizing

· Self-management

· Learning

· Technology

We are going to discus the above topic in detail. We also go to see some additional skills apart from this BCA defined skills.

Resume Preparation:

We know that a resume is essentially a tool to get we in the door for an interview, a meeting or some other targeted opportunity. It outlines wer education and experience, and it can be wer first impression on a company. Most of us have used one at some point in our careers. We must have to prepare our resume in such a way to fulfill the particular job needs. We also specify the working experience and knowledge depth in our resume.

When we’re in business for werself, it typically becomes more important to provide examples demonstrating proven experience, relevant successes, and client references. A resume is not really the best format to do that; see below for some ways we can modify a resume format to suit wer needs as an entrepreneur.

Then what are some situations when we may need to dust off and revise wer resume?

Here are some possibilities:

o We are going back to work for someone else.

o We are applying for membership in a professional organization.

o We are applying for an industry-specific certification.

o We are applying as a presenter or exhibitor at a conference.

o We are bidding on a job with a large company or organization.

Generally our resume must contain the following:

ü Name

ü Educational Qualification

ü Academic Standards

ü Languages’ Known

ü Area of Interests

ü Project Works

ü Researches and Documentation

ü Certifications

ü Skills

ü Contact Information

Communication:

The communication that encompasses oral, written, and visual discipline within a work place context is called professional communication. There are many places where we strictly need professionalism like while finding a job, dealing customers, and doing business etc. To develop a communication skill is not an easy task. We have to learn about so many components and they are speaking, writing, listening, reading, appearance, voice, body language, and gestures etc.,

Characteristics of professional communications:

There are many characteristics of professional communication. For example if two persons have same codification but there is one who got the job. WHY? Because the person who got the job has more communication skills then other, he can communicate with the managers more effectively the other (law, 2008).

Types of communications:

There are two types of communications:

· Verbal communication

· Non-verbal communication

Verbal communication:

According to cobweb2.edu (2008) "verbal communication is the interaction between people" It can about business, work, and personal etc. the key components of this type is sound, words, speaking and language. In any kind of communication there are two parts one is listener and other is speaker. Mostly professions need effective communication skills such as banking, business, office jobs etc so this is important to have effective skills in verbal communications because we go for an interview we don't just need our education this is an important factor that effect a lot to get a job.

Non-verbal communication:

According to Aiic.net "Non-verbal communication consists of all the messages other than words that are used in communication". This is very important is we should know either we are conveying internal or external messages to the audience such as if we are conveying our messages to internal audience we need to template our documents and if there are external then we need to know who they are? What is the understanding level of them?

Business communication is unique:

This type of communication is used to promote a service, product, or organization. This includes marketing, branding, customer relation, advertising, and event management etc. there are many methods of business communication such as web-base communication, face to face, telephoned, presentation, repots, and emails etc. For effective communication one must speak in that manner is not offending the listener. Business communication is unique because this covers professionalism and nothing is non-serious or anything that can be non-professional.

Team Work:

Team building skills are critical for wer effectiveness as a manager or entrepreneur. And even if we are not in a management or leadership role yet, better understanding of team work can make we a more effective employee and give we an extra edge in wer corporate office.

A team building success is when wer team can accomplish something much bigger and work more effectively than a group of the same individuals working on their own. We have a strong synergy of individual contributions. But there are two critical factors in building a high performance team.

The first factor in team effectiveness is the diversity of skills and personalities. When people use their strengths in full, but can compensate for each other's weaknesses. When different personality types balance and complement each other.

The other critical element of team work success is that all the team efforts are directed towards the same clear goals, the team goals. This relies heavily on good communication in the team and the harmony in member relationships.

In real life, team work success rarely happens by itself, without focused team building efforts and activities. There is simply too much space for problems. For example, different personalities, instead of complementing and balancing each other, may build up conflicts. Or even worse, some people with similar personalities may start fighting for authority and dominance in certain areas of expertise. Even if the team goals are clear and accepted by everyone, there may be no team commitment to the group goals or no consensus on the means of achieving those goals: individuals in the team just follow their personal opinions and move in conflicting directions. There may be a lack of trust and openness that blocks the critical communication and leads to loss of coordination in the individual efforts. And on and on. This is why every team needs a good leader who is able to deal with all such team work issues.

Here are some additional team building ideas, techniques, and tips we can try when managing teams in wer situation.

* Make sure that the team goals are totally clear and completely understood and accepted by each team member.

* Make sure there is complete clarity in who is responsible for what and avoid overlapping authority. For example, if there is a risk that two team members will be competing for control in certain area, try to divide that area into two distinct parts and give each more complete control in one of those parts, according to those individual's strengths and personal inclinations.

* Build trust with wer team members by spending one-on-one time in an atmosphere of honesty and openness. Be loyal to wer employees, if we expect the same.

* Allow wer office team members build trust and openness between each other in team building activities and events. Give them some opportunities of extra social time with each other in an atmosphere that encourages open communication. For example in a group lunch on Friday. Though be careful with those corporate team building activities or events in which socializing competes too much with someone's family time.

