Employability Skills in Higher Education

This assignment delves into the crucial relationship between employability skills and higher education. It examines various perspectives on essential skills employers seek, including insights from academic literature and employer surveys. The analysis explores how universities effectively integrate these skills into curricula through teaching methods, co-assessment strategies, and industry partnerships to enhance student preparedness for successful career transitions.

Employability skills

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Set of roles and responsibility and performance objective...................................................1
1.2 Own effectiveness towards the achievement of objective....................................................2
1.3 Various recommendation for improvements.........................................................................3
1.4 Motivational techniques to improve quality of performance................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
2.1 Various solutions for work based problems..........................................................................4
2.2 Style of communication with different organisation level....................................................4
2.3 Effective time management strategies..................................................................................5
3.1 Role of people when they work together and achieve the Goal............................................5
3.2 Analysis team dynamic.........................................................................................................6
3.3 Alternative ways to achieve team Goals...............................................................................6
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................7
4.1 Tools and methods for developing solution for problem......................................................7
4.2 Appropriate strategy for resolving problems........................................................................7
4.3 Potential impact on the business for implementing strategy.................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Employability skill can be determined as the essential ability that individual should
possess to perform in the organization and to achieve personal goals. If individual work in the
firm for the long time then it is required to have technical and job knowledge that can assist in
acquire their performance ability. Present report is based on Sainsbury's UK, which falls under
1312 stores spread worldwide (Benson, Morgan and Filippaios, 2014). This Report focuses on
the skills which are important for accomplishing all responsibility and performance within the
organization. In this report various techniques are also discribed that assist to improve in the
individual. Lastly, this report also includes various solutions for work based problems and
provides recommendation towards the improvements.
TASK 1
1.1 Set of roles and responsibility and performance objective
Sainsbury's have approximately 1, 61,100 employee strength around the globe. For
managing the strengths, the organization play robust functioning which includes departments like
operation, human resource, finance etc. Below are the roles and responsibility that has to be
played by me as a HR in the organisation.
Responsibility and performance objectives Maintaining relationship: For maintaining its huge strength, HR manager of the entity
have responsibility to manage relationship between employer and employee so that it can
assist towards reducing reasons of conflicts. Training and development: To maintain the employees' strength and performance, HR
has carried out training and development workshop which is helpful in maintaining their
potential for better working attitude (El Mansour and Dean, 2016).
 Talent management: HR manager also have the responsibility to focus on succession
planning and talent management which can enhance effective administration with great
global presence.
In Sainsbury's, I am working as a HR and the current line manager suggest to conduct my
own SWOT analysis. With the help of this SWOT, I will be able to improve my working
efficiency.
1

MY own SWOT analysis
Strength
 Passionate towards working
 Artistic with my working style
 Hard working to achieve my goal
objectives
Weakness
 Lack of real experience
 Weak interpersonal skill
 Negativity and emotionality
Opportunity
 Improve in the working and assist to
enhance my knowledge.
 Utilizing my strength in effective way
 Enhancing my own development
Threats
 Fear from new comers
 Lack of scope towards the growth.
 Negative trend in the HR Field
1.2 Own effectiveness towards the achievement of objective
For achieving above roles and responsibilities, HR manager must have an effective
attitude towards attaining the targets. Here all attributes are listed below that are helpful in
attaining above performance objectives:
Maintaining relationship: HR manager of Sainsbury must focus on employees'
activities so that they can find out their working behaviour and in this management also know
about their interact with others. For this, manager can interact with the workers to know about
their problems and issues (Rao, 2014). In this, HR also evaluates their day to day need so that it
can reduce the number of conflicts. On the contrary, my poor communication skill create barrier
because employees' are not able to share their views with me.
Training and development: Sainsbury's has good market image because of its better
relationship with the employee and their customers. For this, HR manager of the entity must
provide various workshops and as per their requirement, organisation provide training sections to
their workforce. On the other side, I do not have the skill of trainer to provide appropriate lessons
to the employees.
Talent management: When employees are satisfied with the organisation and its
working style then they perform in a better way. For this management of Sainsbury's provide
various opportunities to their workers. In this, I also give my suggestions in which various
strategies are included that assist to manage the work .
2

1.3 Various recommendation for improvements
Here, various points are listed below that assist for improvements in the HR manager:
 If HR manager of Sainsbury is not having good communication skills so that firstly a
positive attitude is required for enhancing its interacting skills. In which, HR manager
focus on its positive facial expression so that communication become more effective with
their client.
 For improvement in their training performance, HR can consult with their seniors
managers as they can suggest the best ways because they have experience and faced the
same situations with their working period (Spence and Hyams-Ssekasi, 2015).
 HR manager can use review as a tool in which the manager can concern with their
employee needs. If HR manager know that their employee need is appropriate for On the
job or Off the job so that individual become more effective to fulfil their actual
requirement of training sections.
 HR manager can also review employees' feedbacks that assist to know about all points in
which individual needs improvement.
1.4 Motivational techniques to improve quality of performance
HR manager of Sainsbury's must have a positive attitude towards the working because of
its global presence. For maintaining its employee performance, HR must have quality to
maintain its working potentiality. Here, various motivational techniques are listed below that
assist to enhance individual Woking quality: Positive work environment: HR manager should develop positive environment in the
entity as this will encourage in sharing of ideas (Tsitskari, Goudas and Michalopoulou,
2017). This will help in increasing the capability of the individuals towards the working. Goal setting: If HR manager use these techniques to their self-motivation so that it can
assist to set their professional goals.
 Achievements and reward: If HR manager set their target to achieve the objectives and
grab the achievement so that they can put their more efforts to achieve that reward. With
the help of these techniques, individual can enhance their working which will help in
performing better in the organization. .
3

