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•Employabilityskillsareasetofbroadskills,includingcommunication,problem-solvingandteamwork.Theyare
regardedbyemployersasveryimportant—technicalskillsalonenolongersufficeforpeopleenteringandadvancingin
theworkplace.
•Anoperationaldefinitionof‘employabilityskills’isneededtoreduceindustryandVETpractitionerconfusion
associatedwiththeterm.Learnerswouldalsobenefitfromclarification.
•Themostsignificantdevelopmentsince2002istheembeddingofemployabilityskillsintotrainingpackages,although
disagreementremainsoverwhetheremployabilityskillsshouldbeembeddedatthequalificationorunitofcompetency
level.
•Teachersareuncertainabouthowtoteachandassessemployabilityskills.Professionaldevelopmentprogramscould
helptoensurethatteachersareequippedtoteachtheseskills.
•Consistencycontinuestobeanissueinassessingandreportingemployabilityskills.Appropriatemethodssuchas
integratedassessmentanddescriptivereportingarerequired.
NATIONALCENTREFORVOCATIONALEDUCATIONRESEARCH
AtaglanceEMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
KE
Y M
ESS
AG
ES
AUTHOR: BRIDGET WIBROW
2 EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
Inacompetitiveworkforceitisnotjusthavingtherightqualificationortechnicalskillsthatwilllandan
individualajob;itcouldverywellbetheirinterpersonalskills.Howsomeonecommunicatesisoftenthefirst
impressionanemployerhasofapossibleworker.Yet,itispreciselycommunicationskillsthatemployersfeel
applicantsaremostlacking(DepartmentofEducation,EmploymentandWorkplaceRelations2011).
Inlinewithmoderneconomies,workplacesareconstantlychangingandasaresultemployersarelookingfor
employeeswhoareadaptableandwhohaveskillsbeyondthetechnical(Maxwell2010).Forexample,asurvey
ofCEOsfoundthat33.1%ofemployersconsideremployabilityskillstobethemostimportantfactorwhen
employinggraduates,whereasonly19.2%ratedrelevantworkexperienceaboveemployabilityskills(Australian
IndustryGroup&Deloitte2009).
This At a glancebuildsonthematerialonemployabilityskills1intheearlierNCVERpublications,Defining
generic skills(NCVER2003a)andFostering generic skills in VET programs and workplaces(NCVER2003b),
anddrawsonthe2002EmployabilitySkillsFrameworkdevelopedbytheAustralianChamberofIndustryand
CommerceandtheBusinessCouncilofAustralia.Inadditiontoconsideringdevelopmentsintheareasof
teaching,assessingandreporting,thispaperlooksathowemployabilityskillsaredeliveredandexaminesthe
argumentsunderpinningeachoftheapproaches.
DEFINING EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
TheAustralianChamberofIndustryandCommerceandBusinessCouncilofAustraliadefineemployabilityskills
as‘skillsrequirednotonlytogainemployment,butalsotoprogresswithinanenterprisesoastoachieveone’s
potentialandcontributesuccessfullytoenterprisestrategicdirections’(2002,p.3).Theirframeworkidentifies
eightmainemployabilityskills.Theseare:
• communication
• teamwork
• problem-solving
• initiativeandenterprise
• planningandorganising
• self-management
• learning
• technology.
Despitealltheattentiontheseeightskillshavereceived,thereisstillnooperationaldefinitionthattrainers
canusewhendesigningcurriculaandassessmenttools.Thisdeficiencyleadstothissetofskillsbeingpoorly
understoodbyVETpractitioners(AustralianFlexibleLearningFramework2009),nottomentionlearners.
Althoughcalled‘employability’skills,theabilitiesencompassedbytheseskillshavebroaderapplication,being
relevanttoavarietyoftasksindailylife,education,thelabourmarket,socialnetworksandinterpersonal
relationships.Havingwell-developedemployabilityskillscanalsobeanadvantageinafluideconomicclimate
—theycanhelpindividualstoprosperandcopewithchange(Callan2003).Employabilityskillstendtorequire
ahighorderofmentalcomplexitysincetheyinvolveanactiveandreflectiveapproachtolife.Inthissense,
theyaremulti-dimensional,comprising‘know-how,analytical,culturalandcommunicationskills,andcommon
sense’(AllenConsultingGroup2006,p.12).