* For issues that rely heavily on the team consensus and commitment, try to involve the whole team in the decision making process. For example, via group goal setting or group sessions with collective discussions of possible decision options or solution ideas. What we want to achieve here is that each team member feels his or her ownership in the final decision, solution, or idea. And the more he or she feels this way, the more likely he or she is to agree with and commit to the decided line of action, the more we build team commitment to the goals and decisions.

* When managing teams, make sure there are no blocked lines of communications and we and were people are kept fully informed.

*Even when wer team is spread over different locations, we can still maintain effective team communication. Just do wer meetings online and slash wer travel costs.

* Be careful with interpersonal issues. Recognize them early and deal with them in full.

* Don't miss opportunities to empower wer employees. Say thank we or show appreciation of an individual team player's work.

* Don't limit werself to negative feedback. Be fare. Whenever there is an opportunity, give positive feedback as well.

Finally, though team work and team building can offer many challenges, the pay off from a high performance team is well worth it.

Problem Solving:

Techniques for Approaching a Problem Here are several ways to attack a problem, each way designed to clarify the problem, suggest alternatives, or break a fixation. We will want to experiment with the applicability of these for various situations.

Entry Points

An entry point is, as Edward de Bono has said, "the part of a problem or situation that is first attended to." In our linear, traditional problem solving mindset, this usually means a particular point--usually the most obvious--on the front end of the problem. However, there is no reason that some other point cannot be chosen as an entry point, nor is there any reason that the problem cannot be approached from the middle or even the end. Let's look at each of these.

1. Front end entry points. Most problems are attacked on the front end first, which is to say, by stating the problem. However, there is really more than one front end because a give problem can be attacked from any one of several angles. Too often we assume that the first front-end angle that comes to mind is the method of approach, the only way to attack the problem. But that is not so.

Problem: How to have secret conversations in the bugged embassy in Moscow. Possible entry points:

1. Conversations can be heard (notes, sign language, special room)

2. Diplomats must share information (disinformation?)

3. The whole building is bugged (leave building? erect internal room?)

2. Beginning at the end. When a particular solution state is clearly defined, a problem can often be more easily solved by starting with the solution and working backwards toward the problem, filling in the necessary steps along the way.

3. Somewhere between the beginning and the end. After all, there's no law that says we have to start at one end or the other. So why not start in the middle?

Ancient Greek epics typically start in Medias res, in the middle of things, and later go on to fill out preceding and succeeding action. We can do this in problem solving. It's, again, sort of the "ready, fire, aim" approach.

Rival Hypotheses

A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a collection of data. A rival hypothesis is an alternative explanation for the same sets of data, another way of explaining the same results or events. Often the hypothesis is a statement about causation: the data indicate that X caused Y or that B occurs when A is present. It is critically important to remember, however, that in the realm of hypothesis and explanation, the data do not speak for themselves; they must be interpreted. The act of interpretation involves many difficulties, including those of experimenter bias, the confusion between correlation and cause, and non-random sampling.

Dangers of Having only One Hypothesis:

The danger of limiting ourselves to one hypothesis to explain a collection of phenomena is twofold.

1. Some evidence will be ignored. If we are focused on a single hypothesis, we will overlook as not relevant any information that does not bear on the truth or falsity of the hypothesis. However, such information might bear on the truth or falsity of some other hypothesis.

For example, if our hypothesis is that suspect X burglarized the Turner's house, we will focus on evidence that helps to establish or disprove our theory. As a result, we will probably overlook the fact that the story told by the Turner's son does not add up. That's just an ignorable anomaly. If, on the other hand, one of our hypotheses is that the Turner's son might have faked a burglary and stolen the missing items himself, then the difficulties in his story will not be overlooked.

2. We may become emotionally committed to our hypothesis. The idea of falling in love with a pet theory is not limited to problem solving, of course. Wherever it happens, the lover begins to search for and select out only the evidence that supports the hypothesis, ignoring or subconsciously filtering out information that argues against the pet.

Rules for Generating and Testing Hypotheses

1. The hypothesis should account for all possibly relevant data. An explanation that covers only part of the data or that is in conflict with a major fact, is not a good explanation. Remember, though, that especially early on, all explanations will have problems and will fact some seemingly conflicting data. Facts are refined and clarified as better information becomes available. So don't throw out all but "perfect" explanations; we won't have any.

2. Simpler explanations are usually to be preferred over more complex explanations. This is the principle of Occam's razor, discussed inHuman-Factor Phenomena in Problem Solving.

3. More probable explanations are usually to be preferred over less probable ones. Many things are possible; fewer things are probable. It is possible that ancient astronauts built the pyramids, but it is more probable that the Egyptians did.

4. The consequences following from the truth of the hypothesis must match the facts. If, for example, we hypothesize that a bomb destroyed an airplane and caused it to crash, we will expect to find bomb residue as a consequence of this hypothesis.

Initiative and Enterprise:

An initiative represents an enterprise's readiness to embark on a new venture. Generally speaking, the motivation for an initiative arises from a desire to accomplish something that would benefit the enterprise, such as improving productivity, reducing costs or increasing market share.

