KEINGINAN PENGUSAHA ATAU PENGGUNA TENAGA KERJA
BAGIAN PERTAMA
Keinginan para pengusaha atau pengguna tenaga kerja
Para pengguna tenaga kerja menginginkan tenaga siap pakai dari perguruan tinggi atau lembaga
pelatihan. Untuk mewujudkan hal ini menurut penelitian (Pearson, 2012), sebanyak 73% pengguna meminta
agar standar pendidikan ditingkatkan. Cara meningkatkan standar pendidikan ini harus berbasis kompetensi
menggunakan standar kompetensi sesuai di tempat kerja. Selain perlunya tenaga siap pakai, para pengguna
juga menyayangkan apabila lulusan ini menjadi pengangguran. Lulusan yang menganggur akan menimbulkan
permasalahan social ekonomi di masyarakat. Penelitian Pearson lebih jauh menggali akar permasalahan dengan
melihat kacamata pengguna yang menyarankan agar pendidikan dasar berfokus pada tiga hal. Ketiga hal itu
berupa kemampuan membaca, menulis dan berhitung. Sebanyak 61% responden menyetujui bahwa berhitung
merupakan kemampuan yang lebih diutamakan dibandingkan dengan membaca atau menulis.
Pondasi berhitung, menulis dan membaca pada sekolah dasar memungkinkan sekolah lanjutan pertama
dan atas berfokus pada pondasi kompetensi bekerja. Merujuk pada saran pengguna ini, penulis mengingat
materi pendidikan pada Sekolah Rakyat tahun 1958-an. Pada saat itu, ketiga kemampuan ini diasah betul sampai
pada tingkat kompeten. Istilah saat itu “di luar kepala”. Pelajaran sejarah, berhitung, membaca dan menulis
menjadi bekal sampai saat ini. Di Sekolah Menengah Pertama terjadi lompatan yang hebat karena harus
memelajari Aljabar, Ilmu Ukur, Ilmu Hayat, Bahasa Inggris, Sejarah, Agama, dan sederetan mata pelajaran
lainnya. Hal serupa dilanjutkan di Sekolah menengah Atas (SMA). Hasilnya, lulusan SMA tidak memiliki
kompetensi bekerja. Inilah awal dari pendidikan yang tidak disiapkan bekerja, karena memang daya tampung
kerja pada saat itu sangat sedikit. Mungkin pertimbangannya adalah kurangnya lapangan kerja, saat itu.
Saat ini daya tampung perusahaan, instansi pemerintah bertambah, penduduk bertambah, populasi
lulusan SMA dan perguruan tinggi bertambah, namun tenaga kompeten sulit dicari. Belum lagi akan ada
peluang pasar kerja ASEAN.
KOMPETENSI
BAGIAN KEDUA
Definisi Kompetensi
Kompetensi bekerja (employability skills)
merupakan kemampuan bekerja di tempat kerja
sesaui standar prosedur yang ada di suatu perusahaan. Definisi ini merupakan definisi utama dari kata
kompetensi. Demi memberi pemahaman lebih luas maka sajian definisi diuraikan kemudia setelah
memberikan latar belakang istilah kompetensi bekerja.
Organisasi Buruh Internasional atau
International Labour Organization (ILO) yang beranggotakan 175 negara pada tahun 2000 merevolusi
pendidikan dan pelatihan.
Revolusi ini dimulai dengan memberikan definisi kemampuan bekerja
(employability skills) dan hipotesa sebagai berikut:

Ketrampilan, pengetahuan dan kompetensi tenaga kerja mendapatkan pekerjaan yang sesuai
kebutuhan dunia kerja dan mampu mengelola perubahan di tempat kerja

Kemampuan tenaga kerja di atas ditujukan agar para pencari kerja lebih mudah mendapatkan
lowongan lapangan kerja sepanjang usianya

Setiap orang yang diberdayakan dengan pendidikan dan pelatihan akan lebih mudah bekerja
secara mandiri atau anggota tim kerja.