INTRODUCTION
1ThisAt a glancerefersto‘employabilityskills’,asitisthetermpreferredbyindustryandusedmostfrequentlyintheliterature.Othercommontermsincludegenericskills,keycompetencies,transferableskills,coreskillsandsoftskills.
AT A GLANCE 3
Box 1 Timeline
1985KarmelCommitteeQuality of education in Australia: report of the Review Committee, April 1985
•LookedatthequalityofeducationinAustralia•Studentsshouldbepreparedforbotheducationand employmentbyattainingskills
1991FinnReviewYoung people’s participation in post-compulsory education and training: report of the Australian Education Council Review Committee
•Lookedattheimportanceofyoungpeopledeveloping keycompetenciessothattheyhavebothspecificskills forthejobandflexibility•Needstronggroundingingenericskillsandtransferable skills
1992MayerCommitteeKey competencies: report of the committee to advise the Australian Education Council and Minsters of Vocational Education, Employment and Training on employment-related key competencies for post-compulsory education and training
•Developedasetofsevenkeycompetencies: – Collecting,analysingandorganisinginformation – Communicatingideasandinformation – Planningandorganisingactivities – Workingwithothersandinteams – Usingmathematicalideasandtechniques – Solvingproblems – Usingtechnology•Recommendedthreeperformanceindicatorlevels•Recommendedassessmentinmultiplecontexts•Recommendedreportingatindividualandaggregate levels•Keycompetenciesbegantobeincorporatedin competencystandards
1999AustralianIndustryGroupTraining to compete: the training needs of Australian industry: a report to the Australian Industry Group
•Lookedatthehardskillsandsoftskillsthatneedtobe developedpriortorecruitment
2002AustralianChamberofCommerceandIndustry&BusinessCouncilofAustraliaEmployability skills for the future
•Evaluatedprogressofkeycompetenciesinitiatives•Conductedanextensivereviewofothergenericskills schemes•Conductedtwosurveysofindustryandemployerviewsof requiredskills•Definedemployabilityskills•DevelopedEmployabilitySkillsFramework
2005NationalQualityCouncil •Providedendorsementofemployabilityskillsbeingmade explicitintrainingpackages•ReplacedKeyCompetencyFrameworkwiththe EmployabilitySkillsFramework
2007NationalQualityCouncil •Endorsedtheuseofdescriptivereporting•Employabilityskillssummariesfortrainingpackage qualificationstobemadeavailableoninternet
Source: Allen Consulting Group (2006); National Quality Council (2008); NCVER (2003a).
HISTORICAL TIMELINE
4 EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
TherearetwomainoptionsfortheformalintroductionofemployabilityskillsintoVETsectorprograms—either
embeddedintrainingpackagesorkeptseparatefromthetechnicalandvocationalskills.Thedisadvantageofa
separateapproachisthatlearnersmaynotseethevalueofemployabilityskillsiftheyareremovedfromtheir
industrycontext(Cleary,Flynn&Thomasson2006).Embeddingthemintrainingpackagesmeansthattheyare
integralandtailoredtotheindustry-endorsedcompetencies.Learnersbeingabletoseetherelevanceoftheskillsto
workplacesiscentraltotheirembracingthem.
TheNationalQualityCouncil’s2005endorsementforemployabilityskillstobemadeexplicitintrainingpackages
provokeddebateoverhowtheyshouldbeembedded.Therehadpreviouslybeensomecriticismaboutthewaythis
wasdone,withteachersinparticularscepticalaboutwhetherstudentswerereallygainingtheskillsneededtobe
employableinarangeofjobsindifferentindustries(Callan2003).TheAllenConsultingGroup(2004)hadargued
thatincorporatingemployabilityskillsconsistentlyacrosstrainingpackagescouldhelpeasethiscriticism,sincethey
woulddemonstratetherelevancetotheworkplace,whatevertheindustry.