TASK 2
2.1 Various solutions for work based problems
In this section, HR manager of Sainsbury's open a new venture in which they focus
various business operations that assist for better recruitment and selection process. Now HR
manager of Sainsbury's, starting recruitment for its new flagship store so at that time various
work based problems are faced by them. Here various solutions are listed below that helpful for
solutions:
Unstructured interview: HR manager of Sainsbury's facing problem when no appropriate
interview structure is decided. The result of this problem is affects when entity not hire capable
person for their vacant position (Senior, Reddy and Senior, 2014). For solving this problem, HR
manager can develop design in which they include question frame and in which management
also use open ended questions. With the help of this method, management acquire appropriate
one to fulfil their Job objectives.
Equipments failure and uninteresting freshers: HR manager of Sainsbury's also facing
problem when they provide training sections to their new. Some time equipments create problem
to give them real message of training in which problem in sound and projectors create hurdle for
management (Messum, Wilkes and Jackson, 2015). In order to this, HR manager of flagship not
able to give them effective training whenever freshers not have interest and aim behind the
training section.
2.2 Style of communication with different organisation level
As an HR manager, it is very important to interact with every one so that it assist for
better working in the organisation. In this HR manager of Sainsbury's communicate with
different organisation level so that according to their post HR use appropriate way of
communication.
Top level: In Top level, HR manager of Sainsbury's can use professional talks, Email and
board meeting to convey their message. This way of communication include professionalism that
must be in the HR so that they can convey their message regarding new opening of flagship
store.
Middle level: HR manager of Sainsbury's use less professional communicate strategies
with their middle management (Deeley, 2013). Mostly they use, cellphones and face to face
4

communication with their middle level management. Management can save their time because of
their direct communication method can leads to effective solution of work based problem.
Lower level: For convey their message regarding new flagship store, HR manager can
use seminars to convey the reason behind this opening (Collet, Hine and du Plessis, 2015). This
is a crucial part because if the management of Sainsbury's not clear the vision behind that new
opening so it becomes hard for employee to understand this change.
2.3 Effective time management strategies
Time management is a crucial point for the management because for new opening, HR
manager of Sainsbury's must focus on the set priorities. Without using appropriate time
strategies' management can not achieve its objective with its new opening. Here various points
are listed below that assist to know about, how they can achieve target with new opening.
Deadlines: If HR manager of Sainsbury's can use time management strategies, in which
they focus on the time log that assist to know in which way a working day is distributed to
achieve the daily deadline (Wilson and Zulu, 2016).
Planning tool: HR manager of Sainsbury's can use planning tool in which they can
convey to this learning style with their freshers. With the help of planning tool, new recruiter can
plan to improve their work productivity.
If freshers of new store adopt this time management strategies so they can achieve target
with their potential achievements.
3.1 Role of people when they work together and achieve the Goal
For this process, HR manager of Sainsbury's uses Belbin theory. With the help of this theory HR
can know about its employee behaviour which assist to work together. Here various roles are
listed below that assist to achieve the team target:
 HR manager of Sainsbury's can develop team strategies so that achievement of target
become more easy and always motivate them to play their role with effectiveness. In
order to achieve this targets, team people must play role as a coordinator in the
Sainsbury's (El Mansour and Dean, 2016).
 Individual must focus on all the functions in which delegation of work and decision
making process are included. Sainsbury's has global presence and for this, its employees'
contribute and their hard work is also created important factor.
5

 Individual also play role as implementer in the Sainsbury's, in which team member
maintain discipline in the team and also focus on all that ideas in which how they can put
efforts to convert it as action (Rao, 2014).
3.2 Analysis team dynamic
Sainsbury's has strong brand image with its second positioning in the food market chain
in the UK and without its strong team efficiency it is not possible to get that second positioning.
Here various points are listed below that must follow by HR manager of Sainsbury's to achieve
the target.
This is a trait that is used for the employees' who they are working in the team. In order
to recruit best and appropriate recruitment in the organisation it is important to manage the team
work in the Sainsbury's (Benson, Morgan and Filippaios, 2014). For this, HR manager of
Sainsbury's design a team who can support to handle the work with more effective way. For
hiring appropriate one HR manager design job description and personal specification so that this
will lead to hire appropriate candidates at Sainsbury's. After hiring candidates in the organisation
HR can start allocate work accordingly Belbin role.
3.3 Alternative ways to achieve team Goals
HR manager of Sainsbury's can use various alternative ways so that employee can
accomplish their work target with effectiveness. Here some points are listed as foll lows that
assist to achieve the goals:
 If management of Sainsbury's can provide guidelines so that team member can positively
complete their assign work (Deeley, 2013).
 In this, if team leader can motivate their employee to achieve their target towards the
achievement of rewards so that employee become motivated and ready to work hard.
 If management develop competition level among them with better coordination and
communication so that they can achieve the set target in more effective way.
 Training and development skills are also helpful knowing their work in better way and
when an individual know how they can work so that it enhance their interest towards the
achievement of goals.
TASK 3
4.1 Tools and methods for developing solution for problem
6

