DETERMINED TO SUCCEED - A REVIEW OF ENTERPRISE IN EDUCATION: EVIDENCE REPORT
ANNEXE 8 CBI SCOTLAND (Extract from submission to Review)
"The Employability Template
There are 250,000 businesses in Scotland. Each looks for something slightly different in its employees and hence from education. Differing lists of what employers seek are contained in documents by the Scottish Executive and other education bodies. Education for Work: Education Industry Links in Scotland - A National Framework is possibly the most quoted and best known of these documents. However, its penetration amongst employers is shallow, and it might benefit from some revision in the light of changes in the workplace and to the education-business partnership landscape.
It would be valuable to generate broad agreement around one set of employability characteristics. In 2000, the CBI produced a 'template' following a 12-month, UK-wide exercise to distil what employers see as the key qualities and competences which make up employability. In this context, employability means:
the possession by an individual of the qualities and competences required to meet the changing needs of employers and customers and thereby help to realise his or her aspirations in the world of work
In preparation of this paper, representatives of the other business organisations who work with CBI Scotland on the Enterprise Insight programme (Scottish Chambers and IOD Scotland) and a sample of CBI Scotland members were asked to comment on the relevance of the template today and how it may alter in the future. The overwhelming view was that the template was still seen as broadly valid, although some respondents suggested the possible addition of 'flexibility' to the existing list. In future, the template is expected to remain relevant, with increasing emphasis on some aspects such as customer service skills (where the customer is both external and internal to the business) and ICT skills."
CBI Scotland, January 2002
The Employability Template
Core qualities and competences that make up employability:
- Positive attitudes compatible with work opportunities such as a desire to learn, to apply that learning, to improve and take advantage of change and to make a difference
- Values such as honesty and personal integrity
- The basic skills of literacy and basic numeracy
- The defined core skills of communication, numeracy, ICT, working with others and problem solving
- Customer service skills
- Relevant job specific skills and knowledge
- The ability to manage one's own learning and career