InresponsetotheNationalQualityCouncil’sendorsement,Cleary,
FlynnandThomasson(2006)developedaresourceforindividuals
whoprovidetrainingandassessmentintheVETsector.Inthis
resource,theyrecommendtheuseofanemployabilityskills
statementandsummaryinalltrainingpackages.Sincethenthe
11industryskillscouncilshaveadoptedthisapproachasthey
reviewandreplaceexistingtrainingpackages.In2006theKey
CompetencyFrameworkwasreplacedbytheEmployabilitySkills
Frameworkandtheprovisionofemployabilityskillsstatements
andsummariesisnowstandardpractice,withthesummaries
individualisedtotheparticularindustry.Generally,undereach
qualificationtheemployabilityskillsandtheirfacetsarelisted
inanemployabilityskillssummary.Thefacets,whichmakeup
eachoftheskills,havebeenmodifiedtoreflecttheneedsof
theparticularqualification.TheNationalQualityCouncilhas
developedawebsitewhichcontainsthesummarypagesforeach
trainingpackage().
Box2providesanexampleofhowthecommunicationskills
neededfortheCertificateIinWorkPreparation(Community
Services)andtheCertificateIinActiveVolunteeringhavebeen
embeddedinthetrainingpackage.Box3showsthedifferencein
communicationskillsrequiredfortheCertificateIIIinCommunity
ServicesWorkandCertificateIIIinActiveVolunteering,compared
withthecertificateI.
EMBEDDING EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN TRAINING PACKAGES
What are employability skill statements and summaries?
TheDepartmentofEducation,EmploymentandWorkplaceRelations(2008a,2008b)hasreleasedguidelinesdescribingeachofthese.Thestatementprovidesanoverviewoftheemployabilityskillfacetsofaqualificationintermsofday-to-dayapplication,alsolistingtheskillsneededfortheoccupationsconcernedandcontainingexamplesoftheirapplication.Thesummarydescribestheemployabilityskillsrequirementsatthequalificationlevelandshouldbeconsistentacrosstrainingpackages.Italsoassiststrainersandassessorstoensurethattheyhaveincludedindustryexpectationsintheirlearningandassessmentstrategies.Theuseofemployabilityskillsstatementsandsummariescanhelptoprovideconsistencyinhowtheskillsareembeddedintotrainingpackages.
AT A GLANCE 5
Box 2 Example of an employability skill embedded into the CHC08 Community Services Training Package:certificateIlevel
EMPLOYABILITYSKILLS
FACETS ADDRESSED: Industry/enterprise requirementsforthisqualificationincludethefollowing facets:
Communication
1.Listeningtoandunderstandingwork instructions, directions and feedback
2.Speakingclearly/directlyto relay information
3.Readingandinterpretingworkplacerelated documentation,such as safety requirements and work instructions
4.Writingtoaddressaudienceneeds,such as work notes and reports
5.Interpretingtheneedsofinternal/externalclientsfrom clear information
6.Applyingbasicnumeracyskillstoworkplace requirementsinvolving measuring and counting
7.Establishingandusingnetworks
8.Sharinginformation(e.g. with other staff)
9.Negotiatingresponsively(e.g. re own work role and/or conditions, possibly with clients)
10.Persuadingeffectively
11.Beingappropriatelyassertive(eg. in relation to safe or ethical work practices and own work role)
12.Empathising(e.g. in relation to others)
Note: If a facet is not needed, then it has a line through it or, if additional words are required, then they are inserted in bold italics.
Source: Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council (2009, p.3).
