Building Essential Skills
Why do you need to build skills?
Employers and universities are increasingly interested in the skills a young person brings to a workplace, alongside their qualifications. In fact, research shows that higher level skills can help young people to learn more successfully in class, build their social and emotional wellbeing, and land better paid jobs in the future!
What are the essential skills?
There are eight skills that have been identified by schools and employers as being essential to almost any job.
Communication
Listening Receiving, retaining and processing information
Speaking Transmitting information or ideas
Creative Problem Solving
Problem Solving Finding solutions to challenges
Creativity Using imagination and generating new ideas
Self-management
Adapting Overcoming challenges and setbacks to achieve goals
Planning Setting goals and designing routes to achieve them
Collaboration
Leadership Supporting, encouraging and developing others to achieve a shared goal
Teamwork Working cooperatively with others to achieve a shared goal
How can you use Careerpilot to explore the essential skills?
Think about where you have opportunities to build and practice these skills in school or in your own time. Do you take part in any group activities such as sports, drama or youth groups? Do you have a part time job or do babysitting? Do you have caring duties or volunteer in your local community? These are all great ways you can demonstrate the skills needed to communicate and work effectively with others.
Start by completing the Careerpilot Skills Profile and see what skills you already have used through the activities you have done in your life, learning and maybe your work. Add other activities you have taken part in to build your Skills Profile. When you are ready to apply for work experience, a job/course or when writing your personal statement, use the examples you have been building in the Skills Profile to help you to talk confidently about your skill strengths.
Access the Careerpilot Skills Profile here.
Improve your skills with Lifepilot
Careerpilot's sister site Lifepilot has a useful section on how to improve your skills for higher study and employment. There are lots of tips and tasks you can do including, presentation skills, essay writing, interviews and research skills.
Using Skills Builder to develop your essential skills further.
The Skills Builder Framework breaks each of the eight essential skills down into individual steps that you can build and develop over time.
Explore which skills steps are current strengths and which steps are areas for improvement with the Skills Builder Benchmark online self-assessment tool and then develop your skills further by using the Skills Builder Launchpad online learning resources.