Kompetensi bekerja mencakup kemampuan gabungan dari kemampuan
berkomunikasi,
penyelesaian masalah, dan penggunaan teknologi informasi dan komunikasi,
Kemampuan gabungan di atas kemudian berkembang. Alasan penambahan kemampuan bekerja
didasarkan pada kebutuhan pengguna. Para pengguna tenaga kerja menginginkan bahwa calon pelamar
memiliki cakupan kemampuan yang lebih luas. Di Indonesia, mulai tahun 1996 dikenal istilah siap
pakai. Tenaga kerja siap pakai begitu lulus dari Sekolah Menengah Tingkat Atas. Pada saat yang sama
muncul sertifikasi organisasi atau perusahaan oleh lembaga sertifikasi internasional. Salah satu lembaga
sertifikasi itu adalah perusahaan SGS. Organisasi yang disertifikasi mulai dari ISO 9002, ISO 9001 versi
1994. Prosedur kerja yang ada dalam dokumen ISO dijanjikan dapat menjadi bahan pelatihan berbasis
kompetensi di perusahaan atau organisasi yang telah tersertifikasi.
Kompetensi bekerja diartikan juga sebagai kemampuan lulusan perguruan tinggi memasuki
dunia kerja. Dengan kata lain semakin besar daya serap perusahaan atau dunia kerja terhadap lulusan
suatu perguruan tinggi, maka semakin tinggi pondasi kompetensi bekerjanya. Pendapat ini tidak
sepenuhnya benar dan tidak sepenuhnya salah. Benar karena dapat bekerja ditampung atau bahkan dicari
dari kampus yang disebut dengan campus hiring sebagai sumber tenaga kerja murah. Namun, rekrutmen
ini belum menjamin adanya pondasi siap kerja atau employability skills karena, apa yang terjadi di dunia
kerja, semua hasil rekrutmen masih dilatih bekerja dari awal. Dalam hal ini campus hiring atau job fair
di kampus hanya mencari kandidat atau bibit, bukan kemampuan bekerja sesuai pekerjaan di suatu
perusahaan.
Banyak perusahaan multinasional dan nasional yang berlomba menerapkan sertifikasi ini. Di
Lembaga pendidikan pun demikian, tidak mau tertinggal. Akademi Pariwisata Indonesia (AKPINDO),
misalnya, merupakan lembaga pendidikan pertama di Indonesia dengan Nomor Registrasi 005 dari SGS
Yarsley International Certification Services Limited dan Nomor Sertifikat 11223 ISO 9002 pada tanggal
12 Nopember 1997. Mengapa dokumen ISO dapat dijadikan sebagai materi pembelajaran secara mandiri
oleh pegawai? Jawabannya sangat nyata, karena semua proses pekerjaan di suatu organisasi direkam dan
didokumentasikan mulai dari dokumen level satu, dua, tiga dan empat. Keempat dokumen ini mulai dari
kebijakan yaitu panduan mutu, prosedur, instruksi kerja, dan formulir. Dokumen prosedur dan instruksi
kerja biasanya digabung menjadi prosedur operasional standar atau lazim dikenal dengan Standard
Operating Procedure (SOP). Siapapun akan mudah bekerja mandiri setelah membaca dan
mempraktekkan dokumen ini. Permasalahannya adalah kurangnya modal dasar yaitu “kompetensi
bekerja”. Kompetensi bekerja merupakan modal utama dalam belajar mandiri.
Salah satu elemen kompetensi bekerja adalah kemampuan berkomunikasi. Kemampuan
berkomunikasi dalam arti luas yang mencakup kemampuan mendengar dengan baik, mengamati guna
mendapatkan pengertian dan pemahaman, menyampaikan gagasan dengan jelas dan efektif, serta
mampu menganalisis dan mengevaluasi komunikasi formal dan informal secara efektif. Kebiasaan buruk
mendengar orang lain, ketika memotong pembicaraan, sebelum memahami makna gagasan yang sedang
diutarakan. Hal ini sering terjadi karena baik si pendengar maupun si pembicara sama-sama tidak
mampu berkomunikasi secara efektif. Si Pembicara menyampaikan gagasan secara bertele-tele, tidak
fokus, tidak menggunakan pilihan kata yang tepat sehingga mengundang si pendengar memotong
pembicaraan. Konteks seperti ini melalui media komunikasi telepon atau tatap muda sering bermuara
pada kesalahpahaman, bahkan konflik antara pemberi dan penerima pesan.
Pengguna tenaga kerja menuntut agar pekerja dapat menjawab sendiri pertanyaan yang muncul
di tempat kerja. Jadi pekerja harus mampu berkomunikasi. Berkomunikasi tidak sekedar lisan, namun
pekerja harus mampu menyusun gagasan tertulis dan lisan. Jadi elemen pertama ini menuntut pekerja
mampu mengutarakan gagasan secara tertulis dan mampu menyampaikannya secara lisan, tentu saja
sesuai SOP di perusahaan atau tempat kerja.
Elemen lainnya adalah inovasi dan kewirausahaan. Dalam situasi darurat atau bila ada
kekurangan, keadaan tidak normal atau darurat, seorang pekerja atau pegawai harus mampu memberi
solusi secara mandiri atau pun tim. Pengetahuan, ketrampilan dan sikap menerapkan K3 (Keselamatan,
Kesehatan, dan Keamanan) merupakan kewajiban. Hal seperti inilah yang menjadi dasar bagi pekerja
wajib mandiri dan belajar sendiri. Untuk hal ini diperlukan kompetensi bekerja. Pekerja pun demi
memenuhi pertumbuhan dan pengakuan membutuhkan kompetensi inovasi agar karyanya dihargai
teman, atasan dan pemberi kerja. Elemen berikut dalam era paska modern ini adalah penggunaan
teknologi informasi dan komunikasi. Kemampuan ini hamper dapat dipastikan diperlukan di semua jenis
organisasi baik organisasi berorientasi laba dan nirlaba.
Jika merujuk pada istilah di atas, mengapa tenaga kerja Indonesia tidak mampu bekerja setelah
lulus Sekolah Menengah Tingkat Atas(SMTA)?. Ada dua jawaban atas pertanyaan tersebut. Jawaban
pertama menyangkal pertanyaan. Lulusan SMTA mampu bekerja asalkan sekolah asalnya menerapkan
pelatihan berbasis kompetensi dengan 30% teori dan 70% praktek ditambah enam bulan program
pemagangan. Program pemagangan diperlukan guna memeroleh pengalaman kerja di tempat kerja
bukan di tempat simulasi di kampus. Jawaban kedua, benar lulusan SMTA tidak mampu bekerja karena
di sekolah asalnya tidak diterapkan pendidikan dan pelatihan berbasis kompetensi. Jawaban mana yang
paling tepat, tentu terletak pada mutu sekolah menengah yang bersangkutan. Artinya, bahwa lulusan ini
ditentukan oleh karakteristik khas di setiap sekolah yang dibekali dengan sumber daya sarana, prasarana,
guru, dan proses pembelajaran sesuai 8 standar nasional pendidikan.
Sertifikasi Guru Dan Dosen Versus Kompetensi Bekerja
Program sertifikasi guru dan dosen berdasarkan Undang-undang Nomor 14 Tahun 2005 tentang
Guru dan Dosen merupakan kebijakan Negara yang dahsyat dalam memberdayakan guru dan dosen.
Semakin hari semakin nyata perbaikan kinerja guru dan dosen karena kontra prestasi yang diwajibkan
pemerintah sebelum menyerahkan tunjangan guru dan dosen. Dosen di perguruan tinggi swasta
mendapatkan kerhormatan luar biasa, Pada tahun 70-an sampai awal 2000-an hal ini merupakan wujud
mustahil. Alias impossible. Sekarang seorang dosen yang mengisi kewajiban antara 6 sampai 9 SKS
ditambah penelitian/pengabdian masyarakat, sudah pasti berhak atas tunjangan dosen setelah lulus
sertifikasi dosen. Kewajiban utama berkomunikasi dengan mahasiswa, kolega dan Ketua Program Studi,
bekerja dengan tim, mengatasi permasalaha proses belajar, melakukan inisiatif wirausaha
menyampaikan
mata
kuliah,
belajar
sebelum
mengajar,
Kemampuan
merencanakan
dan
mengorganisasikan pembelajaran dan mahasiswa di kelas dan laboratorium, serta menggunakan
teknologi informasi. Dengan kemampuan seperti itu, maka dosen atau guru sudah memenuhi kompetensi
bekerja sebagai duru di kampus. Artinya, setiap guru atau dosen dapat menilai dirinya sendiri apakah
sudah memenuhi indicator kompetensi bekerja di atas.
Penulis telah 10 kali/angkatan melatih guru menjadi calon asesor kompetensi, sehingga dengan
pengalaman ini dapat mengambil suatu persepsi atau pendapat. Pendapat ini telah dibuktikan karena ada
setiap angkatan pelatihan 20% guru yang tidak mampu mengikuti pelatihan sampai akhir karena
permasalahan inisiatif wirausaha dan inovasi dalam bekerja, serta kemampuan menggunakan aplikasi
teknologi informatika. Menurut saya hal ini sudah mengalami banyak kemajuan, walau masih belum
sesuai standar di tempat kerja (industri). Andaikata program sertifikasi guru, tidak ada, maka dipastikan,
rasio ini semakin tinggi. Para peserta pelatihan, 80% mampu menggunakan tekonologi informasi,
khususnya aplikasi word dan internet. Guru merupakan variable utama dalam membina siswa atau
mahasiswa memeroleh kompetensinya. Peningkatan kompetensi guru dan dosen sesuai cakupan
kompetensi bekerja merupakan program sepanjang mengajar atau bahkan sepanjang usia (Life long
learning process).
BAGIAN KETIGA
Definisi Dan Elemen Pondasi Kompetensi Bekerja
Kompetensi bekerja (Employability skills) yang dipaparkan di bawah ini berupa kompilasi dari
beberapa sumber. Hal ini ditujukan memerluas pemahaman kita terhadap suatu istilah. Perdebatan
tentang istilah dapat dilakukan berhari-hari tanpa ada suatu kepastian. Kepastian merupakan suatu
pijakan ilmiah dan teori harapan, serta motivasi memeljari sesuatu. Para pengguna istilah ini sering
melakukan perdebatan, menurut saya di satu pihak dan menurut anda di lain pihak. Pemikiran alternative
ketiga dari Steven R.Covey, adalah “pendapat kita”. Guna mampu bermuara pada pendapat kita,
penulis menggali sebanyak-banyaknya sumber, sejarah, proses evolusi kompetensi bekerja ini.
Kompetensi bekerja ini telah menjadi suatu komoditi yang dapat diminta dan dipasok. Pemerintah
menjadikan kompetensi bekerja sebagai acuan dasar dalam program kerjanya. Di Taiwan dilakukan
revolusi ekonomi berbasis pengetahuan sejak 1980-an. Semua daya dilakukan mentransformasikan
sumber daya manusia. Sekolah atau pelatihan di malam hari atau bahkan hari libur diijinkan.
Pemulangan para cendekiawan dari luar negeri digalakkan dan diberi upah layak, agar tidak tergiur upah
di Negara maju saat itu. Taiwan sukses meraih kategori Negara maju saat ini dengan produk
elektroniknya yang mendunia.
Dari beberapa kenyataan itu disimpulkan bawha kompetensi bekerja merupakan serangkaian
ketrampilan, pengetahuan dan sikap kerja yang dimiliki seseorang yang memudahkannya memasuki
dunia kerja sebagai tenaga kerja dalam komunitas ekonomi berbasis pengetahuan.
Kemampuan berkomunikasi
Kemampuan berkomunikasi dengan berbagai bentuk komunikasi yang dibutuhkan dalam
pekerjaan. Kemampuan ini dapat mencakup,al:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Strategi membaca efektif untuk berbagai tujuan komunikasi
Mengevaluasi informasi yang tertera dalam suatu dokumen panduan mutu atau prosedur kerja
Menerapkan ketrampilan komunikasi dasar dalam bentuk tulisan
Menulis bahan-bahan teknis kebutuhan di tempat kerja
Membuat presentasi dengan teknologi yang tepat seperti aplikasi power point, excel atau word
untuk menyajikan table, bagan, grafik, dan visual.
6. Ketrampilan berkomunikasi lisan
7. Menyampaikan presentasi
8. Ketrampilan mendengar dengan aktif dan empati
9. Ketrampilan berkomunikasi non-verbal
10. Kemampuan berkonumikasi dengan keragaman budaya dan agama
11. Mendapatkan dan membagi informasi yang tepat menggunakan perangkat teknologi informasi
Kemampuan menyelesaikan masalah dan berpikir kritis
Kompetensi ini merupakan kemampuan menyelesaikan masalah dengan menggunakan pemikiran kritis.
Cakupan kemampuan ini terdiri atas beberapa kemampuan, termasuk:
1. Merumuskan permasalahan
2. Menganalisa permasalahan
3. Mencari informasi yang dapat diandalkan dan relevan mengatasi permasalahan
4. Mengembangkan dan mengkaji beberapa alternative solusi berbasis criteria yang masuk akal
5. Mengidentifikasi solusi yang tepat
6. Membuat rekomendasi
7. Menerapakan solusi
8. Mengevaluasi solusi
Kemampuan menggunakan tekonologi informasi
Kemampuan ini mencakup:
1. Mengidentfikasi teknologi yang digunakan apakah efisiien, efektif dan etis untuk digunakan di
tempat kerja
2. Menggunakan perangkat teknologi untuk mengakses, mengelola, mengintegrasikan dan
menciptakan informasi baru
3. Menggunakan aplikasi penulisan, atau penerbitan atau presentasi
4. Memahami dan mendemonstrasikan fungsi system dalam perusahaan atau industry
5. Menunjukkan pemahaman fungsi system dalam manajemen, sumber daya manusia produksi,
dan jasa
Speci c Standards and Competencies (continued)
Safety, Health, and Environment: Ensure safe and healthful working
conditions
• Ensure safe working conditions
• Demonstrate safe use of tools and equipment
• Ensure healthful working conditions
• Practice environmental conservation and safety
Leadership and Teamwork: Enhance work outcomes through
leadership, management, and teamwork
16 Demonstrate leadership skills
17 Organize work
18 Apply management techniques
19 Demonstrate group process techniques
20 Perform work tasks in a team
Speci c Standards and Competencies (continued)
Ethics and/or Legal Responsibilities: Practice professional, ethical, and
legal behavior consistent with workplace standards
Apply professional and ethical standards to workplace conduct
Adhere to established laws, policies, and procedures
Employability and/or Career Development: Progress on a purposeful
career path through application of employability skills
Develop a career plan
Seek employment
Apply for employment
Evaluate job offers
Demonstrate employability skills needed to keep a job
Demonstrate personal qualities appropriate to the work environment
Assess alternative occupational opportunities (e.g., working
conditions, benefits, and opportunities for change)
Sample Questions
The purpose of an executive summary in a long report is to provide
4.1.1 an introduction
4.1.2 background information
4.1.3 key decision points
4.1.4 a document that only executives may read
A small company has a contract to conduct a project. The three employees
assigned to the project are making too many mistakes. They complain to
Dave, the owner, that they can’t understand the documentation of the data,
that the model they are using seems complex, and that they’ve never
worked on a project like this before. One of the employees is scheduled to
leave on vacation next week, and Dave himself has to take a day o to drive
across state to his son’s wedding. Dave is afraid he will lose money by not
nishing the contract on time. What is the problem that Dave needs to
address?
• employee vacation
• son’s wedding
• employee inexperience
• employee morale
Warren wants to collect data on the number of sales per day for a month in
order to compare the average number of sales for each day of the week.
He wants to be able to sort the data and prepare a graph of the data.
Which of the following would best meet his needs?
• word processor
• spreadsheet
• database
• file manager
Which of the following is unethical behavior for a salesperson?
• telling a customer that the low-price item they want is unavailable so
they will have to buy a more expensive product
• nding out what types of products the customer likes so you can
show the things they will be more likely to buy
• negotiating a price with the customer who does not wish to pay the “list
price”
• emphasizing only the best features of a product during the sales
presentation
Employers rate basic employability skills as a top factor in choosing
which applicants to hire. Employability skills include verbal
communication, con ict management, and
• doing math computations on the job
• former jobs
• workplace policy
• taking responsibility for the job
Which of the following is an example of a common form of
non-verbal communication?
• giving a speech
• making a gesture
• sending an email
• writing a letter
Pat paid $1,477 for a certain stock, including commission and fees.
When she sold the stock a year later, she realized a $1,865 settlement
after commission and fees. Calculate her ROI (return on investment).
A. 20.8 percent
B.22.1 percent
C.26.3 percent
D. 27.9 percent
The three major types of economic resources are
A. money, banks, and nances
B.land, labor, and capital
C.equipment, goods, and services
D. cash, profit, and marketing
Matrices of skills are developed from the survey results across sectors, which reflect general skill categories as
well as specific skills within each category. Upon review of dozens of matrices of core skills it becomes evident
that certain skills recur throughout.15 Clearly some skills are more relevant than others depending on the type
of employment, the sector, the size and nature of the enterprise, whether self-employed or working in the
formal or the informal economy. There is also some overlap with regard to the specific skills under the broad
headings. For example, in order to function effectively on a team you need good communication skills. The core
employability skills from the various matrices have been pooled under four broad skill categories: learning to
learn; communication; teamwork; problem-solving (see Table 2 Core skills for employability).
Learning to learn
Learning to learn is about acquiring the knowledge, skills, attitudes and aptitudes which enable individuals to
set, plan and reach their own learning goals and become independent autonomous learners. It allows young
people to meet the demands of lifelong learning. It implies not only that individuals gain certain
skills, but also that they become self-directed learners and rely on their own learning capacities. Therefore,
learning to learn strategies are about learning what you know, learning what you do not know, and learning
what to do about it.
These skills will enable one to take more responsibility for his/her own learning; spend one’s time effectively and
stay on task; select the best approach(s) for each task; provide the knowledge and skills needed to begin, follow
through, and complete tasks; access to a variety of content and reference materials; and give the confidence to
know when and who to ask for help.
Learning to learn includes knowledge of study strategies, practice and attitudes, which are interrelated. Youth
will not acquire knowledge on information retrieval or effective reading strategies if they are not motivated to
learn. They cannot develop positive attitudes towards lifelong learning or become self-directed learners if they
do not perceive themselves as capable of succeeding in learning tasks. Skills and habits are important, since
developing better learning strategies takes time and requires training opportunities.
Companies are looking for knowledge workers who take responsibility for their own professional development.
Lifelong learning is a must for workers; it is a key element to being successful.
Communication
Oral, written and IT communication skills are the media for sharing
knowledge, interests, attitudes, opinions, feelings, and ideas in order to
influence and ultimately lead others.
Communication skills include the ability to: listen and observe to gain
understanding; clearly and effectively relate ideas; use strategies and skills to
work effectively with others; and analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of
formal and informal communications.
Being able to effectively communicate has been found to result in
positive outcomes such as improved family, peer and group
relationships. Interpersonal competence [learning to be empathetic,
sensitive and make friends easily] and interpersonal communication
skills [ability to express oneself, listen, or resolve conflicts] are among
the life skills and assets that youth need to succeed. The development
of skills to resolve conflicts is considered to be a key to a youth’s social
development. Communication skills are highly correlated to problemsolving and conflict resolutions skills. Teamwork
Teamwork is all about being able to operate smoothly and efficiently within a
group. Doing this draws on a number of other skills: the ability to encourage
and inspire other team members to perform better; the ability to
compromise and ignore one’s own ego; and communication and other
interpersonal skills such as negotiation, influence, advising and interpreting.
Teamwork is a high priority for most employers; being able to work well with
colleagues is essential. Employers, therefore, are looking for individuals who
can bring different strengths to teams – monitoring or evaluating progress;
urging the team on when needed; contributing innovative new ideas.
Teamwork skills include the ability to make decisions, including specifying
goals and constraints; consider risks; and generate and evaluate alternatives.
It requires cooperation and leadership, including: organizing groups to
accomplish a purpose; helping others to do things their way; ability to choose
appropriate leadership style; understanding personal strengths; and teaching
others new skills. Equally it is about following orders, respecting leadership
and knowing how to communicate concerns and position.
Problem-solving
In order to succeed in the workplace (and in life generally) individuals need
to be able to evaluate information or situations; break them down into their
key components; consider various ways of approaching and resolving them;
and decide which is the most appropriate. These problem-solving skills
include recognizing long-term consequences of solutions to problems and
probing, devising, implementing, and evaluating a plan of action for problem
resolution.
Employers want workers who will take the personal responsibility to make
sure targets are met; who can see that there might be a better way of doing
something and who are prepared to research and implement change; people
who don’t panic or give up when things go wrong but who will seek a way
around the problem. The following is a typical problem-solving model.
2.1. Range of skills and abilities
The range of skills and abilities falling under each of the broad skill categories
appears in Table 2. The list is not meant to be exhaustive but seeks to capture
those skills that consistently appear in employers’ surveys and country and
agency definitions (see Annex).
The list is long and for those just embarking on the labour force, looking for
their first job, keen to start their own small business, finishing studies, it’s
intimidating. Of course not all these skills and abilities are required for every
job, nor does every job-seeker need every single one of them, but a good
combination of the broad skill categories is desirable. It is important to keep in
mind that many of the skills/abilities listed develop as one gains more and more
experience in the workplace.
Much of the literature in this area focuses on defining the skills and developing
matrices. There is a reluctance or inability to move beyond, to areas which are
contingent upon definitions: the teaching, learning, assessing and certification
of generic workforce skills and recognition by employers, especially when
developed outside the formal education system. That is the intent of the
remainder of this guide: to move beyond identification to why core work skills
are important and how individuals obtain these skills in a variety of settings.
How your academic work has given you employability skills.
MMU encourages all students to become “autonomous learners”. This means teaching is
structured to encourage you to take responsibility for your own learning i.e.
 Work independently 
 Prioritise 
 Manage your time efficiently 
 Be self-motivating 
 Know how to find and use resources effectively 
 Reflect on your personal development and understand the importance of continuing to develop
your skills beyond university and throughout life. (PDP helps with this process) 
You have developed and practised skills through the teaching methods used at MMU:
In Lectures:
 Listening and concentrating for extended periods 
 Sorting, sifting and summarising information 
 Recording and organising information efficiently 
In Classes, Seminars and Tutorials:
 Speaking clearly and fluently 
 Arguing a case in a reasoned manner 
 Making presentations 
 Thinking on your feet 
 Considering differing viewpoints and responding appropriately 
In Essay and Report Writing:
 Finding relevant information from a range of sources 
 Identifying key issues 
 Writing clearly and to the point 
 Understanding complex arguments and theories 
 Keeping an open mind 
 Thinking logically 
2
 Structuring and developing an argument 
 Critically analysing and evaluating evidence and arguments 
In Project Work
 Creating and following a plan 
 Maintaining motivation 
 Keeping to a time schedule 
 Anticipating problems 
In Group Work
 Managing your time 
 Delegating 
 Taking responsibility 
 Supporting other team members 
 Understanding team dynamics and responding appropriately 
 Understanding your own role, strengths and weaknesses in a team 
 Holding your ground 
 Being persuasive 
 Negotiating 
 Respecting and being sensitive to others 
Employers frequently ask for some or all of the following skills. Listed are examples of
situations where you may have used them in academic study or wider university life. Use it
as a prompt list to identify your own examples to use in applications.
Commercial awareness – understanding the key factors that contribute to an
organisation’ssuccess e.g. providing a quality product; good customer service; well-trained,
motivated staff; controlling costs.
Examples of evidence:
 Quantify any role you have had in raising or handling money e.g. fundraising for an event or
charity, acting as treasurer for a society. For example, “I acted as treasurer for an event that
raised £1000 to help support ….” 