Box 3 Example of an employability skill embedded into the CHC08 Community Services Training Package:certificateIIIlevel
EMPLOYABILITYSKILLS
FACETS ADDRESSED: Industry/enterprise requirementsforthisqualificationincludethefollowing facets:
Communication
1.Listeningtoandunderstandingwork instructions, directions and feedback
2.Speakingclearly/directlyto relay information
3.Readingandinterpretingworkplacerelated documentation,such as safety requirements and work instructions
4.Writingtoaddressaudienceneeds,such as work notes and reports
5.Interpretingtheneedsofinternal/externalclientsfrom clear information
6.Applyingbasicnumeracyskillstoworkplace requirementsinvolving measuring and counting
7.Establishingandusingnetworks
8.Sharinginformation(e.g. with other staff)
9.Negotiatingresponsively(e.g. re own work role and/or conditions, possibly with clients)
10.Persuadingeffectively
11.Beingappropriatelyassertive(eg. in relation to safe or ethical work practices and own work role)
12.Empathising(e.g. in relation to others)
Note: If a facet is not needed, then it has a line through it or, if additional words are required, then they are inserted in bold italics.
Source: Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council (2009, p.8).
6 EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
Differencesremainaboutthebestwaytoincorporateemployabilityskillsintotrainingpackagesbutembedding
thematthequalificationlevelistheoptionfavouredbytheindustryskillscouncils.AsCleary,Flynnand
Thomasson(2006)suggest,thisoptionenablesassessmentofanindividual’sunderlyingknowledgeatagiven
leveltoensuretheyhavetheappropriateskillsbeforeproceedingtoahigherqualificationlevelorajob.
Othercommentators,suchastheAllenConsultingGroup(2006)andCushnahan(2009),arguethat
employabilityskillsshouldbeembeddedattheunitofcompetencylevelintrainingpackages,asthisisthe
levelatwhichtrainersteachandassess.Thisapproachmaymeanadditionalworkfortrainersandassessors
astheywillbeassessingbothemployabilityandtechnicalskills.Theonuswouldbeontrainingpackage
developerstoensuretheseskillsarewrittencoherentlyandcomprehensivelyintotrainingpackages.An
alternativeoptionmightbeacompositemodelwhichdescribesallemployabilityskillsatthequalificationlevel
andembedsindividualemployabilityskillsinspecificmodules.
Therearethreeimportantissuestoconsiderwhenlookingathowemployabilityskillsaretaught.Theseare
howwelltheyareunderstoodbyteachers,theimpactthishasonstudents,andwhetherthereisarolefor
employers.
VETteachersoftenbeginteachingafterhavingworkedinaparticularindustry;yet,theseteachersarealso
expectedtoteachemployabilityskillstolearners,anditisinferredthattheyalreadypossesstheskillsand
knowledgetoteachthem.TheminimumqualificationthesedaysforVETteachersistheCertificateIVin
TrainingandEducation.Itspredecessors,theCertificateIVinAssessmentandWorkplaceTrainingandthe
CertificateIVinTrainingandAssessmenthavebeencriticisedfortheirinadequaciesintheareaofemployability
skills(Clayton2010;Cushnahan2009;Smith2010;Virgonaetal.2003).Itislikelythereforethatteacherswith
thesequalificationsmaynotpossesstheknowledgeorunderstandingrequiredtoteachemployabilityskills(see
Box4foracasestudyoftradeteachers).
Butwhataboutthenewminimumqualification?Itisyettobedeterminedwhetherthisissuehasbeen
appropriatelyaddressedintheCertificateIVinTrainingandEducation,butearlyreviewssuggestthatthebasic
contentofthecertificateisthesame(Forward2010),whichmeansthatemployabilityskillsandtheirteaching
willcontinuetopresentaproblem.Havingcurrentknowledgeofemployabilityskillsappearstobeatissue,and
maybeovercomebytheprovisionofprofessionaldevelopmentprogramsforteachersthatfocusonthenature
ofemployabilityskills,theirroleinthecurriculumandtheirassessment.
TheAustralianFlexibleLearningFramework(2009)suggeststhatteachersneedtointroduceemployability
skillsinastructuredwaytodemonstratetherelationshipbetweentheseskillsandtheirchosenfieldto
learners;theyfurtherrecommendkeepingdiscussionsaboutemployabilityskillstiedspecificallytoworktasks.
