Essential Skills
Workshop
Learning Outcomes

To understand what is meant by ‘Essential
Skills’ and why they are important

To learn where you can go to assess your
level of Essential Skills

To be aware of the importance of continuing
to develop your Essential Skills
What are Skills?

Activities that you know how to do well

Gained through…
 Education
 Training
 Life experience
What are my Skills?
Brainstorming Activity:
List as many
skills as you can in 2 minutes
Skills categories…

Personal Management
● time

● organizational
● Facebook
Specialized
● forklift certificate

Transferable
● skills you can transfer from one job to another

Essential
● needed for work, life and learning
Brainstorming Activity
List the Essential Ingredients
needed to Make a Cake
Essential Skills are…

Skills that employers expect in their
employees
 Skills that lead to success in the
workplace
 They provide the foundation for
learning all other skills
 Used throughout daily life in
different forms and at different
levels of difficulty
There are NINE Essential
Skills





Reading Text
Document Use
Numeracy
Writing
Oral Communication

Working with others
 Thinking Skills
 Computer Use
 Continuous Learning
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/essential_skills/general/home.shtml
Essential
Skill
Workplace
Example
Reading Text
A Sales Representative Reading and
needs to read manuals understanding a
for product descriptions lease agreement for
& knowledge
renting an
apartment
Reading
magazines and
newspapers
You are using this
skill right now
Understanding
materials written in
sentences or
paragraphs
Life Examples
Essential
Skill
Workplace
Example
A Tour Guide consults
bus and ferry
schedules, and reads
Using and
luggage tags & street
understanding labels, signs
graphs, charts,
tables, signs and
other similar
materials
Document
Use
Life Examples
Filling
out a job
application
This slide is a
document
Finding out the
temperature by
reading a
thermometer
Essential
Skill
Workplace
Example
Life Examples
Numeracy
A Cashier uses money
math to calculate
change for the
customer
Measuring
Using and
understanding
numbers and money
ingredients
for a recipe
 Calculating tip for
food service
Scheduling time and
budgeting money
Essential
Skill
Workplace
Example
Writing
A Security Guard writes Creating a shopping
incident reports and
list
memos to supervisors
Writing a resume or
cover letter
Preparing an e-mail
Writing text or typing
on a computer
Life Examples
Essential
Skill
Workplace
Examples
Life Examples
A Nurse talks with
Explaining a medical
other health
problem to your Doctor
professionals to
Comforting others
Using speech to share
exchange information Asking for directions
thoughts and information on patients’ treatment
plans
Oral
Communication
Essential
Skill
Workplace
Example
Life Examples
Working with
Others
On a construction site
many different
tradesmen have to work
together to complete a
project
Helping
Interacting with
others to complete
tasks
a friend move
into a new apartment
Participating on a
sports team
Coordinating a party
Essential
Skill
Workplace
Example
Thinking
A Daycare Teacher
Critical thinking when
(Early Childhood
confronted with an
Educator) must decide if emergency
a parent should be
Using your memory to
called when a child
recall information
appears ill
Researching on the
computer
Reviewing
information to make
decisions
Life Examples
Essential
Skill
Workplace
Example
Life Examples
Computer
Use
Food Servers enter
customer’s food order
into a computerized
cash register
Withdrawing
Using different kinds
of computer
applications and
other related
technical tools
or
depositing money at an
automatic teller
machine (ATM)
Sending e-mails with
attachments to multiple
users
Faxing your resume
Essential
Skill
Workplace
Example
Continuous
Learning
A Construction Worker Attending a job search
takes a one-day first aid program
course
Learning new skills
from co-workers
Upgrading academic
subjects to receive your
GED (General
Educational
Development)
Participating in an
ongoing process of
acquiring skills and
knowledge
Life Examples
Break Time
Let’s take a 10 minute break…….
ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR…
LIFE

http://jlang.com/essential_skills/rent.html
ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR…
WORK

Essential Skills are linked to job postings,
employment, and career planning
Essential Skills In...
JOB POSTINGS
Essential Skills In…
Career Planning
Let’s visit the Ontario Skills Passport
Website…
ESSENTIAL SKILLS LEVELS…
 Levels
of Essential Skills refers to how
difficult the tasks are
 Complexity levels range from 1 (very
basic) to 5 (most advanced)
For Example…





Level One: Sift through the deck of cards and
find an Ace
Level Two: Find all the Aces in deck of cards
Level Three: Arrange all the cards from lowest to
highest, in their own suits
Level Four: Pull out the cards needed to give you
the highest poker hand
Level Five: Using your knowledge of how card
games are played, create your own game
Examples of tasks and their
complexity levels
Computer Use
• use computer applications, such as specialized software to issue tickets.
(level 1)
 • use communications software. For example, communicate with co-workers
by e-mail. (level 2)
 • use a database. For example, find and record information, book flights and
process cargo loads. Booking flights requires co-coordinating connecting
flights, seat availability and fare structures. (level 3)

Oral Communication
 • interact with customers to respond to ticket requests, answer questions,
exchange information or discuss flight or shipping options. (level 1)
 • make boarding announcements, in both official languages. (level 1)
 • attend staff meetings to discuss how to improve work processes. (level 2)
 • exchange information and co-ordinate work with supervisors and coworkers.
(level 2)
ESSENTIAL SKILLS…
ASSESSMENTS
How do you measure your Essential Skills level?
Test of Workplace Essential
Skills
• Reading text
• Document use
• Numeracy
Using authentic workplace documents
A GREAT PRACTICE SITE IS…
Measure Up Website
http://measureup.towes.com/
For on-line assessments
you can go to…
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/L
ES/tools_resources/tools_audience/general/
online_indicator.shtml
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/LES/tools_resources/lear
ning.shtml
Oral Communication Tips
Slow down your speech and pronounce
words clearly and correctly.
 Vary your pitch, tone and volume to
emphasize key words or sentences.
 Record yourself speaking and then
listen to the recording to analyze your
pitch, tone, speed and volume.

Essential Skills Video
Resources

The Sto:Lo Nation Human Resources
Development Website
http://www.saset.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12
2&Itemid=155
www.myerc.ca
WHAT ESSENTIAL SKILLS DID YOU
USE IN THIS WORKSHOP TODAY?
This project was made possible through
funding from the Government of Canada.