 Reading the business sections of the press on a regular basis 
 Work experience in customer service 
 Raising sponsorship for any purpose from commercial organisations 
 In work experience, making suggestions that have improved a service or increased
efficiency 

Dissertation – any references to commercial applications or relevance. 
Key words for the application form:
Forward thinker; risk taker; entrepreneurial; professional; strategic
Teamwork - working effectively with other people
Examples of evidence:
 Any situation where you work alongside others to achieve an agreed outcome e.g.
committees, events organising, music-making (bands, choirs etc), drama, sports 
 Just about any paid/voluntary work involves working in a team. 
 Academic group work – see above 
3
Key words for the application form:
Supportive; facilitator; open-minded; diplomatic; tolerant; reasonable; constructive;
leadership; influencing; co-ordinating;
Commitment/motivation – demonstrating a determination to
be successful.Examples of evidence:
  Overcoming difficulties to come to university 
 Using PDP effectively to improve your skills – academic skills or preparing for a
particular career or employment sector would be good examples to use. 
 Duke of Edinburgh: Young Enterprise: any competition successes or prizes. 
  Campaigning/fundraising 
 Training, or working on a skill, over the long term to achieve an ambition or goal
e.g. training from scratch to run a marathon. 
Initiative/Proactive –can spot opportunities and potential problems, and take action
to get thebest outcome: Works without constant supervision.
Examples of evidence:




Setting up a club, society, or business from scratch 
Raising a matter of concern, or potential concern, at a Course Committee, and
persuading staff to take action. 
Finding people already working in your chosen job, and networking with them to
get advice and information. 
Key words for the application form:
Self-starter; proactive; focused; self-reliant; problem solver; versatile; Influence
Interpersonal Skills –the ability to work for, with and alongside others.
Examples of evidence:
 Jobs that involve customer relations e.g. telephone sales, reception/ waiting on
 tables/ bar work; student ambassador. 
 Activities that involve building and maintaining relationships e.g. mentoring,
manning a help desk; manning a phone helpline; negotiating or acting as an
advocate on behalf of someone else. 
Key words for the application forms:
Relationship builder; constructive; listener; initiator; mediator; communicator;
personable; target driven;
How can I look at developing these skills further?
Summary
Amid concern about the numbers of ‘NEET’ (young people not in education,
employment or training), there are numerous initiatives focusing on increasing
employability among young people. ‘Employability skills’ focus on the personal,
social and transferable skills seen as relevant to all jobs, as opposed to jobspecific technical skills or qualifications. The acquisition of employability skills
may be seen as a necessary first step in path towards long-term employment.
This report summarises a brief review of relevant literature undertaken to
assess the potential for developing a new tool to support the evaluation of
community and voluntary sector projects aiming to enhance young
people’s employability skills.
Much of the existing guidance reinforced a perception that outcomes need to
be project-specific, rather than general. Yet, our research revealed that while
exact definitions varied, there was a common group of employability skills
applicable to a range of jobs, as highlighted below.
Personal
Interpersonal
Self-management
Initiative &
delivery
Confidence
Self-esteem
Motivation
Social/ interpersonal skills
Communication skills
Teamwork
Self-control
Reliability
Positive attitude
Planning
Problem-solving
Prioritising
Self-efficacy
Assertiveness
Presentation
The measurement of these employability skills to date has been rather
inconsistent, however. Our detailed searches revealed that many existing
programme evaluations failed to include any assessment of employability
skills. Of those that did, existing survey measures and study designs were not
always able to pick up changes in young people’s employability skills directly
attributable to programmes. There was an overeliance on ‘before and after’
(with no comparison group) surveys, retrospective reports and/or the use of
unvalidated measures created for specific programmes.
While lack of funding may preclude the use of more robust study designs to
isolate programme impacts on employability skills, at the very least, further
work is needed to determine a coherent (and consistent) set of employability
skills measures to be used in future evaluations. It is a poor use of limited
time and resources for individual programmes to continually develop new
measures that may not be accurately measuring the constructs for which they
are intended. Rather, it seems a sensible next step is to agree more widely on
a framework of employability skills, operationally define each component of
the framework and begin to collate existing assessment tools to be piloted in
forthcoming evaluations. Any survey data should be supplemented by more
in-depth qualitative evaluation with young people (and other relevant
stakeholders).
1. Introduction
This report summarises a brief review of relevant literature undertaken to
assess the potential for developing a new tool to support the evaluation of
projects aiming to enhance young people’s ‘employability skills’: those personal,
social and transferable skills seen as relevant to all jobs, as opposed to specific
technical skills or qualifications. Firstly, we consider the importance of
employability skills and rationale for their measurement. Next, we clarify key
terms and definitions, highlight challenges in terms of assessment and
evaluation, and review existing guidance and for providers. The final section of
the report provides a synthesis of seven recent evaluations that included
assessment of young people’s employability skills. This synthesis provides live
examples of some of the challenges identified in the literature review. The
report concludes with a summary of the overall state of play on measuring
employability skills.
1.1 Employability skills provision
Amid concern about the numbers of ‘NEET’ (young people not in education,
employment or training)1, there are numerous initiatives – including large-scale
government programmes and small voluntary sector projects – focusing on
increasing employability among young people, as well as adults. The
employability skills agenda is very much intertwined with the NEET agenda.
The Department for Education (DfE), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) work together on
employability-related issues. BIS has a key role in raising skills levels and
reducing the proportion of 18- to 24-year-olds who are NEET, while DWP leads
on support to help unemployed 18- to 24-year-olds get back into work. DfEfunded programmes focus on young people 19 years of age and younger, and
mainly aim to keep young people engaged in education and on a pathway to
secure employment. In this vein, the DfE has recently piloted two initiatives,
‘Activity Agreements’ and ‘Entry to Learning’, aiming to re-engage young people
who are NEET (DfE 2010). Both pilots incorporated work-related learning, basic
skills development and a range of personal development activities, aimed at
increasing confidence and motivation, and dealing with issues such as anger
management, budgeting and literacy/numeracy.
The European Social Fund (ESF) also supports local projects for young people who
are NEET. For example, a recent programme for 16- to 19-year-olds, co-financed by
Central Bedfordshire Council, provided individually tailored support plans; work
experience placements; help with literacy and numeracy; IT training and guidance
sessions from a personal advisor covering motivation and confidence2. There are
also myriad voluntary and private sector providers who run programmes for young
people who are, or are at risk of becoming, NEET.
1.2 Hard versus soft outcomes
Programme evaluations, contracts, and provider performance criteria tend to
focus on clear-cut ‘hard outcomes’, presenting quantifiable data on entry into
employment, achievement of qualifications, numbers enrolling on and
completing courses or coming off benefits. For example, the DfE pilots
mentioned above measured the numbers of young people reaching ‘positive
destinations’ in education, training or employment. However, their evaluation
also found that for many young people there were a range of ‘softer outcomes’
which ‘demonstrated a degree of progress, albeit not a formal positive
destination’ concerning social or personal development (DfE 2010). While easy
to measure, demonstrating achievement of hard outcomes often requires longterm monitoring and assessment.
Soft outcomes concern changes in skills, behaviour or attitudes for which there
are not such obvious and clear-cut measures, but which may represent crucial
steps towards being able to obtain and retain work, to further a career, and to
succeed in other areas of life. When achieving paid work is the longer-term
goal, measures of these soft outcomes using quantitative and/or qualitative
indicators are vital to gauging the progress made by project participants and,
indeed, may be necessary precursors to successful employment outcomes in
the long-term.
1.3 Terminology of employability
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) provides a useful
overarching definition of employability skills as ‘the skills almost everyone needs
to do almost any job’ (UKCES 2009). The term is not always used: some refer
to ‘soft outcomes’ (Lloyd and O'Sullivan 2004), ‘practical skills’ (Dewson, Eccles
et al. 2000), ‘life skills’, and ‘soft skills’ or ‘character capabilities’ (Margo, Grant
et al. 2010) to refer to very similar sets of skills or attributes.
In later sections, we consider the skills included in various definitions. In brief,
employability, with its focus on work-readiness, is favoured by industry. Other
terms, such as ‘life skills’, may reflect a wider focus on areas such as health,
housing and relationships. Use of the prefix ‘soft’ emphasises the contrast with
traditional ‘hard’ data on qualifications and jobs. The term ‘distance travelled’ is
used alongside any or all of these to refer to the progress individuals make
through the course of a programme in relation to desired outcomes.
1.4 The importance of soft outcomes
As noted above, soft skills can be seen as stepping stones to securing paid
employment. A recent Confederation of British Industry (CBI) survey found that
employers do not anticipate everyone arriving ‘job ready’ but do expect young
people to start literate, numerate and with good employability skills. These
employability skills - including problem solving, team working and time
management skills - are often considered by employers to be as important as
formal qualifications. The 2010 CBI survey revealed that over two-thirds of
employers reported dissatisfaction with the business and customer awareness
of school/college leavers and over half were unhappy with their time
management (CBI 2010), suggesting that many young people do not
possess key employability skills. Similarly, a DWP review found that even
among New Deal3 participants who did have qualifications, many lacked
basic skills and confidence (Hasluck and Green 2007).
These findings reinforce messages from reports published over the last 20 years
by DWP, CBI, and Demos, an independent think tank. Employability skills are
seen as important at all levels of an increasingly complex labour market, with
its more dominant service sector, and stress on employee flexibility and
application of learning in new contexts (CBI 1989; Newton, Hurstfield et al.
2005; Margo, Grant et al. 2010).
As the UKCES argues, although employability skills are not a substitute
for specific knowledge and technical skills:
“They make the difference between being good at a subject and being
good at doing a job.”
(UKCES 2009)
In line with this distinction, an earlier review of initiatives supported by the ESF
considered employers’ perspectives on employability skills alongside those of
learners and funders (ECOTEC 1998). Their report argued that recording of soft
or transferable skills could better inform employers about the abilities of
potential staff, enable learners to track their own progress, and demonstrate to
funders the value of projects geared to increasing employability.
Similarly, research focusing on the views of training providers, funders and
qualifications awarding bodies carried out by Deloitte for the UKCES noted that
assessment of employability skills could be seen as a burden if done ‘for its own
sake’, but welcomed if measurement could ‘add value’ by enhancing employers’,
trainers’ and learners’ understanding of their abilities. In particular, they identified
potential for encouraging lower level achievers to take these areas seriously and
gain confidence through acquiring recognised skills (Deloitte 2010).
1.5 Government and funders’ requirements
Under the previous Labour administration, there were moves to encourage
providers to evidence soft outcomes and ‘distance travelled’ for their project
participants. Much of the impetus for this work came from the requirements of
ESF programmes, such as the EMPLOYMENT initiative4. However, it was also
The New Deal (Flexible New Deal from October 2009) was introduced by the
Labour government in 1998 as a programme of active labour market policies,
providing training, subsidised employment and voluntary work to the unemployed. The
New Deal for Young People targeted those aged 18-24 out of work for 6 months or
more.
ESF funds are distributed through 'Co-financing Organisations' (CFOs): public
bodies (eg the DWP) which bring together ESF and domestic funding for employment
and skills so that ESF complements national programmes. Providers must monitor and
evaluate their programmes in accordance with current guidance. See for example:
http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/SouthWest/ESF_Evaluation_guidance.pdf
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seen by the government as more broadly applicable to demonstrating
achievement and supporting learner progression in relation to non-accredited
qualifications (Butcher and Marsden 2004). In 2003, the then Learning and
Skills Council (LSC) indicated their intention to incorporate RARPA
(Recognising and Recording Progress and Achievement in Non-accredited
Learning), which involved assessments before, during and at the end of
programmes, into the Common Inspection Framework for further education,
work-based learning and adult and community learning provision – and also to
explore its extension to school and college performance tables (LSC 2003).
In line with the LSC’s drive to recognise soft outcomes, the relevant
inspectorates across the UK5 do now consider providers’ performance in
developing students’ employability skills, including those concerning behaviour
and attitudes (Deloitte 2010). Since September 2009, the Ofsted common
inspection framework has been aligned with Every Child Matters6 outcomes, and
for FE and skills providers the outcome ‘improvement in economic and social
wellbeing’ is focused on employability, including soft skills such as
communication, commitment, teamwork and problem-solving (Ofsted 2011).
In spite of these requirements, hard outcomes still dominate reporting
frameworks. For example, while current guidance for Welfare to Work services
and Work Programme providers signals a new focus on ‘personalisation’ (i.e.
tailored support for individual needs), there have been moves to minimise
paperwork and prescription in terms of how that support is provided, and
reporting requirements for payment by results are focused tightly on entry into
and retention in employment7. Providers are also obliged to supply Jobcentre
Plus with Exit Reports for participants, summarising training undertaken and
recommending next steps. However, at present, although they are encouraged
to supply additional information including assessments of employability, or
observed changes in attitude8, this is not required - far less required in any
particular format.
Similarly, the Skills Funding Agency (SFA)9 publishes performance data on FE
colleges’ (and other training providers’) delivery to over 16s. Providers are
required to report learners’ qualifications achieved, employment/ educational
•
In England, schools, FE providers and independent training providers are assessed
by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted).
•
Every Child Matters (ECM) is a government initiative which led to the Children Act
2004, covering children and young people up to the age of 19, or 24 for those with
disabilities. It aims to ensure that, through multi-agency partnership working, every
child is supported to achieve five outcomes: Be healthy; Stay safe; Enjoy and achieve;
Make a positive contribution and Achieve economic well-being.
https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationdetail/page1/DfES/108
1/2004
•
Work Programme Provider Guidance Chapter 9:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wp-pg-chapter-9.pdf
•
Work Programme Provider Guidance Chapter 10:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wp-pg-chapter-10.pdf
•
The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and the Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA) are
successor organisations to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
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destinations and satisfaction ratings, but not soft outcomes tapping
employability.
However, in the context of budget cuts, the need to achieve ‘more for less’
(Audit Commission 2010) and increasing reliance on payment by results,
funders may increasingly look not only for data on attendance, completion rates
and destinations, but also for evidence of soft outcomes as a stepping stone
towards future employment or qualifications.
As participants in Deloitte’s consultation exercise suggested, if funders’
assessments focus narrowly on hard outcomes, they offer little encouragement
for training or learning providers to improve their own performance in
developing the softer skills seen as lacking by employers. Conversely, without
recognition of distance travelled there may be a perverse incentive for
providers - judged and/or paid by results - to focus on less challenging clients
who can more easily be found work or achieve qualifications (Deloitte 2010). To
quote again from the UKCES’ ‘Employability Challenge’ report:
“Outcomes-based funding for training is only as good as the definition of
the outcomes.”
(UKCES 2009)
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2. Employability skills and categories
In this section we consider the skills, attributes and behaviours that have been
placed under the umbrella of ‘employability’, drawing on reviews of practice
across a range of providers. We explore the degree of commonality across
these various lists before suggesting a core set of soft employability skills
complete with brief definitions.
2.1 Existing definitions and skills categories
A number of Government reviews have suggested that no generic model or set
of indicators for the measurement of soft outcomes can be ‘fit for purpose’
across all learning aims and groups of learners (ECOTEC 1998; Dewson, Eccles
et al. 2000; WEFO 2003; Lloyd and O'Sullivan 2004). Likewise, an expert
seminar convened by the then LSC found it impossible to devise a universally
applicable set of employability skills, concluding that requirements depended
on job type, industry sector and career stage (Martin, Villeneuve-Smith et al.
2008).
Certainly, there may be group-specific outcomes, for example for addicts
around reduction in drug use and improvement in health and relationships.
However, as the Scottish Executive’s Effective Interventions Unit (EIU) points
out, it is feasible to identify ‘core’ outcomes for employability projects that
support a variety of different client groups (EIU 2009). Below, we consider the
EIU skills list alongside three others from CBI, ECOTEC, and the UKCES. Each
set of skills was drawn up on the basis of reviews of current practice and/or
widespread consultation with employers and learning providers.
CBI (2007) and Department for Children, Schools and Families (2010)
In 2010, the DCSF-funded National Support Group for Work Experience linked
their Impact Assessment Tool to the competencies set out in the CBI’s
Employability framework (CBI 2007; DCSF 2010). Accordingly, the 16 items
on their questionnaire for learners tap eight areas:
• Skills: business and customer awareness, application
numeracy, communication and literacy and application of IT
of
• Personal qualities: self-management, team working, problem solving
• Positive attitude: a ‘can-do’ approach, openness to new ideas.
Figure 2.1. UKCES definition of employability skills
Source: (UKCES 2009)
This ‘positive approach’ is seen as supporting three Functional Skills:
Using numbers effectively – measuring, recording measurements,
calculating, estimating quantities, relating numbers to the job
Using language effectively – writing clearly and in a way appropriate to
the context, ordering facts and concepts logically
Using IT effectively – operating a computer, both using basic systems
and also learning other applications as necessary, and using telephones
and other technology to communicate.
Finally, these functional skills are viewed in the context of four Personal Skills:
4.1.11
Self-management – punctuality and time management, fitting
dress and behaviour to context, overcoming challenges, asking for help
when necessary
4.1.12
Thinking and solving problems – creativity, reflecting on and
learning from own actions, prioritising, analysing situations, developing
solutions
4.1.13
Working together and communicating – co-operating, being
assertive, persuading, being responsible to others, speaking clearly to
individuals and groups, listening for a response
4.1.14
Understanding the business – understanding how the individual
job fits into the organisation as a whole; recognising the needs of
stakeholders (customers and service users, for example); judging risks,
innovating, contributing to the whole organisation (UKCES 2009).
Commonalities and differences across definitions
Clearly, these definitions do vary: one refers to ‘confidence’ and another to
‘being assertive’; one to generic ‘positive attitude’ and another to particular
mental health outcomes. However, there appears to be a broad consensus on
the skills relevant to employability, albeit with variation in the degree of focus
on mental health/ emotional wellbeing versus practical skills.
This report focuses primarily on measurement of personal and behavioural
skills, as opposed to basic or functional skills such as numeracy, literacy and IT
skills. While the CBI, DCSF, EIU and UKCES understandably consider such skills
integral to employability, they could be described as on the ‘hard side’ of soft,
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in that they can easily be assessed using standard tests. In addition, while the
CBI and UKCES definitions refer to business/ customer awareness as
employability skills, these are somewhat job-specific. Accordingly, the next
section briefly sets out, and defines, a generic set of soft employability skills.
2.2 A generic set of soft employability skills
In this section we list, categorise and define soft employability skills which
appear to be generally applicable to a range of jobs on the basis of previous
practice reviews (see Tables 2.2 and 2.3).
Table 2.2. Soft employability skills and attributes
Personal
Interpersonal
Self-management
Initiative &
delivery
Confidence
Self-esteem
Motivation
Social/ interpersonal skills
Communication skills
Teamwork
Self-control
Reliability
Positive attitude
Planning
Problem-solving
Prioritising
Self-efficacy
Assertiveness
Presentation
Table 2.3. Definitions of soft employability skills and attributes
Skill/ attribute
Definition
(Self) confidence
Belief in oneself or one's own abilities
Self-esteem
A positive or negative orientation toward oneself; an overall
evaluation of one's worth or value
Motivation
Interest/ engagement, effort and persistence / work ethic
Self-efficacy
Belief in one’s ability to succeed in a particular situation
Social/
interpersonal skills
Ability to interact appropriately with other people, without
undue conflict or discomfort
Communication
skills
Ability to convey information effectively so that it is received
and understood; appropriate verbal/ nonverbal communication
with colleagues, managers and customers/others
Teamwork
Ability to work cooperatively with others
Assertiveness
Ability to confidently express views or needs without either
aggression/ dominance / undue submissiveness towards others
Self-control
Ability to control own emotions and behaviour, particularly in
difficult situations or under stress
Reliability
Attendance, time-keeping, consistent standards
Positive attitude
Keen to work, learn, accept feedback and take responsibility
Presentation
Consistently clean, tidy and appropriately dressed, with a polite
and professional manner
Planning
Ability to plan tasks and monitor progress
Problem-solving
Ability to identify problems and devise solutions
Prioritising
Ability to identify and focus on priority tasks
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3. Measurement and assessment issues
It was not within the scope of this exercise to survey hundreds of projects, as
large-scale government reviews have done. However, a brief review of relevant
literature and websites suggests that within the voluntary sector, there is still a
great deal of variety in terms of the nature and quality of soft outcome
measures employed for evaluation purposes. In Section 5, we provide a
detailed review of measurement of employability skills in seven recent
programmes. In this section, we discuss some key challenges in this area.
3.1 Validity
As noted previously, whereas hard outcome criteria may be tightly specified in
government contracts – for example, with strict definitions of what constitutes
‘sustained’ employment - the soft outcomes relating to employability have generally
been left to providers to monitor. However, while this should allow tailoring
measures to project objectives, this approach is not unproblematic. Quite apart from
the fact that this makes it more difficult to compare projects, it cannot be assumed
that the resulting measures will have been designed, tested and administered in
such a way as to make them valid and reliable: in other words, to ensure they
genuinely assess the desired skills or attributes in a consistent and replicable way.
Delivery staff may not have the time, expertise or resources to devise suitable
measures. This is not simply a hypothetical problem: Lloyd and O’Sullivan reported
that while project staff wished to measure soft outcomes, it was not being done
systematically. They found strong demand for additional guidance of relevance to
different user groups including a range of practical examples (Lloyd and O'Sullivan
2004). Similarly, Deloitte found that, from the perspective of qualification awarding
bodies, the problem lay less in a lack of suitable methods for assessing personal
skills than in providers’ lack of confidence in designing and using them effectively
(Deloitte 2010).
3.2 Subjectivity
Subjectivity of assessors and their assessments
Deloitte’s consultation with funders and providers highlighted that learners and
employers may be wary of qualifications other than those gained via traditional
written tests, with the alternatives seen as unduly subjective, less rigorous and
more open to manipulation than traditional tests (Deloitte 2010). As the National
Support Group for Work Experience note, meaningful comparisons of pre and
post (programme) data rely on clear-cut measures; soft outcomes, however,
often rely on subjective assessments (DCSF 2010). There may be nervousness
and a lack of understanding about the robustness and validity of tools available
to undertake these assessments. Moreover, as suggested by reviews which
counsel against a ‘one size fits all’ approach to measuring soft outcomes (WEFO
2003 ; Lloyd and O'Sullivan 2004), some aspects of employability can be seen
as job or situation specific; as UKCES point out, ‘good teams need different
personality types – so teamwork is inherently personal’ (UKCES 2009).
Nevertheless, as outlined in Section 2, there appear to be a range of
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employability skills which are broadly generic. Some of these – such as
timekeeping – may be relatively simple to assess; others, such as social or
communication skills, more challenging and reliant on assessors’ judgements.
The issue of subjectivity is not seen as an insurmountable problem by Deloitte,
on the basis that awarding organisations are already welcoming evidence
gathered by ‘non-traditional’ means and considering it, in some cases, more
appropriate to measurement of soft skills (Deloitte 2010). That is, in their
review of assessment and recognition processes, involving desk research and
consultations with providers in schools, Further and Higher Education settings
and elsewhere, they found that award bodies such as Edexcel favoured
individual portfolio-based assessments recording achievements in realistic
scenarios. Written assignments were seen as unfair to those struggling with
literacy; more generally, it was argued that assessing ‘doing skills’ via multiplechoice tests could misrepresent individuals’ abilities. Accepted methods included
project assignments, case studies, work-based assessments and performance
observation. Evidence could be drawn from questions and answers, reflexive
accounts, self and peer evaluation and reviews (Deloitte 2010). As stressed by
UKCES, assessment approaches such as these may themselves be used to
develop the employability skills of ‘reflexive learners’ (UKCES 2010).
As UKCES point out, the use of ‘non-traditional’ approaches to assessment need
not mean a loss of rigour if guidance is sufficient to ensure “a
commonunderstanding and application of the national standard across assessor
judgments” (p35). They describe how where tutors are responsible
forassessments, as with the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s ‘Skills for Work’
qualifications, external verification can provide reassurance about standards by
auditing providers’ evidence (UKCES 2010). To an extent, Ofsted could be
expected to perform this role, but existing Ofsted guidance for adult learning
and skills providers10 appears limited. Good practice examples on their site
describe activities which develop employability skills – but not the tools used to
assess them – or the criteria used by inspectors to evaluate the
evidence.11However, a recent consultation on revisions to the Inspection
Framework (Ofsted 2011) explicitly referred to:
‘the critical importance of employability skills and progression towards
sustainable employment and further learning as outcomes from many
government-funded programmes, and the need to judge this alongside the
achievement of learners.’
In light of this, Ofsted proposes that the revised framework, criteria and
inspection methodology should – from September 2012 - place greater
emphasis on direct observation of teaching, learning, skills development and
assessment – and include among the assessed outcomes personal, social and
employability skills. At present, while it appears that the quality of employability
measures may be evaluated under the new system, is unclear what guidance, if
any, will be developed for providers on this issue.
Subjectivity of learners and their self-assessments
Some employability skills – such as self-efficacy, confidence or self-esteem –
call for measures which draw on learners’ own reports of their feelings and
experiences. While it is not discussed by Ofsted, a key problem with evaluating
impact on the basis of self-reported ‘before and after’ (the programme)
assessments is that participants’ judgements about their initial competencies or
knowledge may genuinely change through taking part as they gain new
perspective on their situation. Therefore, assessments at the end of an
intervention may show little change from those at the start, whereas those
involved may (correctly, perhaps) insist that they have gained a great deal.
However, given that participants’ perspectives on their emotions or ‘internal
states’ are crucial, ruling out self-report measures does not solve the problem
of subjectivity. Partly, issues around the validity of self-reports can be
overcome by having participants complete assessments collaboratively with
staff, although this clearly brings their subjectivity into play, not to mention
confidentiality issues. There is a risk that providers may exaggerate their
impact by depressing baseline scores and/or inflating exit ones if they are either
scoring those taking part or assisting them to complete forms. Nevertheless as
providers may be best placed to comment on issues such as timekeeping,
presentation and teamwork, the challenge must be to ensure they have
appropriate tools and qualitative records underpinning and illustrating any
quantitative assessments of change.
While recognising the challenges of ‘before and after’ measures, it is also the
case that relying solely on retrospective assessments is problematic, in that
memories may be inaccurate – even in relation to hard as opposed to soft skills.
There is also a real risk of (unintentional) bias whereby participants exaggerate
the gains made by retrospectively devaluing their initial skills, abilities or
attributes. Therefore, regardless of whether retrospective assessments or
’before and after’ designs are used, and whether participants, staff, or both are
involved, there is an argument for providing ‘concrete’ descriptors for each
point on a scale, so that responses are more ‘anchored’ to real-life experience,
as opposed to gut feeling at the time about whether young people for example,
score 5 or 7 out of 10 on a rating scale.
3.3 User-friendliness/ workability
Providers seeking to measure employability skills can, in theory, choose from
among numerous different ways of collecting data, including:
baseline and subsequent interviews with learners/assessors
self-completion questionnaires
personal journals
tests
portfolios
staff assessments/ reviews
numerical scaling to track progress (i.e. rating perceived skills from 1 to
10 at baseline, exit and possibly points in between)
• recorded observations of learners applying skills in work-based scenarios
• commercially developed tools (see below).
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
4. Limitations of existing guidance and
tools
4.1 Learning from existing reviews
Government departments have made several attempts to promote best
practice in the use of soft outcomes or employability measures (ECOTEC
1998; Dewson, Eccles et al. 2000; WEFO 2003; Lloyd and O'Sullivan 2004).
Rather than providing a ‘generic model’ of measurement or substantive
guidance about indicators, these reports have set out methodological
principles and practice examples to aid project staff in developing their own
measures. For example, in their review for the DWP, Lloyd and O’Sullivan
recommended that systems for measuring soft outcomes satisfy five
principles, as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
Identify barriers to learning/personal development
Focus on variables that can lead to changes in behaviour
Be reliable
Include multiple variables and sources of information to achieve an
even balance of indicators
Be relatively cheap and simple to administer (Lloyd and O'Sullivan 2004)
In their 2003 guidance, the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO 2003)
set out four key components of soft outcome monitoring systems:
•
•
•
•
A set of target indicators
A scale or profiling system
Baseline assessments and subsequent reviews to assess progress
A system for analysing and reporting results.
Through its examples, if not explicit recommendations, the WEFO report
steers projects towards using young people- and staff-report scales (i.e. with
five-point numerical ratings or labels such as ‘needs improvement’ to ‘no
work needed’). While they provide an Appendix with example items from
funded projects, they do not list or endorse suitable indicators –simply
advising that staff compile a list addressing each area of their work and
decide for themselves the appropriate balance between comprehensive
coverage and ease of completion. Although they advise that quantitative data
be reported to funders with comments on its validity, they provide no
guidance on assessing validity or on accessing validated tools. Similarly, the
Ofsted Database currently provides a ‘good practice example’ focused on
measuring soft outcomes and distance travelled for JobCentre Plus
participants, but ‘good practice’ is seen to lie in the way the provider13
involved staff in developing indicators relating to support needs in various
areas14 - the actual measures are not described.
5. Measurement of employability skills in
recent programmes
In this section, we present the findings from our review of recent UK programme
evaluations21 that included some measures of young people’s employability
skills. The programmes reviewed were targeted at improving young people’s
skills or getting them on a path to education, training or employment. Thus,
improvements in employability skills were clearly relevant for each. The aim of
doing this review was threefold: first, to examine the extent to which
employability skills are commonly assessed in evaluations of programmes aimed
at upskilling young people or improving their education, training and
employment prospects; second, to examine the similarities and differences in the
way that employability skills were measured in the evaluations; and third, to
inform our view of suggestions for going forward given the issues and limitations
highlighted in previous sections.
We first present a very brief overview of our methodology, followed by
presentation of the evaluation summaries.
5.1 Programme review methodology
We conducted a range of internet keyword searches to identify existing UK
programme evaluations aimed at improving young people’s skills or getting
them on a path to education, training or employment. Our main keywords were
‘young people’ and ‘employability’ or ‘soft skills’ or ‘life skills’.
General searches were carried out using NCB’s ChildData and Google, and
specific searches were carried out in the following websites:
E. DfE
F. DWP
G. Institute for Employment Studies
H. Joseph Rowntree Foundation
I. UKCES
J. Fairbridge
K. The Prince’s Trust
L. Education and Employers Taskforce
M. Skills Funding Agency
N. National Foundation for Educational Research.
Relevant evaluation reports were initially scanned and subsequently
downloaded (if necessary) to determine if they included any measures of young
people’s employability skills. Overall, more than 30 programme evaluations
were scanned, 14 were downloaded for potential inclusion in the review and
seven are included here.
21
One of the studies reviewed was not a programme evaluation per se, but rather an
exploration of the skills, knowledge and attitudinal development that young people gain
from volunteering using data from 30 volunteering sites.
www.ncb.org.uk
page 21
© National Children’s Bureau
March 2012
Employability: rapid review
Blades, Fauth and Gibb
The final seven evaluations were as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Activity Agreement Pilots
Fairbridge
Increased Flexibility for 14 to 16 Year Olds
Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of
Offenders (NIACRO) Youth Employability Programme
Skills for Work
Volunteering
Young People’s Development Programme.
5.2 Programme review summaries
Each of the seven programme evaluations were summarised using a structured
template designed to capture the pertinent information in brief, easy to read format.
One researcher completed the summaries and a second peer reviewed them for
quality control. Each of the summary templates is presented below.
Table 5.1. Activity Agreement Pilots (AA)
Programme AA was a pilot initiative aimed at testing the effectiveness of
summary conditional financial incentives along with intensive support and
brokerage of tailored activities in re-engaging young people aged 16 17 years not in education, employment or training (NEET) for at least
20 weeks.
Activities focused on personal development, skill development and
work-related activities. Young people received one-to-one support
and advice and a weekly allowance - paid only if the young people
fulfilled their weekly agreement.
Target group
16-17-year-olds who had been NEET for at least 20 weeks.
Evaluation The aim of the quantitative evaluation was to assess the aims
effectiveness of AA in improving the outcomes of participants
relative to a matched comparison groups of comparable young
people who lived in non-pilot areas.
Evaluation The quantitative evaluation used a quasi-experimental design design and
including surveys with young people (and their parents) living in the sample pilot areas,
as well as young people living in matched comparison
areas. The initial young people surveys were carried out approximately
12 weeks after ending their involvement with AA with follow-up
surveys approximately 2 years after participation.
AA participants were predominantly male (58%) and white (87%).
Only 14% of participants had 5 or more GCSEs at A*-C. In terms of
family background, 58% had parents without post-16 qualifications
and 37% of parents were in routine and manual occupations.
Compared to non-participants, AA participants were younger, more
likely to be male, more likely to live at home and be single and less
likely to have their own children.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Workplace Employability Skills Project Collaborators .......................................................................... i
Workplace Employability Skills Project Team .....................................................................................iii
Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................... v
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1
Background ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Project Launch ................................................................................................................................ 1
Arizona Statewide Focus Groups ...................................................................................................... 2
Critical Workplace Employability Skills .............................................................................................. 3
Documentation of Survey Results and Focus Group Dialogue ............................................................. 3
Quotes from our Notes .................................................................................................................... 4
Prioritization of the Skills ............................................................................................................... 12
Development of the Standards as Skill Sets ..................................................................................... 14
Arizona’s New Workplace Skill Conceptualization............................................................................ 15
The Dynamics of Arizona’s New Workplace..................................................................................... 16
Draft Standards and Measurement Criteria..................................................................................... 16
Moving Forward ............................................................................................................................ 19
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 19
Arizona Skill Standards Commission .................................................................................. Appendix 1
Presentation and Facilitated Dialogue ............................................................................... Appendix 2
Emerging Critical Workplace Skills ..................................................................................... Appendix 3
Workplace Employability Skills Initiative ............................................................................ Appendix 4
Focus Group Schedule ...................................................................................................... Appendix 5
Focus Group Participants .................................................................................................. Appendix 6
Critical Workplace Employability Skills ............................................................................... Appendix 7
Composite Survey Results ................................................................................................. Appendix 8
Arizona Workplace Employability Skills Project 2010-2011
CRITICAL WORKPLACE EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
The skills used to spark participation during the focus groups were identified at the October 20, 2011
meeting of the Arizona Skill Standards Commission (APPENDIX 7) as skills required for
workplace/economic success in a global knowledge and innovation economy enabled by technology.
Seven emerging skills were brought to the Commission in October, and an additional four skills were
added to the focus group survey in response to the Commissioners’ comments: collaboration, legal
and ethical practice, professionalism, and initiative and self direction.
THE ORIGINAL ELEVEN AS IDENTIFIED FOR THE FOCUS GROUPS





