Unlesslearnersareabletorecognisetheimportanceofcommunication,problem-solving,planningskillsetc.to
findingajob,navigatingaroundthejobmarketandbasicallybeing‘employable’,theymayfocusonacquiring
onlythetechnicalskillstheyseeasrelevanttotheirchosenfield.
Involvingemployersintrainingisonewaytohelpteacherstobetterunderstandemployabilityskillsandtheirlinks
totheworkplace.Someoftheseskillsareeasiertolearnonthejobandemployersareideallyplacedto
providetheopportunityforlearnerstopractiseinaworkenvironment.Inthiswaylearnerswillrapidlyrecognise
theimportanceofbothsetsofskillstotheworkplace.Theresultislikelytobebetter-equippedgraduates,who
understandthatthesearetheskillsthatemployerstakeseriouslywhenassessingcandidatesforjobs.
TEACHING EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
AT A GLANCE 7
Box 4 Case study: trade teachers and teaching employability skills
InherpaperBeyond Mayer: learning from delivering and assessing generic employability competencies,MaryCushnahan(2009)exploredhowtrainersunderstandemployabilityskillsandhowtheyapproachthedeliveryandassessmentoftheseskills.CushnahaninvestigatedtheseissuesthroughinterviewsoftradeteacherswhohadcompletedtheCertificateIVinTrainingandAssessmentandthetrainerswhoteachthecertificate.
Cushnahan’sfindingsindicatedthattradeteacherswhoundertooktheCertificateIVinTrainingandAssessmentfeltthatemployabilityskillswereonlybrieflycoveredinthecourseandconsequentlytheywereunsureoftheirnatureandtheirrole.Thisuncertaintyledtoteachersbeingreluctanttoprovidetrainingandundertakeassessmentsontheseelements,whichinturnledtoemployabilityskillsbeingsidelined.
Cushnahanfoundthatthetrainerswhoteachthecertificatethemselvesneededgreaterclarityaboutthescopeandcontentofemployabilityskills,asituationthatsuggeststheneedforprofessionaldevelopmentforbothteachersandtrainers.
Source: Cushnahan (2009).
InresponsetotheNationalQualityCouncil’sendorsement,theAllenConsultingGroup(2006)analysedvarious
alternativestoembeddingemployabilityskillsintotrainingpackages.IntheirreporttothethenDepartment
ofEducation,ScienceandTrainingtheysuggestedfiveoptionswiththeirdefiningcharacteristicsforassessing
employabilityskills.Theseareshowninbox5.
Box 5 Forms of assessment
Generic•Reliesonthesubjectivejudgmentsoftrainersonalearner’semployabilityskills.•Areindependentofthetechnicalskillsinanunitofcompetency.•Lackcontextualisationtoindustry.•Assessmentmethodislessapplicableoutsidetheclassroomenvironment.
Standardised•Isanobjectiveformofassessmentthatinvolvestheuseofaspecial-purposestandardisedinstrument.•Iscomparableacrossindividuals.•Canbeexpensivetoimplementandmaintain.•Maynotconveytheimportanceofemployabilityskillstolearners.•Doesnotprovidecontextualinformationforindustry.
Integrated•Iscombinedwiththeassessmentoftechnicalskills.•Providesindustrycontextualisation.•Showsrelevanceofemployabilityskillstolearners.•Needsinputfromindustryindescribingwhatemployabilityskillsareneededforparticularqualifications.•Employabilityskillswillneedtobeembeddedintrainingpackages.
Graded•Scoreslearnersontheiremployabilityskillswithagradeofperformance.•Demonstratesthehighvalueofemployabilityskillstolearners.•Worksbestwithemployabilityskillsembeddedintrainingpackages.•Makeslittlesensetogradeemployabilityskillsastechnicalskillsarenotgraded.
Validated self-assessment•Collectevidenceforlearnersofemployabilityskillslearntandhaveevidencevalidatedbytheregisteredtraining organisation.•Creatingaportfoliowilldevelopthelearner’sawarenessofemployabilityskills.•Demonstratesthevalueofemployabilityskillstolearners.•Notcomparableacrossstudentsorinstitutions.
