Unemployability is today a greater issue than unemployment. As APJ Abdul Kalam, Former President of India said, “It is not unemployment that is the major problem; it is the question of unemployability that is the major crisis in this competitive arena…”

The concept of Employability as a commodity is closely linked to organisation policy in which graduates represent a valuable resource in the increasingly knowledge-based economy. The ability of graduates to be able to respond to the changing needs of a rapidly developing job market is seen as vital for economic growth. “A set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes that make an individual more likely to secure and be successful in their chosen occupation(s) to the benefit of themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy.”

Employability to meet Employer Needs 

The two greatest concerns of employers today are finding good workers and training them. The difference between the skills needed on the job and those possessed by applicants, sometimes called the skills-gap, is of real concern to human resource managers and business owners looking to hire competent employees. While employers would prefer to hire people who are trained and ready to enter the industry, they are usually willing to provide the specialised, job-specific training necessary for those lacking such skills.

Most discussions concerning today’s workforce eventually turns to employability skills. Finding employees who have employability or job readiness skills that help them fit into and remain in the work environment is a real problem. Employers need reliable, responsible employees who can solve problems and who have the social skills and attitudes to work together with other workers. High-performance workforce needed for competitiveness in today’s marketplace. Employees with these skills are in demand and are considered valuable human capital assets to companies.

Increasingly, employers are demanding skills from graduates which are outside the subject area of their course of study in Higher Education. Indeed, some employers have placed less importance on graduates’ actual degree discipline in favour of the more generic skills which they have acquired:

Employers generally see a graduate’s achievements related to the subject discipline as necessary but not sufficient for them to be recruited. In some employment contexts, the actual subject discipline may be relatively unimportant. Achievements outside the boundaries of the discipline (such as so-called ‘soft skills’) are generally considered to be important in the recruitment of graduates…
According to a NASSCOM-McKinsey report, the Indian industry will face its biggest challenge ever: a talent shortage of 3.1 million knowledge workers, across Industry, by 2010 compounded by the fact that only 25% of fresh engineers; and a mere 10% of fresh graduates are actually employable!

The situation is grave, but it can be addressed through a solution that empowers the youth. Empower these youngsters with the requisite skills they will need to get employment and to grow in a corporate Environment. And this skill development must start early, even while the student is pursuing his graduation.

Graduates come out of college, polished in academic skills. But as we all know working for a Corporate is a different ball game altogether. While their academic skills definitely count, various other skills such as spoken and written English, inter-personal skills, the art of communication, problem solving, situational behaviour, team work, adaptability, and so on play a pivotal role in helping the student or candidate fit into the workplace. Lack of these skills may hamper the candidate’s prospects at the interview stage itself.

“The real problem is finding workers who have the employability skills or job readiness skills . . .”

Employability Skills for the Future 

Employers consider that employability skills are as important as job-specific or technical skills. Employers will seek those employability skills that are most important to their business and will choose workers who are strong in these areas – leading to improved matching of jobs and job seekers, better job satisfaction and more productive enterprises.

There are two facets to employability skills: ‘generic’ skills and ‘personal’ attributes (for example, loyalty, enthusiasm. motivation and sense of humour). The key generic skills identified, and how they contribute to the organisation are:• Communication - productive and harmonious relations between employees and clients.

• Team work - productive working relationships and outcomes.
• Problem-solving - productive enterprise outcomes.

• Initiative/enterprise - innovative ideas and outcomes.

• Planning and organisation - long-term and short-term strategic planning for the company.

• Self-management - employee satisfaction and growth.

• Learning - improvement and expansion in employee and company operations and outcomes.

• Technology - more effective work practices.

Employability Skills, in and of themselves, are not a new concept. They describe non-technical skills and competencies that have always been an important part of effective and successful participation in the workplace.

Employability Skills Framework

Employability Skill a general summary of each skill’s application in the workplace
 
Inter-relationships of Employability Skills

Employability Skills are a meaningful tool. They assist learners and candidates for assessment to reflect on and/or demonstrate that they are not only technically competent, but also that they have the skills necessary to achieve and maintain successful employment outcomes.

Employability as a Performance Indicator -Employability skills are teachable skills and may be taught in both institution and employment settings. Goals and objectives for teaching employability skills should be set. Instruction should be designed to ensure those goals and objectives are reached.

So, given the competitiveness of today’s employment market and the need to sell one’s skills on a regular basis, a higher motivational level is needed than in the past. That is why a thorough self-assessment to discover the best occupational area to pursue is crucial. We would like to say that all the skills have discussed above are critical to acquire, keep, and progress in a job and to achieve the best results possible for you. Of these skills though academic skills would be the most important skills you will learn, we think. So if you keep at these skills you 
will be happy with what you are doing unlike a lot of people who are forced to 
get jobs that they do not like.

      “Employability-skills are as important as academic-skills for college grads”