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Topic10JobsandSkillsfortheFuture11.pptxWork in a Global Society
Week 10 Jobs and Skills for the Future: Coming to know your skills in competitive labour markets
Objectives:
Discuss the research around skills of the future
Introduce the concepts of technical and non-technical skills.
Discuss the types of skills that employers say they are looking for.
Identify some of the most relevant non-technical skills among business graduates.
Discuss the debates about personal attributes and ‘soft skills’
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What are the skills needed in the future?
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A large body of research suggests critical thinking, written communication,
problem-solving, the capacity to learn new ideas quickly (and critically),
science, technology, engineering and mathematical (STEM) skills will be the most needed
(Source: Foundation for Young Australians, 2017)
What are the skills needed in the future?
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(Source OECD, 2013)
The demand for certain types of skills is changing……..
Digital skills
With the advancement in rapid technological and computer-centred change, workplaces are expecting increased digital knowledge and skills.
What are digital skills?
“digital skills are a combination of digital (hardware, software, information, systems, security and innovation) mindset, knowledge (theoretical comprehension and understanding), competence (cognitive and practical know how) and attitude (value and beliefs) that workers need to master and demonstrate. This definition encompasses hard technical skills needed to operate digital devices, software and systems; cognitive skills to work in an increasingly data and information intensive environment covering a wide variety of information and data sources and types; ethical skills pertaining to security and strategic skills to trouble shoot and resolve work related problems in the digital environment” (Gekara, Molla, Snell, Karanasios and Thomas, 2017: 10-11).
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Eight Digital Skills Needed for Future Jobs
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Source: World Economic Forum, 2016)
What about management skills?
“Management in the future of work won’t be someone watching over your shoulder to make sure you are working, or giving you tasks to complete, one at a time. The employees of the future are going to have to motivate and drive themselves to succeed - a common quality among entrepreneurs” (Foundation for Young Australians, 2017: 18).
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(Source: Foundation for Young Australians, 2017)
Management Skills
Team building
Communication (listening)
Time management
Learning to lead
Motivation
Decision making
Ethical and value related skills
Integrity and trust
Empathy
Setting and achieving objectives
Self-motivation
Creativity
Innovation
Self-motivation
Interpersonal skills
Confidence
Ability to identify needs
Ability to manage diversity
Attention to detail
Self-control and patience
Report writing and functional/technical skills including digital skills
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Question: How many of these skills can be performed by a robot?
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| Attribute | % of respondents |
| Leadership | 80.1% |
| Ability to work in a team | 78.9% |
| Communication skills (written) | 70.2% |
| Problem-solving skills | 70.2% |
| Communication skills (verbal) | 68.9% |
| Strong work ethic | 68.9% |
| Initiative | 65.8% |
| Analytical/quantitative skills | 62.7% |
| Flexibility/adaptability | 60.9% |
| Technical skills | 59.6% |
| Interpersonal skills (relates well to others) | 58.4% |
| Computer skills | 55.3% |
| Detail-oriented | 52.8% |
| Organizational ability | 48.4% |
| Friendly/outgoing personality | 35.4% |
| Strategic planning skills | 26.7% |
| Creativity | 23.6% |
| Tactfulness | 20.5% |
| Entrepreneurial skills/risk-taker | 18.6% |
What do employers say they look for on a candidates resume?
From a US study conducted by National Association of Colleges and Employers: Job Outlook 2016
What are employers looking for
To differentiate between applicants, employers identify the core skills or competencies a person must have to fulfil the role. These usually include:
Qualifications and experience
Technical skills
Generic skills (non-technical skills)
Personal attributes (‘soft skills’)
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Types of skills
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Source: Snell, Gekara and Gatt, 2016
Technical skills
A skill that is required for the accomplishment of a specific task or performing in a specific occupation.
Production worker: diagnose and repair mechanical faults
Nurse: how to administer medication
Accountant: use of specialist software for certain calculations
IT: computer coding skills
Management: data analysis, understanding of specialist organisational systems (e.g. HR management systems), policies and procedures.