Source: Allen Consulting Group (2006).
ASSESSING EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
8 EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
Comparisonofthevariousoptionssuggeststhatintegratedassessmentistheidealapproachfortworeasons:
individualscouldbecomparedandtherelevanceofemployabilityskillswouldbeobvioustolearners,asthey
areassessedincombinationwithtechnicalskills.TheAllenConsultingGroup(2006)recommendthisapproach.
Whenassessedaccordingtotheircriteriaof:valuetolearnersandemployers,trainingdelivery,easeof
implementation,andvalidity,flexibilityandreliability,thiswasthebestperformer.
However,employabilityskillsarenottheeasiesttoassess,assomerelatetoattitudesandarenotdirectly
observable.Herebehaviourhastobeusedasaproxyforattitude,andcompetenceisbasedonthelearner’s
performanceofthisbehaviour(Virgonaetal.2003).Competencyinemployabilityskillsshouldbeassessed
accordingtothecriteria,knowledgeandskillsdescribedintheunitofcompetency(AllenConsultingGroup
2006;Cleary,Flynn&Thomasson2006).Thereforehowemployabilityskillsarewrittenintoatrainingpackage
willaffecthowtheyareassessed.
Anotherissuewithassessingemployabilityskillsisdeterminingwhoshoulddecideontheassessmentmethod.
Forassessmenttobenefitthelearner,ithastoberelatedtotheworkenvironment.Whoeverhasthefinal
sayontheassessmentmethodneedstohaveanunderstandingofhowtheseskillstranslatetotheworkplace.
Industry,theregisteredtrainingorganisationorteacher—eachpotentiallyhasaroletoplay.Astheeventual
employeroflearners,industryshouldbeinvolvedintheexplicitspecificationoftheassessmentcomponent,
whichwouldinvolveidentifyingrisks(forexample,isitahigh-riskenvironment?),whetherassessmentshould
bedoneonthejob,theskillsneededandhowtheskillswillbedemonstrated(thatis,theconditionsandtime
allowedetc.).Theapproachtoassessmentshouldbeconsistentacrossindustry,trainingorganisationsand
teachers.
Ifthegoalisconsistencyacrosstrainingpackages,thentheassessmentmethodshouldbedecidedbyindustry,
butifthegoalisindividualisedassessmenttailoredtoworkplacesorstudents,thentheassessmentmethod
shouldbedeterminedbytheregisteredtrainingorganisations.Asfarasteachersareconcerned,greatvariance
inassessmentmethodsispossibleacrossindividualteachersteachingthesameunitofcompetency.However,
suchanomaliescanbeavoidedwitharangestatementandanevidenceguidethatdealspecificallywith
employabilityskills.Acombinedapproach,wherebytheindustrydeterminesasetofassessmentstandards
butwhicharetailoredbytrainingorganisationstoclientneeds,couldprovidetheconsistencyandflexibility
demandedoftheVETsector.Otherfactorsinfluencingthechoiceofassessmentincludethelocationofthe
settingandthequalificationlevel.Aswellasthis,successfulassessmentofemployabilityskillsshouldinclude
acleardefinition,explicitinformationforstudents,acknowledgmentofthestudent’ssignificantrolein
assessment,andgoodguidelinesforassessors(AllenConsultingGroup2004).Goodassessmentshouldalso
providefeedbackandnotbeonerous(AllenConsultingGroup2004).
AT A GLANCE 9
Inadditiontohavingtheabilitytoeffectivelycommunicatetheirskillsinajobintervieworapplication,being
abletoreporttheemployabilityskillstheyhavelearntisimportantforlearnerswhentheybecomejobseekers.
Andforemployers,reportingcanimprovetheirunderstandingoftheemployabilityskillsdeliveredintraining
packagesandassistinrecruitmentdecisions.TheAustralianJobs2011reportpointsoutthatemployersrelyon
employabilityskillswhenchoosingbetweensuitablecandidates,particularlywhenthereisalargenumberof
applicantsforaposition(DepartmentofEducation,EmploymentandWorkplaceRelations2011).
