Power up your skills for employment

Skills are not just those made in the classroom. When looking for a job, it’s the skills that are transferable from one job to another that will make you stand out from other candidates.

When we’re collaborating with employers, transferable skills are what they’re really interested in. Most employers agree that on-the-job skills can be easily taught, but it is often those innate, interpersonal skills that are lacking in modern workforces.

That’s why we’ve launched the new Skills for Employment programme here at RNN Group. This initiative gives learners the opportunity to prove they have the power skills needed for employment.

Participants work towards ten transferrable skills that complement those developed in the classroom. Having a broad range of transferable skills can make you more versatile and adaptable, allowing you to take on a wider variety of roles and responsibilities in your career.

But what are they and why are they important?

Communication

Being able to communicate effectively is perhaps the most important life skill of all. Communication is the number one ‘must have’ skill that employers are looking for. When problems arise at work, it’s usually due to miscommunication.  

Being a good communicator means you’re able to speak confidently with a varied vocabulary, listen effectively, write clearly and concisely, maintain eye contact, and work well in group settings.

Creativity

Creativity is a highly valued employability skill. It’s not about artistic talent, but being able to think outside of the box, generate new ideas, adapt to change, and challenge the status quo.

Employers are increasingly seeking staff who are open-minded, curious, and observant. They want people who can brainstorm and experiment, enhancing problem-solving, innovation and overall success in the workplace.

Critical Thinking

The workplace is full of situations where staff will need to apply critical thinking skills like logic, reasoning and self-reflection. Thinking critically in the workplace allows you to connect ideas, evaluate arguments, find errors and solve complex problems.

If you progress into senior or leadership roles, critical thinking will enable you to make more informed decisions for the benefit of the team.

Decision Making

Similarly aligned with critical thinking, decision making is another skill in high demand from employers. They want staff who can identify and understand when there’s a problem that needs solving and come up with the best course of action.

Employers rely on staff to make sound judgements after doing their research, analysing information and considering different perspectives.

Leadership

If you aim to climb the career ladder, showing leadership skills like adaptability and flexibility is what will help you progress. Good leaders have most if not all of the nine other skills for employment.

It’s not just about delegating tasks to junior staff; employers are looking for people who can motive and inspire, problem solve and make decisions, and communicate and foster positive relationships with staff and clients.

Problem solving

Work life will always have problems to overcome, whether that’s figuring out why a computer or machine isn’t working or dealing with a customer issue. Employers want to know how you’ll deal with problems.

Even if you don’t have all the answers, they want to know you’ll come up with a logical solution and try to resolve the problem yourself instead of relying on others to do it for you.

Being proactive

Being proactive means you act without being prompted and use your initiative to see when things need to be done. Working independently, identifying potential problems before they arise, and volunteering to do tasks outside of your usual responsibilities shows employers you are willing to learn and grow.

On the flip side, employers are paying you to do a job; if you sit around and say you have nothing to do or wait to be told what to do next, they might start to question whether your position is viable.

Resilience

Building resilience is vitally important in all aspects of life, but especially at work. There will be many times where unplanned things crop up, disrupt and cause setbacks. But it’s how you bounce back from those problems that employers are interested in.

Being able to navigate challenges and adapt to changes with a level headed approach demonstrates your ability to take feedback board and learn from it.

Self-management

Self-management is all about being able to work independently, manage your workload and take responsibility for your own actions. This shows employers that you are hardworking, reliable, organised and more likely to achieve your goals.

They have the confidence that you’ll meet deadlines and will continue to remain focused whether you’re working from the office, from home or on site.

Time management

This is often the second most important skill that employers are looking for. Time management isn’t just clocking in at your contracted start time – but being continually late will negatively impact your boss’s view of your work ethic.

Time management also includes how well you plan and manage your workload, whether you set priorities and goals, and how you maintain boundaries to protect your time.

Find out more

All RNN students are eligible to sign up to the Skills for Employment programme.  

If you take part, you will need to demonstrate you have understood and developed these skills by showcasing three examples of each. Once complete, you’ll be presented with a digital certificate, demonstrating you’d be an incredible asset to local, regional and national employers.

Employers are helping us by pledging their support to the scheme by offering work experience or an industry placement to help gather the evidence required for each stamp and certificate.

To find out more or sign up, please email marketing@rnngroup.ac.uk.