RMIT University 2015
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Generic skills
Skills that can be applied across a variety of jobs, occupations and other social contexts.
Also referred to as: key skills, core skills, essential skills, key competencies, necessary skills, employability skills and transferable skills.
Transferable skills: those skills that can be adapted to different jobs, occupations and industry settings and used for cross-occupational mobility.
“All workers possess transferable skills to some degree but their awareness and understanding of these skills varies considerably, which limits their ability to see how these skills can be applied to different occupational contexts” (Snell, Gekara and Gatt, 2016: 7).
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In Australia ‘transferable skills’ are often referred to as ‘employability skills’
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Foundation for Young Australians, 2016)
Transferable skills assist
with occupational mobility
Why is it important to know your transferable skills?
Consider a recent auto worker who has lost their job because the industry has shutdown. Where will they find their next job?
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Source: Snell and Gekara, 2016
Generic, non-technical skills
“Identifying relevant non-technical competencies, frequently termed as generic, professional or core skills, in business graduates is vital for economic prosperity” (Jackson and Chapman, 2012: 112).
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Generic/Transferable Skills: Communication Skills
• Listening, understanding and speaking clearly
• Writing appropriately for different audiences
• Persuading & negotiating effectively
• Demonstrating empathy, assertiveness & tact
• Understanding the needs of customers/clients
• Establishing relationships & using networks
• Sharing information & proposing ideas
• Fluency in English & other languages
• Logically summarising information or data
• Chairing a meeting
RMIT University 2015
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Generic/Transferable Skills: Teamwork Skills
• Working effectively with people of different ages, gender,
race, religion or political persuasion
• Identifying the strengths of team members
• Recognising own strengths & limitations
• Clarifying team roles & performing agreed tasks
• Demonstrating leadership as appropriate
• Coaching, mentoring & motivating others
• Giving & receiving constructive feedback
• Resolving differences of opinion
• Collaborating & contributing to team results
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Generic/Transferable Skills: Problem Solving Skills
• Analysing facts & testing assumptions
• Defining the problem & contributing factors
• Developing creative, innovative &/or practical solutions
• Showing initiative in identifying & solving problems
• Solving problems independently & in teams
• Applying a range of strategies to problem solving
• Designing contingencies
• Developing & evaluating a range of options
• Making realistic decisions & action plans
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Generic/Transferable Skills: Initiative & Enterprise Skills
• Identifying opportunities not obvious to others
• Assessing the competitive advantage of ideas
• Identifying customer or client requirements
• Developing strategic goals
• Being creative, initiating ideas & innovative solutions
• Determining the viability of ideas
• Translating ideas into action
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Generic/Transferable Skills: Planning & Organising Skills
• Establishing clear & attainable project goals & deliverables
• Defining specifications & quality standards
• Planning the use of resources including time, people, finances & materials
• Risk management & contingency planning
• Managing time & priorities – setting milestones
• Managing tasks - delegating, coordinating, monitoring
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Generic/Transferable Skills: Learning Skills
• Managing own learning
• Sharing knowledge & experience in the workplace
• Contributing to the learning community at the workplace
• Using a range of mediums to learn – mentoring, peer
support, networking, information technology (IT), courses
• Applying learning to ‘technical’ issues e.g. learning about
products & ‘people’ issues e.g. interpersonal and cultural
aspects of work
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Generic/Transferable Skills: Learning Skills (continued)
• Having enthusiasm for ongoing learning
• Being willing to learn in any setting – on & off the job
• Being open to new ideas & techniques
• Being prepared to invest time & effort in learning new skills
• Acknowledging the need to learn in order to accommodate change
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Generic/Transferable Skills: Digital Skills
• Having a range of basic IT skills
• Applying IT as a management tool
• Using IT to organise data (knowledge management)
• Being willing to learn new IT skills
• Having the occupational health and safety knowledge to apply technology
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Personal Attributes (‘soft skills’)
The qualities you have as a person:
• a friendly, outgoing personality
• tactfulness
• good manners and courtesy
accepting of others
• a good sense of humour
resilient
passive versus assertive
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Do employers recruit of the basis of skills or personal attributes (soft skills)?
