FUTURE TALENTED Autumn Term 2019 - Issue 4 | Seite 26

Gatsby Benchmarks
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8
Is there a mismatch between the
skills young people have and those
employers need?
There has been a lot of talk around skills gaps
in business – and there are definitely some
technical skills gaps – but sometimes there’s
more of a mismatch around how graduates
communicate the skills they have. They might
come across as less skilled in certain areas
than they are. Less experienced students often
have less understanding of the value of the
things they’ve done.
Skills needs vary from industry to industry.
But we have created a bank of around 40
transferable skills, having spoken to employers
and academics to identify which are developed
through certain experiences and education.
Critical and analytical thinking are skills I’d
highlight, because I think young people often
gain them through education, but aren’t always
aware that they have them or how important
they are to employers. Young people might
study something really relevant that gives them
these sorts of skills, but they might not be aware
that they have developed that mindset, or be
able to communicate it effectively.
What things might young people
have done to acquire relevant skills
and experience?
With any educational qualification, there’s a set
of associated skills. For example, if you study
psychology, you get a bit of technical
knowledge about how the brain works, but
that’s not necessarily going to transfer into a
role you’re going to do. But the statistical skills
that you learn could. The ability to think critically
about things is needed across all industries.
Then there’s work experience. A lot of
students tend to overlook part-time work in
Sainsbury’s or in a bar; they may discount it.
And an employer might not be able to see the
value in it because the applicant hasn’t gone
26 // EMPLOYABILITY
into any detail about the skills they have
developed there. But young people can gain
skills around time-management, planning and
customer service in these jobs, all things that
are valuable to employers.
It’s about ensuring that everybody’s using
the same language around skills. For wider-
participation or first-generation students with
lower social capital, if they are not able to speak
the same language as the employers, they’re
automatically at a disadvantage. It’s vital that
they can identify the skills they have, understand
their value and articulate them.
What advice would you give to
young people at school around
developing transferable skills?
Young people should become more aware of
the value they’re gaining from the things they
do inside and outside of school. At school
there’s a lot of group work where you’re
developing your teamworking, communication
and presentation skills.
The same is true of part-time jobs. Even
young students might have a paper round.
That’s giving them time management skills –
getting up every morning – and the
organisational skills to ensure that the papers
are going to the right houses. These are
valuable and will help them in later life.
Employers will be looking for you to show these
skills and the earlier you clock on to how much
you’re learning, the better position you’ll be in
to understand and communicate them.
I’d also advise against specialising too early.
At school, there are opportunities to learn many
different things; dip a toe in the water. Don’t
syphon yourself off into a particular career path
too soon. Try lots of things and keep your
options open. Transferable skills are suitable to
many different industries.
Learn more about Occumi at: occumi.co.uk
Young people
should
become more
aware of the
value they’re
gaining from
the things
they do inside
and outside of
school