DIVERGENT AND CRITICAL THINKING, PROBLEM SOLVING, DECISION MAKING(Expert Thinking)
COMPLEX COMMUNICATION(Person-to-person interaction, knowledge transfer)
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION(Generating/developing new ideas, products, processes)
CULTURAL COMPETENCy (Interacting with diverse groups/individuals for common purposes)
SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR BUSINESS(Social media tools for branding, networking, customer service)
WORKING ONLINE IN GEOGRAPHICALLY DISTRIBUTED TEAMS(Global work in virtual spaces)
VISUAL, PATTERN-BASED THINKING, INVOLVING MATH AND QUANTITATIVE PROCEDURES(Computational Thinking)
COLLABORATION(Communicating, planning, and implementing activities cooperatively with others)
LEGAL AND ETHICAL PRACTICE(Acting within the rules of conduct for business)
PROFESSIONALISM(Standards of behavior in the workplace)
INITIATIVE AND SELF DIRECTION(Controlling, guiding, and managing one’s own activities)
DOCUMENTATION OF SURVEY RESULTS AND FOCUS GROUP DIALOGUE
The survey instrument (APPENDIX 7) was modified based on feedback from the Arizona Skill Standards
Commission in October and enabled the project team to collect information in three areas:
• Presence: To what degree are these skillspresentin your workplace?
• Importance: How important are these skills to thefuture successof your business/industry?
• Frequency: Once adopted,how frequentlydo you anticipate workers in your
business/industrywould use these skills?
A total of 148 surveys (73 Business/Industry, 25 Workforce Development, 50 Education), addressing the
original eleven skills, were returned from all focus group. Data were tabulated separately for each
regional focus group, as well as collectively. The composite results are expressed in charts and tables by
skill set and sector (APPENDIX 8). For example, the results for Complex Communication bridge two pages
and provide responses to the questions noted above in a set of Composite graphs side by side with the
segmented responses from Business & Industry, Workforce Development, and Education sector
participants.
Number of Surveys
Surveys by Participating Sector
200
150
100
50
0
3 May 24, 2011
Total
Business/Industry Workforce
Development
Sector
Education/Other
Arizona Workplace Employability Skills Project 2010-2011
Focus group dialogue notes were coded and tabulated by the project team using the original set of
eleven skills plus those topics or themes that emerged during the focus groups, including
flexibility/adaptability, financial literacy, generational culture, organizational culture, customer
service, and issues of implementation (APPENDIX 9).
Both survey and focus group dialogue data brought trends and patterns to light. This information,
considered with other research nationally and globally (APPENDIX 10), resulted in a rich resource of concepts
and ideas for drafting the workplace skill framework, standards, and performance objectives.
QUOTES FROM OUR NOTES
Complex Communication Person-to-person knowledge transfer
 Complex communication is important – transfer of knowledge is complexity, essential to a
team. Technology adds layers of complexity. 


