Employability Skills: the demands of the workplace

The Employability Skills Profile (ESP) was developed in 1992 by the Conference Board of Canada in conjunction with leading business people and educators from across the country. Critical abilities that employers are looking for in Canada fall under Academic, Personal Management and Team Work Skills. There is widespread belief that having these skills increases the probability of career success. One rural and one suburban secondary school in eastern Ontario participated in a pre/post-research study. Twenty-four teachers completed questionnaires ranking the ESP on (1) their personal belief in the importance of the skills; and (2) the degree to which the skills were incorporated into their teaching practice. A training intervention on the ESP was conducted prior to the post measure and focus group interviews were held on each site. Results indicated that Personal Management Skills were ranked most important, followed by Academic Skills and Team Work Skills. Application to actual teaching indicated informal teaching of the skills when students 'absorbed' the skills through classroom policies and management practices. Recommendations deal with the need for more school and business collaboration.