A typical initiative is expressed as a process and includes metrics and time frames. It may be a formal, named project, a pilot project, or an informal executive directive. In any event, an initiative serves as a focal point for attracting the resources needed to accomplish a cherished goal.

Economic incentive often plays a strong role in establishing and following through energetically to complete an initiative. A strong economic reason for accomplishing the goal can enhance its chance to succeed. Calculated Risk-Taker

We are not talking about foolhardy gamblers here, but people who tend to be willing to take carefully calculated risks. They do not suffer from "analysis paralysis", so they do not waste precious time over-analyzing.

Active

Having dreams and aspirations about becoming a successful entrepreneur is all well and good. However, it is much easier to dream, than it is to roll up our sleeves and take action to ensure that we make those dreams come true.

Persistence

It can be relatively easy to think up ideas, and it can be easy to start. However, it is not so easy to continue taking action day after day, especially if success is not instant. However, successful people often demonstrate a high level of commitment and persistence. It is the staying-power that often counts.

Cautiously Optimistic

A negative outlook on life is a disadvantage, as it will be conveyed to prospects and customers. Successful Entrepreneurs tend to have a "can do" attitude, and to see opportunity where others only see problems.

Goal Oriented

Entrepreneurs take a lot of satisfaction in setting and reaching goals.. Most human beings have a natural desire to find satisfaction in their accomplishments. However, successful people tend to write down their goals, check them through daily, and regularly review them until they achieve success.

Customer Oriented

We can only help ourselves through helping others, which includes providing people with a service they need.

Passion

Entrepreneurs aren't just motivated by a desire to earn a living. They usually have such an interest in their line of business that it rarely seems like work to them.

Self Management:

Self-monitoring. The aim of self-monitoring is teach the person to become more aware of his/her own behavior. For those with developmental disabilities, a target behavior(s) is selected, such as aggression, making nonsense noises, and staying on task; and the person is taught to monitor when this behavior(s) occurs.

Self-evaluation. The person determines whether or not he/she engaged in the target behavior in relation to the goals that have been set. For example, if the goal is to refrain from self-injury for 10 minutes, the person and those helping him/her can reflect over the 10-minute time period to determine if this goal was met. If it was, the person will proceed to the next stage, self-reinforcement.

Self-reinforcement. Self-reinforcement refers to self-delivery of rewards for reaching the goals which were set. For example, if the goal is to refrain from aggression for 30 minutes (e.g., three 10-minute self-monitoring intervals) and if the person has met the goal, then he/she would reward him-/herself. Researchers claim that allowing a person to choose from a variety of rewards is more effective than simply making only one reward available.

Learning:

Learning is not one, simple activity. It takes place at different levels of consciousness, and in different ways, in everything we do. Moreover, individual people learn in different ways and have their preferred learning styles.

Some technology literacy competencies that may be relevant in some situations include: (1) knowing the basic operation, terminology, and maintenance of equipment, (2) knowing how to use computer-assisted instructional programs, (3) having knowledge of the impact of technology on careers, society, and culture (as a direct instructional objective), and (4) computer programming.

Technology:

Solving technical problem is very important. The Employee must have more technical knowledge in their fields. Some technical skill is listed below:

Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Equipment Selection: Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.

Installation: Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.

Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Operations Analysis: Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.

Programming : Writing computer programs for various purposes.

Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

Technology Design: Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.

Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Flexibility/Adaptability/Managing Multiple Priorities:

Deals with our ability to manage multiple assignments and tasks, set priorities, and adapt to changing conditions and work assignments.

Sample bullet point describing this skill:

* Flexible team player who thrives in environments requiring ability to effectively prioritize and juggle multiple concurrent projects.

Interpersonal Abilities. The ability to relate to our co-workers, inspire others to participate, and mitigate conflict with co-workers is essential given the amount of time spent at work each day.

Honesty/Integrity/Morality:

Employers probably respect personal integrity more than any other value, especially in light of the many recent corporate scandals.

Adaptability/Flexibility:

Deals with openness to new ideas and concepts, to working independently or as part of a team, and to carrying out multiple tasks or projects.

Dependability/Reliability/Responsibility:

There's no question that all employers desire employees who will arrive to work every day - on time - and ready to work, and who will take responsibility for their actions.

Loyalty:

Employers want employees who will have a strong devotion to the company -- even at times when the company is not necessarily loyal to its employees.

Self-Confidence:

Look at it this way: if you don't believe in yourself, in your unique mix of skills, education, and abilities, why should a prospective employer? Be confident in yourself and what you can offer employers.

Self-Motivated/Ability to Work With Little or No Supervision:

While teamwork is always mentioned as an important skill, so is the ability to work independently, with minimal supervision.

Conclusion:

Employability skills and personal values are the critical tools and traits you need to succeed in the workplace -- and they are all elements that you can learn, cultivate, develop, and maintain over your lifetime. Once you have identified the sought-after skills and values and assessed the degree to which you possess, them remember to document them and market them (in your resume, cover letter, and interview answers) for job-search success.

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