Communication is the foundation. 


If asking questions is encouraged, it improves the dialogue and builds relationships. 


It’s not just speaking – it’s INTERACTING. Complex is good. 

Looking at kids and generations, we need to allow them to use the tools they’re comfortable
with AND expect them to be on time, ask questions, etc. 

 Kids communicate so well via texting and Facebook but not one on one. ..Maybe we should start
doing 
interviews with us texting! 

Communication skills, when not engrained early enough, are difficult to transfer into other areas. It
needs to be a part of them. INTEGRATED. 

Time is money – ours and yours – an inability to measure and move materials properly and an
inability to COMMUNICATE have consequences for time and profitability. 


Communication is cultural and requires adaptation and research. 

 Systems thinking “wisdom” ties into complex communication – timing, guiding, mentoring, looking to
the future. For example, hospitals – how will reforms affect them? and affect career development in
nursing? The majority of nurses presently work in hospitals but will need to transition to outpatient
care and community education. “Complex Care” will require collaboration with other services without
“silos.” 

 We have 4 tribes in La Paz, as well as Hispanics and others – different languages are a challenge.
Verbal and body language need to be understood. 

 Collaboration in this environment? Culture [understood] as generational and ethnicity. Includes
technology, tension around practices for communication and styles. 
Computational Thinking Pattern-based thinking for problem solving, innovation




 Computational thinking is an essential workplace skill – math overlaid with critical thinking. “How to
connect the dots.” 
 Understanding systems is extremely important in healthcare – [recognizing] the heart as part of the
body. 
 Critical thinking component – listening, analyzing, assessing, categorizing then problem solving and
decision making. This is Systems Thinking – gathering a body of information and processing it to
get to a solution. 
 An understanding of how their work impacts the system is needed. 
 Conceptual and spatial skills are needed! 
Creativity & Innovation Generating/developing new ideas, products, processes
 [If they have] divergent and critical thinking skills with complex communication skills with creativity
and innovation skills – all the other bases are covered. 

 It’s important to be on time, be part of a team, to think critically and know how to think outside
of the box. 
4 May 24, 2011
Arizona Workplace Employability Skills Project 2010-2011
 I’m consumed with my business surviving and a lack in this area among my employees.
If employees recognize what it means to have their business on the line, it challenges them to
 express creativity and innovation. 
 Creativity and innovation can be negated in the workplace and students need to
understand this, and that it [creativity] may stimulate other ideas. It requires persistence and takes
 time. Perhaps more important is enthusiasm. 

Entrepreneurship is more than a movie; it’s the elemental things. Where do I
get
the
supplies?
What
do I need? How do I pay for it? 


As a community we collaborate, doing more with less money, and
flexibility is a requirement. Creative ideas need to be acknowledged. 
Cultural Competency Interacting with diverse groups/individuals for common purposes
 Our generation and before, people kept jobs for a long time. The expectation now is 15 jobs in
25 years. They don’t want to give and we (Boomers) will not give. Requires cultural competency.
 Globally, too. 
 When dealing with people, need to talk eyeball to eyeball first, then phone 

 Need to consider that some people do NOT want interactivity. They want the transaction to
 move quickly, get it done. 
 Need to teach people across cultures how to relate/communicate with each other. Must recognize
and respect differences. 

 Complex communication includes building in social acculturation and diversity. 
 We now have 4 generations in the workplace. There are barriers within organizations that are in the way
of bringing people together to collaborate – age, race, etc. Probably based in perception. Leaders need to
 strike down myths, shoot for common goals. These are frequent problems among my clients. 
 Our company tests for the ability to work with other cultural groups. Our hires may speak French
 as their first language and need to work hard to communicate in English. 
 Cultural skills, crossing tribal boundaries. Youth don’t step up and ask until a relationship
is developed. Need to be able to shift between home and work. 

 More emphasis needed on character. 

 Character is not the same in different cultures. 
 Tolerance for diversity has got to be a focus with competing value systems. 
Expert Thinking Divergent and critical thinking, problem solving, decision making





















We see a lack of analysis skills, an inability to build an argument. 
If you think critically, you don’t waste product. 
Resource management/allocation is a THINKING task. 
Critical thinking includes knowing your limits. 
Texas Instruments interviewed 12 graduate students from ivy league schools – none of them got
through the 3 day process because of their lack of ability to TRY, to ask questions, maybe make
a mistake. 
We learned to apply thinking in a different way. We asked interviewees “How many barbers are
there in LA?” The guy who “computed” it on the spot in the interview got the job. 
What drove our Auto Industry technicians to be techs? 1. Need to solve problems 2. Need for
appreciation 3. $$$ 
Employees have problems with this; afraid of making a WRONG decision so making NO decision;
employees require directions at every step. 
Need to let employees make mistakes or they will be afraid to make a decision. ►Need to do this in
education. My example of making a decision, maybe not the best one, for the good of the company
is as a young employee. I gave away a $1000 sofa to manage company mistakes with a customer. 
Example of critical thinking, interacting with customers who have a need 
We use real world problems, examples: virtual football team, story problems (computational
thinking, problem solving, critical thinking). We need to get through elitism to change how
we approach quantitative skills. 
5 May 24, 2011
Arizona Workplace Employability Skills Project 2010-2011
Social Networking for Business Social media tools for branding, networking, customer service

 I use it to communicate with clients in the workforce. 

 Texting, technology overlay of communication, NOT face to face. What fits the audience? 
 I feel at a loss because I don’t use social media. When I bring in someone new, I’m looking for those
 skills. 
 Now kids communicate in 140 characters or less. Students can do this. They have no idea how to
 TALK to a human being on a phone. 
 We can’t stop the wheels from turning. How can we incorporate it into our workforce? How do
 we USE those tools and skills? 

 Economic development is 95% social media. We have to be able to get out the story. 
 Have to stay on top of Social Media because it changes so quickly. People now are choosing
 where they eat and go based on info online. 

 Technology vs. face-to-face, skills must be taught. 
 ADD behavior is rewarded. “Move fast and break things” is the Facebook motto. This is our younger
generation at work. Resumes are going to be useless since reputation is built online. Good – bad –
none – what’s your online reputation? People that get what’s going on don’t make the decisions
 and vice versa. 

 Critical for branding and advertising – we need to keep up with the technology. 

 Second Life is now being used as a virtual world to create business. Pulte is using it. 

 This is the student’s world – they are designing apps for Apple. 

 Youth are not using technology to their advantage at work – generally social use 

 Use of social media is situational. 

 Social networking is a TOOL, not a skill. Has to be directed at communication. 
 It’s engrained in their beings. We have to embrace it because it draws, drives, creates a
bigger audience for us. It’s encouraged for a specific purpose. 
Working Online in geographically Distributed Teams Global work in virtual spaces
 Geographically distributed teamwork may occur through open networks like Facebook. 
Collaboration Communicating, planning, and implementing activities cooperatively with
others
 Collaboration MORE of a challenge with social media. Technology increases the barriers. 

