Launch of new skills toolkit for employers

Bansari Somani, SkillsActive - 04/08/2008

The employability guide offers employers a selection of tools that can be used to identify and develop the skills needed by the workforce to do a job effectively. The tools are based on the skills identified in the Employability Matrix which focuses on the the skills people need to get work, stay in work and contribute effectively to the workplace.

Employers can use this matrix as a checklist to see which of the skills they need for staff to be effective in their job roles. It can help to produce job descriptions, inform recruitment and selection practices and assist you to identify training needs among existing staff. Examples of how to use the matrix are contained within the guide.

Government research has shown that the key reason for the UK lagging behind other nations in terms of productivity and competitiveness is because of serious
and persistent gaps in our national skills base. Those gaps are often measured by data that shows ‘hard to fill vacancies’ and ‘skills gaps’. Hard to fill vacancies prove that we need to increase the skills of job seekers. Skills gaps show the need to improve the skills of people in work – and maybe in your organisation.

Click here to download the toolkit.