According to English et al., 2012:
“Businesses want to hire employees with genuine and positive attitudes. They want to hire attitude and then train for the skills. Needed skills can be taught much easier than a poor, negative attitude can be changed…..business schools are not adequately emphasizing the importance of attitude” (12).
RMIT University
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Should employers recruit on the basis of personal attributes (soft skills)?
“There are problems with this increasing emphasis on soft skills. Firstly it may support and legitimize discrimination. Personal attributes, attitudes to work and individual qualities are extremely difficult to evaluate and, in practice, proxies are used” (Grugulis and Vincent, 2009: 599).
“Traits such as discipline, loyalty and punctuality are not ‘skills’ that one either possesses or lacks; they are measures of commitment that one chooses to give or withhold based on the conditions of work offered” (Lafer, 2004: 117-118 cited in Grugulis and Vincent, 2009: 600).
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Key concepts and essay questions:
Concepts:
Technical versus non-technical skills
Transferable skills
‘Soft skills’
Management skills
Questions:
What are some of the most relevant non-technical skills among business graduates? Discuss why drawing upon the debates raised in the readings.
Why are non-technical skills important for job seekers in today’s job market?
Based upon your readings and your learning experiences at RMIT, do you think your RMIT education is developing the skills and attributes you need to assist you in finding employment in today’s labour market?
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References (key readings in bold)
Blue, A. (2016) ‘Farewell job title: Hello, skill set’ World Economic Forum https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/06/the-benefits-of-looking-beyond-job-titles
Dunlop, T (2016) ‘Workermon: The Future of Work When There is No Work Left to Do’, Meanjin, Summer, https://meanjin.com.au/essays/workemon
English, P. , Manton, E. Sami, R. and Dubey, A. (2012) ‘A comparison of the views of college of business graduate and undergraduate students on qualities needed in the workplace’ College Student Journal 46 (2): 427-436.
Foundation for Young Australians (2017) The New Work Smarts. Sydney: FYA
Foundation for Young Australians (2016) The New Mindset. Sydney: FYA
Grugulis, I and Vincent, S (2009) Whose skill is it anyway? ‘soft skills and polarization’ Work, Employment and Society 23 (4): 597-615.
ILO (2016) World Employment and Social Outlook. Geneva: ILO.
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References (key readings in bold)
Jackson, D., & Chapman, E. (2012). Empirically derived competency profiles for Australian business graduates and their implications for industry and business schools. International Journal of Management Education, 10(2), 112-128
Lam, B. (2015) ‘Why ‘Do What You Love’ Is Pernicious Advice’ The Atlantic 7 August http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/08/do-what-you-love-work-myth-culture/399599/
National Association of Colleges and Employers (2016) Job Outlook 2016
OECD (2013) Skills Outlook. OECD.
Pash, C. (2016) ‘The most in-demand jobs and skills for Australia’ Business Insider Australia 22 July http://www.businessinsider.com.au/the-most-in-demand-jobs-and-skills-in-australia-2016-7
Snell, D, Gekara, V & Gatt, (2015) Cross-occupational skill transferability:challenges and opportunities in a changing economy, NCVER, Adelaide
Gekara, V.O., Molla, A., Snell, D., Karanasios, S., Thomas, A., 2017. Developing Appropriate Workforce Skills for Australia’s Emerging Digital Economy, NCVER: Adelaide.
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References (key readings in bold)
Snell, D., Gekara, V.O., Schermuly, A., 2017. The Occupational Mobility and Skills Transferability of Australian Auto Industry Employees. Report for the Automotive Manufacturing Transition Committee. Melbourne, RMIT University.
Winthrop, R. and McGivey, E. (2016) Skills for a Changing World.The Brooking Institute
The World Economic Forum (2016 ) The Future of Jobs: Skills and Workforce Strategy for the 4th Industrial Revolution: Executive Summary. World Economic Forum.
World Employment Confederation (2016) The Future of Work. Brussels: World Employment Confederation.
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