 Example, “Can’t have these 3 people working together – they don’t get along.” ???! Model
 communication!!! 
 Collaboration skills are essential, an appreciation that I’m part of a bigger puzzle. The TEAM
 & COMPANY must show up and be shown. 
 Collaboration – work together toward common goals, respectful of strengths and weaknesses.
 All phases of society need this. 
 An entry level employee is a TEAM MEMBER – employer and employee need awareness. Example,
 McDonalds entry to ownership 
 More can be accomplished for the good of the WHOLE if all have their eyes on it. Example, “You are
part of the healing process for one person [not just dealing with a disease or procedure].” Attitude
 is worked upon by TEAM. 
 Teachers and students are being trained TOGETHER, creating collaboration between students
 and teachers (beyond apprehension to productivity). 
 Collaboration – may have a technical teamwork skill but lack the communicative ability that makes
 it work. 
 Team vs. dictatorial leadership – need to recognize value of people we deal with. We are all
members of the community in which we live, NOT touch-feely but realistic assessment. This is a part
of collaboration. 
Legal & Ethical Practice Acting within the rules of conduct for business

Ethics [of social media] - “Appropriate” use impacts employability, social responsibility. 


Things are innocently said [social media] that create a lot of problems. 


Kids don’t understand the ethics behind Facebook. Example, taunting other students
electronically. 
6 May 24, 2011
Arizona Workplace Employability Skills Project 2010-2011
 Social networking needs restraints in place to be effective for business. Address managing
 public records, ethics. 
 Critical to have a conversation about expectations. Example, narcotics were missing and a nurse
was identified. She said, “I need help.” You work with a person like that. However, failure to admit
such a mistake may have a different result. 

Employee honesty is important and changes the consequences for mistakes. 


Inability to pass a drug screening. We have a lot of training on this. 


Lack of self-control. 


Legal and ethical skills are a major issue. 

 Ethics – putting in hours of WORK, finding something to do. 

 Students like collaborating. The #1 issue is ethics. They have no problem stealing. It is
 socially acceptable. Not business ethics, just plain ethics. 
 Example, giving subs to friends for a total of $60K for the year – didn’t understand that it was
 wrong because he wasn’t taking them himself. 
 Legal and Ethical – this is basic. A job is a privilege. Ethics, values and religion were taught
 in my school. [This gen says] “I expect to be treated the way I want to be treated.” 
 Corporations/businesses have taken so much away from the employee that there is no
loyalty any longer, in either direction. Example, Wisconsin cutting pensions. Entitlement vs. Loss
(loyalty and resources) 
Professionalism Standards of behavior in the workplace
(*asterisks indicate multiple comments about the same topic)

 Accountability***is missing from the list. 

 Attitude** 

 Be Present. 

 Basic Skills: Character**, integrity, show up for work! 

 Soft Skills: showing up on time, dependability, maturity, integrity*, communication 

 Appearance: grooming and dressing* 

 Pride in a job well done 

 Separation of personal and professional life. 

I address dress code first in healthcare. Appearance supports patient trust in their care. 

 Example, Fairchild engineers: VPs would come from NY to the plant. Engineers and workers would
watch drivers sitting out in the heat and decided something needed to change. They started their own
company – Intel: dress as you want; work where you want; put in your 40 hours. 

What is appropriate for DIFFERENT jobs? example, game store – a nose ring is appropriate. 


Business etiquette is missing. 

 In testing/evaluating IT systems, Professionalism. They represent our company and first
impression is important. After that, Complex Communication – the ability to receive, digest, process
 and return communication is essential (our client’s are in Defense, from generals to CEOs). 

Example, 24 year old, married with baby, had problem running off mouth. He said the wrong
thing to the wrong person. Thought he should be treated special – lost his $50/hour job. We have a
no tolerance policy for this kind of behavior. How do you teach Manners? 

Appearance matters to a patient in healthcare. Their life is in your hands. This is #1! 

 Professionalism – come to work on time. Because of the lack of discipline, we don’t hire
kids anymore, and the store used to be a training ground. 

Kids who got mad and walked off the job into the military came back and apologized. 

 We have employees come in late and leave early. They’ve lost the drive of older workers.
Responsibility was something we learned from mothers/fathers. Now people see no consequence
 in letting other workers down. 
We take for granted that kids have some kind of work ethic. Example, a young man did all of the work
 on his boss’s list, so he went home at 1:00 instead of 5:00. 

Basics: speak to people, math, show up on time, dress properly, hygiene – the rest employers
want to train. 
 The psyche of all people is affected by one who doesn’t engage on the job (lazy). 
7 May 24, 2011
Arizona Workplace Employability Skills Project 2010-2011
Initiative & Self-Direction Controlling, guiding, and managing one’s own activities
(*asterisks indicate multiple comments about the same topic)

Timeliness (ability to manage self) Must learn to BE THERE. Initiative & SelfDirection? No. As an employer, I manage their activities. 

Lead by example. 


Initiative and self-direction*, self-motivation 


Confidence** 


Respect of self and others** (given and received) 


Asking has to do with confidence, self-esteem, respect of self and others. Example,
college
student
went to another department to ask a question – did not ask me! 


In our organization we measure employees on initiative, to look past the job they’re
 doing to the next job. 

If you don’t know something, go ASK. Can I? Should I? Don’t guess. 


Leadership is missing. Skills need to be LEARNED and TRAINED. 

 Initiative and self direction. Example, In & Out Burger staff – no one stands over them.
They do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. They are told, “You have the power to do
 what needs to be done.” 
 I’m younger, have been in my job 15 years and like it. I see Initiative and Self Direction
 as a challenge. No one manages my time or schedule – I love it. 
 Kids need to compete for jobs in THEIR areas of interest. Try to find something that will
 prepare/lead them to their interest. Don’t disqualify yourself because of lack of training. 
 Re: lack of ability to take initiative and stay with it. We do a lot of cajoling and use
 incentives. Where’s the motivation gone? They don’t get that it’s THEIR responsibility. 
 Accountability needed, young people have entitlement, sense that employer is
 accountable to them. 
 My bigger concern is students who aren’t driven toward a career. People taking what
 they can get. 
 We program our students – what to learn and how to learn – and it’s difficult for
 them to take initiative, have self-direction. 
 Initiative & Self-Direction have to be the greatest areas lacking across industries. Still is
a high expectation that is not met here. May change 2 gens down the road – and not necessarily tied
to a generation but is now a problem. We created/perpetuated entitlement. Job loss/sustainability
of self could lead to greater responsibility for self with expectation. 
Flexibility/Adaptability
 Looking at kids and generations, we need to allow them to use the tools they’re comfortable
with AND expect them to be on time, ask questions, etc. 

 Flexibility and open mindedness – employers with a willingness to work as a team 

 In healthcare, we respect and value all these skills – adaptability, diversity with technology. 
 About one employee – “How adaptable are you to change? Are you willing to learn a truck from one
end to the other and to track everything?” The company helped him transfer skills. 

 National shortage of truck drivers now. Are drivers willing to learn and change to get the work? 

 Cross training – need employees to be able to handle multiple jobs in the company. 

 Flexibility/adaptability – evolution concept, ability to change and be part of change. 

 People need to reconsider strong opinions. There’s a need for flexibility. 
 Retooling, adaptation, flexibility – all skills the millennials are better at than older gens. There’s
 an increased need here. 
 Organizations need to create an environment for it. Includes the ability to change quickly and
effectively. It’s critical that employees think “There’s a better way to do this!” 

 Adaptability of self to fulfill the mission of the organization. 
 Flexibility – “that’s not my job.” We focus too much attention on the job description. 
Financial Literacy

 Financial industry needs skilled people as CLIENTS. Kids don’t know how to manage $. 
 Launch in Life program includes: finances, interviewing techniques, resume writing, knowing
individual skill sets, understanding connection between education and quality of life. Also
percentages, counting change. 
8 May 24, 2011
Arizona Workplace Employability Skills Project 2010-2011











I’m consumed with my business surviving and lack in this area among employees. If employees
recognize what it means to have their business on the line, it challenges them to express
Creativity and Innovation (C&I). 
AZ Counts conversation: expecting kids to understand year 2 Algebra exponential functions but
not showing the application to credit cards and personal finance. 
Finances. Need a general business class that teaches the “system” including personal finances. Business
is about profitability, and when I contribute, it passes along to me. This is “focused pride.” 
How important is financial literacy? It impacts company value and productivity. If people can’t
manage their own resources, how are they managing yours? 
Can this be a course? There is a critical parental piece here as well. 
Financial literacy/economics – including personal 
Generational Culture
(*asterisks indicate multiple comments about the same topic)

Millennial learners – generation differences – respect for workplace and boss vs.
working for an experience. Example, will give up a good job to go to Costa Rica and zip line.
 Difference in expectations. 

“I don’t care what I’m going to LEARN. I care about what I’m going to DO.” 


Parenting is at issue. 


Generational differences are a form of culture. Example, “teenager” students/teens
unreceptive
to
ASKING – are we receptive to BEING asked? 


Our kids are moving into the unknown pull of the future, requiring that WE have a
 different approach to their development. 

We need to be careful about appearance in determining a person’s abilities. Non
judgmental.



Relationship building* 


Intergenerational skills 


Hiring: May present well but does not possess the skills (good “camo”). 


Address the sense of entitlement 

 Regarding millennials – we need to be cognizant of how WE have come up and not
implicate them – not filtering our perception onto them. Need to have THEIR values understood and
recognized. Could a millennial teach me something? What can we learn from each other? 

I’m a BABY BOOMER! I get caught up in being judgmental. This bothers me. 

 Our generation and before, people kept jobs for a long time. The expectation now
is 15 jobs in 25 years. They don’t want to give and we (Boomers) will not give. 

Entitlement – “I deserve that job.” Shouldn’t have to work for it/earn it. 

 People re-entering have gone through transition, often undergone new training.
They’re terrified of making a mistake and losing their job. “World awareness” is lacking. Kids don’t
know where they are and how they got there. Example of son not knowing where he was to tell Dad
 how to get there to pick him up. This is true with the young people at my company. 
 My daughter has “keyboarding” skills – we had “penmanship.” I had to back
 off of her bad penmanship when I realized that I don’t write very often myself. 
 The company Tenacity is a business based on expectations. Mutual expectations are set
or we go our own ways. The easiest way to avoid a fight is to make a good hire. Better to walk away
 from an offer. Need to teach kids how to articulate THEIR expectations. 
 We can’t stop the wheels from turning. How can we incorporate it into our
 workforce? How do we USE those tools and skills? 
 This is the gap [technology]. Older gen doesn’t get this. Younger gen is tuned in.
 We need to hire people with these skills. My young staffer keeps me aware of these things. 
 It’s a middle management problem. MM does not know how to supervise the younger
 gen. 
 “I’m bored” on the job. In construction, we modified equipment to be more like gaming,
 then created a competition to simulate it. Still “I’m bored.” 

“Is this generational?” “Well, I did it 40 years ago…” (Laughter) 

 What I heard today tells me that employers need to catch up on working with this
next generation. **VITALLY IMPORTANT** 
9 May 24, 2011
Arizona Workplace Employability Skills Project 2010-2011

Most of us don’t even have a fundamental understanding of where our kids are and
what
they
need
to learn. Texting – we used to laugh and now it’s essential to us. 


ADD behavior is rewarded. “Move fast and break things” is the Facebook motto. This
 is our younger generation at work. 

We now have 4 generations in the workplace. There are barriers within organizations
that are in the way of bringing people together to collaborate – age, race, etc. Probably based in
 perception. Leaders need to strike down myths, shoot for common goals. 

I see this a lot between generations. They see that there are different expectations
 but they want others to value what they value. Example, younger with technology skills. 

