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Handout Wealth Creation and Employability Soft Skills For Youth

The document discusses employability soft skills that are essential for youth to gain employment. It outlines that Nigeria produces many graduates each year but faces an employability gap. Employability soft skills include communication, analytical thinking, flexibility, and interpersonal skills. Personal values that employers seek include honesty, hard work, loyalty, and willingness to learn. The document provides tips on developing a professional image and job search tools to help youth fill the employability gap.

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Sam ONi
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39 views11 pages

Handout Wealth Creation and Employability Soft Skills For Youth

The document discusses employability soft skills that are essential for youth to gain employment. It outlines that Nigeria produces many graduates each year but faces an employability gap. Employability soft skills include communication, analytical thinking, flexibility, and interpersonal skills. Personal values that employers seek include honesty, hard work, loyalty, and willingness to learn. The document provides tips on developing a professional image and job search tools to help youth fill the employability gap.

Uploaded by

Sam ONi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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HANDOUT

Wealth creation
And
Employability
soft skills for
youth

By TUNDE SOJINU
Quote

• “Unemployability is a greater issue today than unemployment.”


• unanymous
INTRODUCTION

• Each year, Nigeria produces almost twice the number of graduates produced on
yearly basis

• Nigeria has one of the world’s largest most graduates on yearly basis. However,
when we look at the employability, we are far behind.

ESSENTIAL SET SKILLS


 Academic
 Employability and
 Hands on training

Industry expectations- students’ level = employability gap.

• This gap can be filled by imparting certain skills to an individual.


• These skills are termed as employability soft skills.

• These skills are generic across various sectors of employment.

Employability Soft Skills are …


Also known as:

• Key Competencies
• Generic skills

• Life skills

• DEMANDED by employers today

• ESSENTIAL for applying your Academic or technical skills in the workplace

• Valuable in ALL areas of life!


What are employability skills?

• Employability soft skills are those basic skills necessary for getting, keeping and
doing well on a job.

• Employability refers to a person's capability of gaining initial employment,


maintaining employment, and obtaining new employment if required
(Hillage and Pollard, 1998).

SKILLS MOST SOUGHT AFTER BY EMPLOYERS


Skills required..

 Communications Skills (listening, verbal, written).


By far, the one skill mentioned most often by employers is the ability to listen,
write, and speak effectively.

 Analytical/Research Skills.
Deals with your ability to assess a situation, seek multiple perspectives, gather
more information if necessary, and identify key issues that need to be addressed.

 Flexibility/Adaptability/Managing Multiple Priorities.


Deals with ability to manage multiple assignments and tasks, set priorities, and
adapt to changing conditions and work assignments.

 Interpersonal Abilities.
The ability to relate to your co-workers, inspire others to participate, and mitigate
conflict with co-workers is essential given the amount of time spent at work each
day.

 Leadership/Management Skills.
These skills deal with your ability to take charge , manage your co-workers and
lead the team. Maintains a productive climate and confidently motivate, mobilize,
and coach employees to meet high performance standards.

 Multicultural Sensitivity/Awareness.
There is possibly no bigger issue in the workplace than diversity, and job-seekers
must demonstrate a sensitivity and awareness to other people and cultures.
 Planning/Organizing.
Deals with your ability to design, plan, organize, and implement projects and
tasks within an allotted timeframe. Also involves goal-setting

 Problem Solving/Reasoning/Creativity.
Involves the ability to find solutions to problems using your creativity, reasoning,
and past experiences along with the available information and resources.

 Teamwork.
Because so many jobs involve working in one or more work-groups, you must
have the ability to work with others in a professional manner while attempting to
achieve a common goal.

PERSONAL VALUES EMPLOYERS SEEK IN


EMPLOYEES

• Honesty/Integrity/Morality.
Employers probably respect personal integrity more than any other value,
especially in light of the many recent corporate scandals.

• Dedication/Hard-Working/Work Ethic/Tenacity.
Employers seek job-seekers who love what they do and will keep at it until they
solve the problem and get the job done.

• Loyalty
Employers want employees who will have a strong devotion to the company --
even at times when the company is not necessarily loyal to its employees.

• Positive Attitude/Motivation/Energy/Passion.
The job-seekers who get hired and the employees who get promoted are the ones
with drive and passion and who demonstrate this enthusiasm through their words
and actions.

• Professionalism.
Deals with acting in a responsible and fair manner in all your personal and work
activities, which is seen as a sign of maturity and self-confidence; avoid being
petty.

• Self-Confidence.
“if you don't believe in yourself, in your unique mix of skills, education, and
abilities, why should a prospective employer?”
Be confident in yourself and what you can offer employers

• Self-Motivated/Ability to Work With Little or No Supervision.


While teamwork is always mentioned as an important skill, so is the ability to
work independently, with minimal supervision

• Willingness to Learn.
No matter what your age, no matter how much experience you have, you should
always be willing to learn a new skill or technique. Jobs are constantly
changing and evolving, and you must show an openness to grow and learn with
that change.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN…TIME FOR REFLECTION


 What are your interests?
 What do you want to do?
 What skills do you have?
 Who do you want to work for?
 Where do you want to live?
 What it takes to get hired!
 Employability Skills
 Professional Image
 Your “Job Search Tools”

PROFESSIONAL IMAGE

• The way that you look, act, speak, write, and behave when in or on the job.
PROFESSIONAL IMAGE for guys..
 Look your best
 Wear appropriate clothes (shirt, tie, suit, pants, uniform, shoes, etc.)
 No jewelry
 Nicely kept hair
 Clean your fingernails
 Shave / Shower

PROFESSIONAL IMAGE FOR LADIES


 Look your best
 Natural looking make up, hair, and nails
 Appropriate clothes that fit well
 Minimal jewelry

YOUR “JOB SEARCH TOOL BOX”


 Nice professional clothes
 Application
 Resume
 Transportation
 Thank you note
 Developing your job search strategy
 Dress up
 Go by yourself
 Be mindful of the employer’s time
 Shake hands
 Be thankful
 Follow up appropriately

BEFORE YOU TAKE A JOB..


 Is the company / offer legitimate?
 What is expected of you?
 Can you do the job?
 Can you get to work?
 Can you arrange childcare?
 How much does it pay?
 What are the ”benefits?”
 If you accept the offer, you are expected to take it!
 Don’t be too anxious to take the 1st offer

Expected behavior in the workplace


 Be honest
 Be reliable
 Be willing to work
 Be respectful
 Be willing to learn
 Be willing to change
 Keep job separate from social & personal life

Final Thought

• “To be employed is to be at risk, to be employable is to be secure.”


• Peter Hawkins

CONCLUSION

• Employability skills and personal values are the critical tools and traits you need
to succeed in the workplace and they are all elements that you can learn,
cultivate, develop, and maintain over your lifetime.

• Once you have identified the sought-after skills and values and assessed the
degree to which you possess, them remember to document them and market them
(in your resume, cover letter, and interview answers) for job-search success.

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