Therearefourmainoptionsforreportingemployabilityskills,wherebyinformationontheindividualandthe
trainingdeliveredisprovided.Thesearedescribedinbox6.
Box 6 Forms of reporting
‘Competent’ or ‘not yet competent’•Indicateswhetheralearnerhasachievedcompetenceforeachemployabilityskill.•Doesnotprovideanyindicationoftheextenttowhichtheyarecompetent.•Doesnotenhancelearner’sknowledgeoftheemployabilityskillstheyhaveobtained.•IstheapproachusedelsewhereinVET.
Levels of competency•Providesdifferentperformancelevelsforeachoftheemployabilityskills.•Indicatesthehighestlevelthatthelearnerhasachieved.•Couldbemistakenasaformofgrading.
Descriptive•Usesshortsentencestodescribethenatureofemployabilityskillsdeveloped.•Textcouldbetakenfromtheemployabilityskillssummaryinthetrainingpackage.•Providescontextforthelearnerandemployer.•Couldbedifficultforreportingonlearnersonlyundertakingaunitofcompetency.
Portfolios•Providesevidenceoftheskillsacquiredfromtraining.•Wouldbeuptothestudenttomaintain.•Canbeusedtodemonstrateemployabilityskillstoemployers.•Isbasedonthepremisethatthelearnerisbestplacedtoidentifytheemployabilityskillstheyhavedeveloped.
Source: Allen Consulting Group (2006).
DescriptivereportingistheNationalQualityCouncil’s(2008)preferredoption,asitprovidesasummaryofthe
employabilityskillsattained.TheAllenConsultingGroup(2006),ontheotherhand,recommendsanapproach
thatcombinesdescriptivereportingwithportfolios.Theyarguedthatdescriptivereportingperformedbeston
theircriteriaofvaluetolearners,employers,andtrainingdeliveryaswellaseaseofimplementation,while
portfolioswouldprovideinformationtoemployersontheemployabilityskillsdevelopedbythestudent.Since
2006theuseofportfolioshasbecomethenormandin2009theywerealsoendorsedbytheAustralianFlexible
LearningFramework(2009).Box7providesanexampleofaskillsportfolioreportingemployabilityskills.
REPORTING EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
10 EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
Box 7 Example of communication skills in a skills portfolio
Source: Queensland University of Technology.
Asfarastheadvanceofemployabilityskillsisconcerned,themostsignificantdevelopmentsince2002has
beentheNationalQualityCouncil’sendorsementoftheirintegrationintotrainingpackages;asanessential
componentoftrainingpackages,theseskillsbecomerecognisedasimportanttogettingajob.Theirintegration
intotrainingpackagesalsosignalledthatteacherswouldhavetoteachthem—andthatlearnerswouldhaveto
takethemseriously.
Thekeychallengesaheadlieinensuringthatteachersareequippedtoteachtheseskillsandthatappropriate
andconsistentmethodsofassessingandreportingareavailableandutilised.Improvingtheabilityofteachers
toeffectivelyteachemployabilityskillswillhaveaconcomitanteffectonlearners:theircapacitytoengage
withthenotionofemployabilityskillsandtotransferwhattheyhavelearntduringtrainingtotheirfuture
employmentwillbegreatlyexpanded.Theissueofconsistencyinreportingandassessmentstandardsacross
trainingpackagesrequiresdirectindustryaction—perhapsthroughindustryskillscouncils.Finally,tofurther
advancethecrucialpositionofemployabilityskillsintoday’strainingarenademandsanoperationaldefinition
ofemployabilityskills,onethatcanbeusedwithequalunderstandingbyindustryandpractitioners.
