Soft Skills in relation to Employability Skills as Survival Skills:

“To Meet the Challenges of Tomorrow”

Manish Sharma

M. Pharm, Ist Sem.,

Pharmaceutical Management & Regulatory Affairs (PMRA)

1

Agenda

Introduction

Soft Skills

Employability

Employability Skills

Employability Skills Map

Skill Gap

Strategies to fill the Gap

Approaches towards practice

Conclusion

2

Introduction

• We can not survive longer with food lacking of

nutrients similarly employees can not survive

longer on his job without the employability

skills.

• The level of skills demanded by employers had

increased, mainly because:

a) higher levels of technology,

b) increasing competition, and

c) increasing concerns about quality of

products.

3

Soft Skills

• Soft skills is relating to a person's "EQ"

(Emotional Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of

personality traits, social graces,

communication, language, personal habits,

friendliness, and optimism that characterize

relationships with other people.

• soft skills relate to a person's ability to interact

effectively with coworkers and customers and

are broadly applicable both in and outside the

workplace.

• Thus the soft skills become complementary to

employability skills.

4

Employability

Employability is about work and the

ability to be employed, such as:

The ability to gain initial employment;

The ability to maintain employment

and make ‘transitions’ between jobs

and roles within the same organization

to meet new job requirements, and

The ability to obtain new employment

if required, i.e. to be independent in

the labor market by being willing and

able to manage their own employment

transitions between and within

organizations.

5

Employability

• A set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes

that make an individual more likely to secure and be

successful in their chosen occupation(s) to the

benefit of themselves, the workforce, the community

and the economy.

• Employability goes well beyond the simplistic notion

of key skills, and is evidenced in the application of a

mix of personal qualities and beliefs,

understandings, skilful practices and the ability to

reflect productively on experience.

6

Employability Skills

“A set of achievements, understandings and

personal attributes that make individuals more likely

to gain employment and to be successful in their

chosen occupations”.

7

Employability Skills Map Key Competencies Employability Skills

Communicate Ideas & Information Communication

Work with others & in teams Teamwork

Solve Problems Problem solving

Use Technology Technology

Collect, Analyse & Organise Information Planning and Organising

Adaptation, Identifying opportunities,

Generating options; and Initiating

innovative solutions.

Initiative and Enterprise

Plan & Organise activities Self-management

Willing to learn in any setting – on and

off the job. Learning

Use Mathematical Techniques & Ideas Contained within descriptions of several of

other Employability Skills 8

Skill Gap

• The difference between the skills needed on the job and

those possessed by applicants, are called as the skills-gap.

• Skill gap is of real concern to human resource managers

and business owners looking to hire competent

employees.

• Employers need reliable, responsible workers who can

solve problems and who have the social skills and

attitudes to work together with other workers.

• The problem is that technology is changing everyday but

the study is remaining the same. Students get more

theoretical knowledge and less practical application.

9

Skill Gap

• Failure to equip young people with the job

readiness skills critical to job success is

equivalent to placing employability barriers

in their path. Thus employability becomes

visible when graduates demonstrate the

ability to adapt and contribute productively

to the work environment.

10

Strategies to fill the Gap

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Through academic study

Students need to become aware that the learning process

they go through during higher education has value in other

contexts. Writing a dissertation, for example, involves using

the skills of research, analysis and time management, as

well as overall planning and project management. Similarly,

many students have to make presentations throughout their

academic career - a valuable skill in many work situations.

There might also be other contexts (for example, discussion

and seminar/tutorial groups related to a student’s course)

which would provide opportunities for developing a range

of employability skills, and these opportunities should be

highlighted to students.

Strategies to fill the Gap

12

Through work experience

Vacation work and industrial placements provide an ideal

opportunity to develop useful skills. Language students

on their year abroad should be encouraged to reflect upon

employability skills developed or enhanced, eg showing

initiative, demonstrating resilience, learning in depth

about another culture.

Approaches towards practice

13

The “TRICK” to employability skills

Truthfulness

Not doing anything illegal

Telling the truth / being honest

Reliability

Showing up and being on time

Integrity

Doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do.

Communication Skills

Written, verbal, image

sKills

What can we do?

Conclusion

14

“To be employed is to be at risk,

to be employable is to be secure.” Mere academic abilities alone will not be adequate. What

is essential is something beyond academic domain

such as communication skills, problem solving skills,

communication skills which are known as employability

skills. When applicants possess these skills then it

becomes easier for employers to train other technical

skills easily, both educational institutions and industry

should work together for enhancing employability skills

as it is rightly said that you need to clap with both

hands to get the results.

THANKS