Qualifications are important, but soft skills play a key role in employability, especially when first looking for a job. At HRC, we use Skills Builder to ensure that our students understand and progress in essential skills needed for employment, taking into account what working will be like in the future, not just the present.
Why are Essential Employment Skills Important?
A 2024 study, from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), found that up to 7 million workers in England may lack the EES they need to do their jobs by 2035.
The study estimated the Essential Employment Skills (EES) that workers possessed, as well as the EES that their jobs required, before comparing the two to quantify skill deficits.
The study suggests that the proportion of workers with ‘substantial’ EES deficiencies, or the skills requirements of their roles surpass the skills they possess, could grow from 13% of workers (3.7 million) to 22% (7 million) in 2035 unless urgent action is taken. Almost 90% of the 2.2 million new jobs expected to be created between 2020 and 2035 will be professional occupations, requiring higher levels of proficiency in these EES. Failing to address this will likely result in more prevalent and problematic skills gaps.
Nearly one in five workers in managerial jobs and associate professional occupations have substantial essential skills deficiencies. Workers in jobs such as skilled trades, sales, customer services and administration are also more likely to have under-utilised essential skills which they have developed in previous roles or outside of work. Tapping into these latent skills is likely to become increasingly important in the future.
What is Skills Builder?
The Skills Builder Partnership is a global network of leading organisations across 10 different countries, all using the same Universal Framework to build eight essential skills – Listening, Speaking, Teamwork, Leadership, Creativity, Problem Solving, Aiming High and Staying Positive – based on the EES outlined in the NFER study.
What is the Skills Builder Universal Framework?
The Skills Builder Universal Framework provides an international standard for teaching and learning essential skills for life. It breaks down each skill into individual steps, supporting progress for all students across all levels and abilities.
How does Skills Builder work?
Skills Builder provides two powerful tools for you to improve your EES and measure your progress:
Benchmark is a self-assessment tool used for identifying your strengths and weaknesses across the eight essential skills. It identifies new areas for growth, breaking down each skill into themes and smaller steps to ensure quick and easy progress.
Launchpad is a resource platform with interactive modules for each of the eight essential skills, featuring real-life scenarios that can be applied to education, employment, and everyday life. It also allows you to record and reflect on how you’ve applied these skills, whether that’s independently, with a mentor, or by recording memos.
References
Report suggests up to seven million workers may lack Essential Employment Skills to do their jobs by 2035, National Foundation for Educational Research, June 2024