Management of Sainsbury's can use tool and methods that assist for solve their problems.
Here two methods are listed below that assist to develop solution:
Self evaluation: If the management of Sainsbury's can use this tool for their employee' in
which they develop self evaluation. With the help of this method employee can know about their
effectiveness and their potentiality towards the working (Collet, Hine and du Plessis, 2015). HR
manager can also motivate them that they have potential work quality to achieve their target.
Brainstorming: In this point, Sainsbury's can use team meeting in which every one can
give their point of view to solve the problems in effective way. As per their view, management
can concern with the all view points that assist to know how individual can work in effective
manner.
4.2 Appropriate strategy for resolving problems
In the Sainsbury's, freshers are not retained in the organisation and for problem,
management can concern with the appropriate solution that is listed below:
Identifying issue
HR manager of Sainsbury's must focus on the issue that why employees' are not retained
in the organisation. Employee face various issues in the Sainsbury's so that they are not able to
stand in the organisation. Employee not able to understand their work with more effective way.
In the initial level they face work load that is also impacted on their work (Wilson and Zulu,
2016).
Ways to solve problems
For solving above issues in the organisation, management develop induction programme
so that employees' can comfortable in the firm. Management also get reviews from employee and
according to that they can provide training sections and workshop to improve their working.
4.3 Potential impact on the business for implementing strategy
If management of Sainsbury's focus on the above points and implement all that
suggestions so that working of employee become effective. If management use its impressive
working so that it contribute to enhance their profitably in the Sainsbury's. When management of
Sainsbury's use effective strategies so that employee effectiveness shows in the organisation.
With the help of this effective working individual can concern how they can use its working with
more effective way. Sainsbury's has strong employment strength that assist to enhance number of
share in the market trend (Bilsland, Nagy and Smith, 2014).
7

CONCLUSION
Present report is based on the Sainsbury's and all this report is based on how an employee
and its skills are essential for the fulfilment of Job. This report is also including various points
that assist to know how they can concern with their work based problem so that they can solve
them all and improve their working style. Moreover, various methods are also discussed in this
report that assist to know, which step should be taken by the management for solving their
problems so that it positively impacted on the Sainsbury's business.
8

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Benson, V., Morgan, S. and Filippaios, F., 2014. Social career management: Social media and
employability skills gap. Computers in Human Behavior.30. pp.519-525.
Bilsland,N. E., Nagy, H. and Smith, P., 2014. Planning the journey to best practice in developing
employability skills: Transnational university internships in Vietnam. Asia-Pacific Journal
of Cooperative Education. 15(2). pp.145-57.
Collet, C., Hine, D. and du Plessis, K., 2015. Employability skills: perspectives from a
knowledge-intensive industry. Education+ Training. 57(5). pp.532-559.
Deeley, S. J., 2013. Summative co-assessment: A deep learning approach to enhancing
employability skills and attributes. Active Learning in Higher Education,
p.1469787413514649.
El Mansour, B. and Dean, J. C., 2016. Employability Skills as Perceived by Employers and
University Faculty in the Fields of Human Resource Development (HRD) for Entry Level
Graduate Jobs. Journal of Human Resource and Sustainability Studies. 4(01). p.39.
Kulkarni, N. and Chachadi, A. H., 2014. Skills for Employability: Employers' Perspective. SCMS
Journal of Indian Management. 11(3). p.64.
Messum, D., Wilkes, L. and Jackson, D., 2015. What employability skills are required of new
health managers?. Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management. 10(1). p.28.
Rao, M . S., 2014. Enhancing employability in engineering and management students through
soft skills. Industrial and Commercial Training. 46(1). pp.42-48.
Senior, C., Reddy, P. and Senior, R., 2014. The relationship between student employability and
student engagement: working toward a more unified theory.
Spence, S. and Hyams-Ssekasi, D., 2015. Developing business students’ employability skills
through working in partnership with a local business to deliver an undergraduate
mentoring programme. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning. 5(3). pp.299-
314.
Tsitskari, E., Goudas, M. and Michalopoulou, M., 2017. Employers’ expectations of the
employability skills needed in the sport and recreation environment. Journal of Hospitality,
Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education. 20. pp.1-9.
9

Wilson, M. and Zulu, S., 2016. Inter-professional Collaborative Learning for the Enhancement of
Employability Skills. Delivering Excellence in Higher Education.
Online
Team Dynamics - How They Affect Performance. 2015. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/team/dynamics/overview/l>. [Accessed on 14th
January 2017].
10