Gap due to age, value systems, upbringing, challenges we would not imagine in a
previous time. Example, movies – there’s a desensitization of our ideas, a layer of callousness and
 apathy. 
 Basic skills for entry level jobs are missing. This is generational and economic. We’ve
had to look to other countries to supplement our workforce. It takes a year to find a mining
 engineer. 
 Need to focus on what motivates the workforce. Our employees are most motivated by
Recognition (which is what we sometimes perceive as entitlement). There are subtle nuances in how
this is portrayed. They are motivated second by Giveback, third by $$. Example, a young man from
Japan started a Give Back program “Socks for Japan.” A letter accompanied each pair of socks with
 an email address to enable a connection – a personal connection. 
 Retooling, adaptation, flexibility – all skills the millennials are better at than older
 gens. There’s an increased need here. 
 Technical skills not just the issue. Youth need to BE THANKED. What? They get a
paycheck! This creates a problem with employer/employee relationship. 

When does the employee get to decide how they communicate? 


Training on “formal” communication and protocols is needed cross-generationally. 


Relationships at work aren’t as important to them as those outside. 


This generation wants results now and will try to get them – over you. 

 We have intergenerational workshops with supervisors or nurses at the hospital,
covering how differences in home life, technology have shaped the younger generation differently.
Family might be less stable, jobs less stable, or “a better job around the corner.” 
Organizational Culture
 We set people up for failure if we don’t tell them our expectations. 
 Cross training – need employees to be able to handle multiple jobs in the company. 
 I remember when McDonald’s first opened. They hired all young men who were smiling and happy.
No more. Have we employers lowered our standards? 
 It’s different depending on the business. 
 We must let students understand OUR cultural norms. 
 Employees need to know the history of the business. 

 What are the “signs” of organizational culture? 

 Is there a need to assimilate before change can be made in an organization? 

 Culture includes business and personal (coworkers). 

 Awareness, “leave self behind” to succeed. 
 Young people need to understand an organization’s culture – assess, collect data, ask
 questions, make decisions in context – Participation for Success. 
 MTV is a large, global employer that uses technology. Needs are specific to the employer. 
 Corporate culture starts at the top. Even corrections is a business – a city of businesses. I have to be
able to SELL my culture, to staff and inmates, in order for them to BUY it. BUY IN is important. I’ve
 had to learn to respond to questions. Need to take time to create the culture top down. 
 Professionalism. Organizational politics is one of the lowest areas of competency. They need to
ask “How do things get done in MY organization?” “How do I navigate THIS system?” Need skills
 for asking questions. 
 They need to know the “jargon of the job.” 
 It’s the Google effect, seeing how it is elsewhere and wanting to create it for one’s self. “Can I
bring my dog to work?” 
10 May 24, 2011
Arizona Workplace Employability Skills Project 2010-2011

As a COMMUNITY we collaborate, doing more with less money, and flexibility is a
requirement.
Creative ideas need to be acknowledged. 


Styles of administrative management/leadership give mixed signals. In team environments
 each person is responsible for success. 
 In management, when WE walk the walk, the attitude is better. It’s an important effort for
 us. WE pitch in. 
 At Mohave Correctional we employ 600. They CANNOT bring cell phones into the facility.
 Doing so may result in termination. FB and twitter are blocked. 

Use of social media is situational. 


Some jobs the “look” is different. Example, Abercrombie & Fitch – flip flops and
jeans. They don’t understand why they can’t look the same in healthcare. 

Organizational issues 

 Majority of our hires are associate level. We have online courses and employees say, “Who’s
going to pay me to spend time on this?” They want to do it on work time. The more diverse your
skills, the more I can use you. They ask, “How much do you make? I want your job.” 
Customer Service – In Person, Human to Human Interaction
(*asterisks indicate multiple comments about the same topic)
 Relationship building* 

 Respect of self and others** (given and received) 

 It’s not JUST speaking, it’s INTERACTING. 


 One on one, one to room, a letter, email – all very different – complex. 
 I understand small business wanting employees to improve in standards because of the
CUSTOMER’s judgment of us through that employee. 

 Communication competency is huge – explanations to customers. 
 In testing/evaluating IT systems, Professionalism. They represent our company and first impression
is important. 

 Communication, personal interaction with customer. Walmart’s new hires are straight from HS. 

 Example, clerk in auto parts store talking on the phone while “serving” me. 
 Example, not answering the phone when talking to a customer. NOT interrupting someone talking on
 the phone. Customer service needs to be taught. 
 Example of customer service, a Chandler restaurant provides dark or light napkins to customers
 depending on the color of their clothing so that the lint from the napkins won’t show up. 

 Need to be able to have a normal conversation. 
 Now kids communicate in 140 characters or less. Students can do this. They have no idea how to
 TALK to a human being on a phone. 
 Example, An auto tech was laid off for lack of people skills, even though he was the MOST productive
 tech. 
 We are graded better as a store if sales assistants offer to help find an item outside the store when
not available in the store. This is not the younger gen looking for this. Younger clerks like to go
 online and do this. 
 We need them to be thinking about a JOB as part of something larger. Your job is to make sure
the customer is happy and the company profits. 

 Person to person skills – must be able to engage the customer. 

 It’s on the employer to shoot for EXEMPLARY to get at “good” customer service. 

 Technology vs. face-to-face, skills must be taught. 
 Need awareness that people are still purchasing IN PERSON. Need to mix skill sets – employability in
 a technical context. 
 A Gallup poll showed that employee engagement led to customer engagement which led to
profits for the firm. 
 Good customer service skills – regardless of all else – are universally important. 
11 May 24, 2011
Arizona Workplace Employability Skills Project 2010-2011
PRIORITIZATION OF THE SKILLS
The next step was to rank the skills in order of importance based on the survey data for “essential,”
“very important,” and “important” as is reflected in the following chart.
In addition to the original eleven skills, additional skills and topics were noted by participants in the
survey and reappeared with regularity in the tabulated focus notes. These skills were roughly defined
and prioritized to serve as a working document. The percentages in parentheses are for importance, as
indicated by the percent of employers who consider this skill important, very important or essential, and
frequency, as indicated by the percent of employers who said this skill is used daily in their workplaces.
Employability Skills Definitions (3/2011 Project Team Workshop)
Professionalism (Importance - 100%; Daily – 79%): Standards of behavior in the
workplace.Including traditionally recognized issues of: Appearance (dress/accessories, grooming);
Time Management (punctuality); Work Ethic (commitment to the goals of the organization);
Productivity (focus/time on task); Accountability (taking responsibility for getting the job done);
and Attitude (enthusiasm, willingness to learn). It also includes issues that are challenging the
traditional notion of professionalism as it affects the 21st Century workplace – such as Making
judgments that distinguish between business and personal behaviors; Managing intergenerational
communication, Business etiquette.
Initiative & Self-Direction [Importance -100%; Daily – 94%]: Controlling, guiding and
managingone’s own activities. Including traditionally recognized expectations related to Motivation
based on employer’s needs. It also includes issues that are challenging the traditional notion
of initiative as it affects the 21st Century workplace. These focus on current expectations that
employees develop ideas and contribute to the intellectual property of the company. Initiative
12 May 24, 2011
Arizona Workplace Employability Skills Project 2010-2011
and Self –Direction in this workplace includes: Exercising Judgment – when, where, how and
to what degree an individual needs to act alone or collaboratively; Exercising Leadership –
when, where, how and to what extent an individual takes a leadership role or chooses to serve
as a member of a team.
Collaboration [Importance – 100%; Daily – 79%]: Communicating, planning and implementing
workactivities cooperatively with others in person and/or through the affordances of technology.
This includes Recognizing one’s strengths and limits as an effective contributor to a team,
complementing the strengths of other team members to achieve common goals.
Exercising Cultural Competency (intergenerational/ethnic/gender), engaging in synergistic
activities honoring the contributions and drawing on the strengths of all team members.
Complex Communication [Importance – 94%; Daily – 93%]: Exercising competent use of
traditionalcommunication skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening) often through new technology in a
manner that demonstrates good judgment/sensitivity to various situations, audiences,
cultures (Includes Social Networking).
Creativity and Innovation [Importance – 93%; Daily – 58%]: Generating/developing new
ideas,associations, products, and processes. Using new technology to identify and solve problems in a
manner that reflects an understanding of the business culture and its needs.
Cultural Competency [Importance – 86%; Daily – 66%]: Communicating and interacting (work
onprojects/tasks) effectively with individuals and groups of cultures different from one’s own, to
achieve business/organizational mission, goals and objectives.
Legal and Ethical Practices [Importance – 94%; Daily – 85%]: Acting within the rules of conduct
ofbusiness. Adheres to social and business boundaries, laws and codes of behavior.
Flexibility/ Adaptability (Emerged): Contributing to organizational productivity by demonstrating
awillingness to adapt to changes in business operations and business culture. Demonstrating a willingness to
learn new skills and to apply them in multiple job capacities.
Financial Literacy (Emerged): Applying a knowledge of global and personal economics, as well as
arecognition of their relationship to each other, to a job.
Generational Culture (Emerged): Assimilating the values, protocols and behaviors that form thefoundation
of a specific employer (i.e. the business that employs them). Exercising appropriate judgment in terms of: the
relationship between work and reward, the use of technology and the distinction between leadership and
adherence to business rules.
Organizational Culture (Emerged): Assimilating oneself to a business environment by adhering to
thepractices a business has adopted to make it productive. Exercising curiosity about the values, mission,
decision-making structure and specific jobs that define a business.
In-Person, Human-to-Human Interaction – Customer Service (Emerged): Responding to the
needsof customers in a manner that demonstrates attentiveness, politeness and sensitivity.
Divergent and Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Decision Making (Expert Thinking)
[Importance – 96%; Daily – 87%]: Devising solutions to unanticipated job related issues. (I would placethe
remaining verbs- e.g. assessing, categorizing, recognizing limits- within the rubric for this skill.)
Social Networking for Business [Importance – 79%; Daily – 48%]: Employing social networking
skillsin a manner that supports business productivity and adheres to business ethics.
Visual Pattern-Based Thinking Involving Math/Quantitative Procedures (Computational
Thinking) [Importance – 88%; Daily – 72 %]: Discerning systems of relationships between both
spatialrenditions and organizational entities.
13 May 24, 2011
Arizona Workplace Employability Skills Project 2010-2011
Working Online in Geographically Distributed Teams [Importance – 60%; Daily – 29%]:
Planning,designing, manufacturing/developing products and services online with team members in different time
zones and of varying cultures.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE STANDARDS AS SKILL SETS
All of the aforementioned became part of the draft standards offered in this report. With some
reorganization of the concepts, nine standards resulted with a possible framework. The flow of dialogue
suggested a couple of ideas to the project team. First, that these skills are interconnected; they occur in
relationship to each other. Second, that certain skills are so fundamental as to be necessary for the
development of other skills. The team began to conceive of the skills as sets. The draft standard
statements reflect this perspective, with communication, collaboration, and thinking addressed as “Core
Human Interaction Skills in the New Workplace.” The set of skills indicated as “Developing the New
Worker” denote skills that the worker may develop in any work environment, while the “Redefining the
New Workplace” skill set is focused on skills that are developed with particular attention to an industry or
organization. The Draft Standards and the Conceptualization that follow are based on this framework.
Draft Standards Statements: Arizona’s New Workplace Skills
Core Human Interaction Skills in the New Workplace
1. Complex Communication: Employs complex communication skills in a manner that adds to
organizational productivity.
2. Collaboration: Collaborates, in person and virtually, to complete tasks aimed at
organizational goals.
3. Expert Thinking: Integrates a mastery of technical knowledge and skills with thinking
strategies to create, to innovate, and to devise solutions.
Developing the New Worker
4. Professionalism: Conducts oneself in a professional manner appropriate to organizational
expectations.
5. Initiative and Self-Direction: Exercises initiative and self-direction in the workplace.
6. Intergenerational and Cross-Cultural Competence: Interacts effectively with different
cultures and generations to achieve organizational mission, goals, and objectives.
Redefining the New Workplace
7. Organizational Culture: Functions effectively within an organizational culture.
8. Legal and Ethical Practices: Observes laws, rules, and ethical practices in the workplace.
9. Financial Practices: Applies knowledge of finances for the profitability and viability of the
organization.
DAFTAR PUSTAKA
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