WINNING WITH SKILLS

PART II
by Angela deFreitas
The 17 Foundation Skill areas were developed by well-known career development expert, Dr. Lawrence Jones, from several high-level government commission reports prepared in the United States of America but which have since been adopted and accepted internationally in varying form and fashion. These areas are reading, writing, mathematics, speaking, listening, creative thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, visualisation, social, negotiation, leadership, teamwork, cultural diversity, self-esteem, self-management and responsibility.

These 17 skill areas are broken down into four groups.
1. The Basic Skills are reading, writing, mathematics, speaking and listening. These relate to the fundamental necessity of a worker to show literacy and numeracy and to be able to locate, distil and understand information from a variety of sources including modern means such as the computer/internet and communicate such information accurately. Speaking, listening and mathematical skills must also be up to scratch
2. Creative thinking, problem-solving skills, decision-making skills and visualisation are classed as The Thinking Skills. Will a worker be of value in a company’s employ due to their ability to think clearly, solve problems, make sound decisions based on the pros and cons presented and also through the ability to visualise outcomes from different situations?
3. The People Skills relate to the social being which we are in respect of being friendly, showing respect for others, being able to negotiate while seeing things from another’s perspective and demonstrating leadership and teamwork skills. Understanding and accepting cultural diversity are aspects of an employee’s personality which will determine whether or not they will be able to act as part of a team and respect the rights of others in the workplace whatever their background or beliefs. These are also important people skills.
4. Personal Qualities are self-esteem, self-management and responsibility and are about
exercising self-management through the setting, monitoring and achieving of personal goals and showing responsibility and high standards of personal achievement, attendance, honesty, energy and optimism.

Having a clear picture of what skills are required in the career in which you are interested and in the marketplace generally will help when seeking employment, writing a resume, having a positive job interview, and finding occupations that use similar skills, not only locally but also globally.

There will always be jobs for unskilled workers, jobs which can be done by anyone once they are told what to do such as car washers, security guards, common labourers, office helpers and messengers. There are however, good reasons to believe that if you develop what are considered marketable, transferable and motivated skills, in addition to the 17 Foundation Skills, success will follow. Skills were always in style but even moreso now as the world recognises the importance of developing the right skills in the right way.
Angela deFreitas is General Manager of CHOICES Career Advice, publishers of The Career Key (Caribbean Edition) and CHOICES Career & Education Magazine. The company gives information and advice on a broad range of career-related matters including resume writing. She can be contacted at info@choicesonlinejm.com and www.choicesonlinejm.com.