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The world of work is changing! This means, very few people will have ‘job
for life’. You may have to change your career several times during your
working life. Keep learning in order to gain the skills employers are looking
for - to find and keep a job
Did You Know…?
- There is a definite link between the level of qualifications
you have and the amount you can earn. Learning really does pay!
- Employers look for people who are keen, learn quickly and can
adapt to new ideas.
- There is no such thing as a ‘male’ or ‘female’
job. Try not to limit your job choice by thinking that certain jobs are not
for you because you feel they are ‘male’ or ‘female’.
- There is often more than one route into a job. Look at them
all and think about which route might suit you. Find out what previous students
went on to do, when they left the courses/training you are interested in.
Skill shortages – Employers say that they find it
hard to find enough people who have these key skills:
Communication Skills – basic reading and
writing, speaking and listening
Maths Skills – a good level of ability
above basic numeracy
Planning Skills – planning your own work
Problem Solving Skills
Working with Others – team work
IT Skills – needed for all jobs.
Job Specific Skills – for particular skilled
craft and technician level jobs that usually need qualifications at levels 3
- 4 and above. Steps to Success Nationally, a lot of these shortages are in construction
and health and social care, people in high level managerial skills are also
needed in many types of jobs. However this picture varies from one part of the
country to another and there are fewer of these kinds of shortages in the north
of England.
Employers are warning that people without, at the very
least, a basic grasp of IT skills and communication skills will find it increasingly
difficult to find work
Employers are also interested in your Personal Qualities.
When they advertise jobs they will often ask for qualities such as:
- Punctuality
- Initiative
- Reliability
- Confidence
- Flexibility
- Discipline
- Creativity
- Motivation
- Enthusiasm
- Resourcefulness
All this may sound hard. But you do have many of these skills
and qualities!
You can show that you have them by telling employers about:
- activities that you do out of school e.g: sports, looking after others
in your family, hobbies, voluntary work, travel
- your school and college activities e.g: planning your GCSE studies, clubs
and societies, music, drama, being on school councils and committees
- your work experience e.g: Project Trident, Saturday jobs, voluntary work
- any experiences of different cultures, knowledge of ethnic minority languages
How can you show that you have these key skills?
Now is the time to take action if you need to.
Use your record of Achievement (Progress File) to keep evidence
of your skills and qualities;
it will be useful when you are writing your CV, or if you attend any interviews.
Use labour market information to help you when you are
deciding on your next steps, see the Work andTraining pages for more information, also check out www.daisy-info.org.uk
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