Handbook on best practice methods for Basic skills trainings Best practice handbook | Página 14

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What are the employers’ needs?
Employers hire people with the technical or work–specific skills needed for the specific
job. But when they are hiring they are also looking for another set of skills that they often
consider just as important—employability skills.
Employers want people with the following skills:
 Interpersonal and teamwork skills are the skills needed to work well with other people.
They include being able to co–operate to reach common goals, or provide a high level
of customer service. They also include perceive co–workers’ needs, express opinions
in the right ways, respect diversity, accept and offer constructive feedback, etc.
 Communication skills include both oral and written skills. These include the ability to
explain concepts clearly and accurately to individuals and groups and to create and
deliver presentations. They also include the ability to write effective reports, email
messages and other documents.
 Computer skills refer to the ability to use applications like word processing,
spreadsheet or presentation software, to manage email, and to locate and manage a
variety of online information sources. More and more, these skills include the ability to
use online social networking tools in the right way.
 Thinking, problem–solving and decision–making skills refer to the ability to gather,
analyze and apply information. They also involve using good judgment to make
decisions.
 Time management and organizational skills include the ability to find out what tasks
are most important, correctly predict how much time tasks will take. They also include
the ability to work efficiently to produce results on time and on budget.
 Personal management skills refer to the ability to respond creatively to challenges,
keep a positive attitude and be flexible. They also include the ability to learn
continuously, handle personal problems outside of working hours, manage stress,
maintain health, etc.
Creating the motivation to learn and overcoming barriers to participation
Most times people are not able to see the benefits to returning to learning. They had a
negative experience of school in the past and associate returning to learning with that
experience. There is also a stigma attached to low literacy and numeracy skills. Often people
feel too embarrassed to return to learning and go to great extremes to hide their difficulties
from their friends and family. However, this does not have to be the case. Adult education is a
very different experience to school. Adult learning is all about addressing the needs of the
learner, working at a pace that suits them and according to their needs and interests.
Thanks to today’s technology there are many options: e-learning, mobile learning, etc.
Various campaigns have been launched by different institutions willing to offer programs that
aim to encourage adults who have difficulty with reading, writing, maths or technology to
improve their skills by attending courses that best fit them.