CONCLUSION
AT A GLANCE 11
InattemptingtoaddresssomeoftheissuesraisedinthisAt a glance,theDepartmentofEducation,
EmploymentandWorkplaceRelationshas,aspartoftheNationalFoundationSkillsStrategy,begun
developmentofanemployabilityskillsframework.TheaimoftheSkillsStrategyistoaddressstructuralissues
withinthenationaltrainingsystemtoimprovefoundationskills.Thisprojectisdueforcompletionmid-2012,
afterwhichtheframeworkwillbeimplemented.Itishopedthatthisframeworkwillbesuccessfulinsetting
consistentstandards,atthesametimeassistingteacherstoimprovetheirknowledgeandunderstandingof
theseskills,fortheultimatebenefitofthenextgenerationoflearners.
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AustralianChamberofCommerceandIndustry&BusinessCouncilofAustralia2002, Employability skills for the future,DepartmentofEducation,ScienceandTraining,Canberra.
AustralianFlexibleLearningFramework2009,The impact of e-learning on employability skills development,DepartmentofEducation,EmploymentandWorkplaceRelations,Canberra.
AustralianIndustryGroup&Deloitte2009,National CEO survey — Skilling business in tough times,AustralianIndustryGroup,Sydney.
Callan,VJ2003,Generic skills: understanding vocational education and training teacher and student attitudes,NCVER,Adelaide.
Clayton,B2010,‘TrainingtheVETworkforce:arewesucceedingorfailing?’presentedatNCVERResearchonToast,23June2010,Adelaide.
Cleary,M,Flynn,R&Thomasson,S2006,Employability skills from framework to practice: an introductory guide for trainers and assessors,DepartmentofEducation,ScienceandTraining,Canberra.
Cushnahan,M2009,Beyond Mayer: learning from delivering and assessing generic employability competencies,NCVER,Adelaide.
DepartmentofEducation,EmploymentandWorkplaceRelations2008a,ES tool 8: Example employability skills statement,DepartmentofEducation,EmploymentandWorkplaceRelations,Canberra.
——2008b,ES tool 9: developing an employability skills summary,DepartmentofEducation,EmploymentandWorkplaceRelations,Canberra.
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Maxwell,S2010,Using rubrics to support graded assessment in a competency-based environment,NCVER,Adelaide.
NationalQualityCouncil2008,‘Transitiontonewarrangementsforreportingonemployabilityskills’,officialcommuniqué,NationalQualityCouncil,Melbourne.
NCVER(NationalCentreforVocationalEducationResearch)2003a,Defining generic skills: at a glance,NCVER,Adelaide.
——2003b,Fostering generic skills in VET programs and workplaces: at a glance,NCVER,Adelaide.
QueenslandUniversityofTechnology,Sample ePortfolio tour,Queensland,viewed6July2011,.
Smith,E2010,‘Employabilityskills’,inInternational encyclopedia of education: volume 8,ed.PPeterson,EBaker&BMcGaw,Elsevier,Oxford.
Virgona,C,Waterhouse,P,Sefton,R,&Sanguinetti,J2003,Making experience work: generic skills through the eyes of displaced workers — volume 1,NCVER,Adelaide.
© Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
ThisworkhasbeenproducedbytheNationalCentreforVocationalEducationResearch(NCVER)undertheNationalVocationalEducationandTrainingResearchandEvaluation(NVETRE)Program,whichiscoordinatedandmanagedbyNCVER,onbehalfoftheAustralianGovernmentandstateandterritorygovernments.FundingisprovidedthroughtheDepartmentofEducation,EmploymentandWorkplaceRelations.
TheNVETREprogramisbaseduponprioritiesapprovedbyministerswithresponsibilityforvocationaleducationandtraining(VET).ThisresearchaimstoimprovepolicyandpracticeintheVETsector.ForfurtherinformationabouttheprogramgototheNCVERwebsite.
ApartfromanyusepermittedundertheCopyright Act 1968,nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedbyanyprocesswithoutwrittenpermission.RequestsshouldbemadetoNCVER.
Theviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisdocumentarethoseoftheauthor/projectteamanddonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsoftheAustralianGovernmentorstateandterritorygovernments.
Anat a glanceisasynthesisofresearchfocusedonaparticulartopicofinterest,drawingoninformationfromvarioussources.
ISBN 9781921955297 webedition
ISBN 9781921955303 printedition
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