Reflecting on Academic and Employability Skills for Career Growth

This report provides a reflective analysis of academic and employability skills, focusing on how these skills contribute to career development. The report utilizes Gibbs' reflective cycle and Kolb's reflective cycle model to examine personal experiences and learning gained during academic studies. It highlights the importance of skills such as communication, presentation, time management, and decision-making, and how these abilities enhance employability and professional growth. The report describes experiences, feelings, and evaluations related to academic activities, emphasizing the acquisition of valuable skills and their application in real-world scenarios. It concludes by summarizing the importance of employability skills for individuals and their contribution to the economy, emphasizing the need for continuous self-assessment and skill development. The report also references relevant literature to support its findings.

Academic and
Employability Skills

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION:................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY........................................................................................................................................4
Gibbs reflective cycle........................................................................................................................4
Kolb’s Reflective Cycle model-........................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................................................7
Books & Journal:...............................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION:
Employability skills define as the abilities of individuals to undertake assigned task in
an efficient manner. It helps to develop an image of candidates in front of employers in order
to create their profound image and get the job. These skills are also important from the
perspective of employers as with this employees will be able to perform various business
functions in an efficient manner. It is analysed that these skills and abilities will help an
individual to perform assigned task in an efficient which will eventually provide higher
competitive advantages to company. These skills can be easily acquired by individuals during
academics that will help in career growth. There are certain abilities such as communication,
presentation, time management and decision-making skills which play a crucial role in
personal as well as professional development of a person. In addition, these skills also
enhanced employability opportunities for individuals and make them enable to create a
difference. In the present report, a reflection is included which comprises experience as well
as learning’s of individuals during academics. There are certain model such as Gibbs also
have been applied in the following report.
MAIN BODY
Gibbs reflective cycle

It was developed in the year of 1988 by Graham Gibbs and emphasis on the
application of knowledge and skills that have been learned while performing various business
functions (Aliu, 2019). With this, individuals can easily link their experiences that have
gained by in various situations in order to perform future tasks in better manner. In order to
analyse the impact of various knowledge and skills that I have learned during academics,
Gibbs model has been applied as follows:
Description: It is the first stages in which description of situations are given that has
been faced by an individual. I personally learned several skills during studies which will help
me in future growth. I took part in several activities during academics which render me
exponential communication skills as I got opportunities to interact with different person. It
will also help me to perform better at work place. In addition, my presentation skill is also
enhanced during academic sessions as I have to prepare several presentations and also deliver
it in front of mentors and peers. It will help me to get better employment in near future and
also boost my confidence (Hooker, 2016).
Feelings: It is the second stage of Gibbs model which describe the feeling of an
individual during a particular situation. I have gone through with several situations during
academics that helped me to develop several experiences which are essentials to deal with the
future situations in better manner. There were several situations activities have been
organised during academic sessions and I always remain highly excited to take part in that.
Feeling is the second level of this model that help in analysing feeling of individual person
during particular phase of time period. There are various types of situations that assist me in
improving various experiences that is dealing with future situation in proper manner. These
activities provided me great experiences that I can use in future career.
Evaluation: It is the most significant stage of Gibbs model under which experience of an
individual during whole process is evaluated in effective manner. It is analysed that it can be
both positive and negative and guide an individual for future course of action. I personally
have several experiences which I have gathered during academics. It helped me to evaluate
my performance on regular basis and make necessary improvements to grow and explore in
future. My overall personal experience was really good as I have learned several skills that
will further help me to explore in career. During academics, I learned ample of new abilities
that will assist me to perform assigned task effectively at work place. Further, I also analysed
that my public speaking skills are really good thus I am able to interact with peers in an
effective manner (Mariani, 2019).

Therefore, it has been analysed that it is determined as a first level where description of
different situation are given that is confronted by individual person during particular phase of
time period. I personally increase my knowledge and different skill during studies that assist
me in growth in future period of time. In addition to this, I also took part in various activities
during academy that increasing my communication skills and grab opportunity to interact
with another person in an appropriate manner. It also used in performing my work in an
appropriate manner. Therefore, these skills help me in increasing confidence level and
employment opportunity during particular phase of time period (Reynolds, 2020).
Kolb’s Reflective Cycle model-
Learning is important in every individual life on the basis of which it is easy for
person to get employment in this competitive it is a continuous process which is to be carried
out in most efficient way and also refraction has to be made on previous as well as current
running so that future goals and objectives are achieved in proper manner (Aliu, 2019). So, in
this essay Kolb's reflective cycle is being discussed on the basis of which reflection about my
learning during class is done. This reflective cycle states that it is necessary to learn and
examine the actions so that decisions are done in proper manner. This model comprises of
four stages which are briefly discussed below-
Concrete experience- it is the first stage of the model in which it shows about new
experience faced by individual during the process of learning or reflection. The article of
employability skills reflects that skills are needed to get the job. Moreover, in this article I
have learnt that new academic skills are required within this competitive era. For example
during my module course, improve my new skills which one needed by me which are
explained below-
Communication skills-
These skills are important to get employment and job. This is because without having
proper communication skills it is required for an individual to deal with people. So, I used my
communication skills during my presentations and projects. These communication skills also
help me in future context as because these are needed at every stage of personnel as well as
professional life. Moreover it increases my self-confidence at higher level (Hooker, 2016).
Reflective experience- It is a second stage of model in which I improved my learning
and employability skills through observing others. For example I observe my teammates and
their behavior towards each other on the basis of which I developed my teamwork skills in
effective manner. Observing others requires proper analysis and time during this learning

process earlier I was able to analyses others in proper manner which also help me in
improving my observing approaches.
Abstract conceptualization-: It is also another stage of reflective cycle in which new
ideas or modification in existing ideas is being done to improve the adopted. During my
model course, many new ideas were generated by me on the basis of which I learnt many new
things and improve my critical thinking skills. Moreover, during the topic of employability
skill I generate new ideas of developing my skills of my relevant field and putting them into
real course of action to determine performance and progress level. Through this idea it was
easy for me to improve my skills which one needed for employment.
Active experimentation- It is last stage of effective cycle model in which it states
that which is present during the learning process applies their Idea into real cause of action
and examine what will be the results. So from the article of employability skills, I gained
knowledge about how a person can get a job by using their skill and knowledge. I also apply
my ideas into to real-world such as by taking freelancing projects, applying for the job
through portals etc. This helps me in in improving my chances of getting employability. It is
also important to focus on active experimentation results so that problem or issue doesn't
arise. Moreover, by applying ideas into real world increases knowledge and confidence of
particular individual.
Moreover it has been stated that both Gibbs's and Kolb's cycle are important
reflective cycle which are required to be focused and analyzed by particular individual on the
basis of which it is easy for them to make decisions about while using particular skills for
knowledge.
After analysis of above matter, it has been seen that these stages are needed to be
exam so that it is easier to have a proper knowledge about employability and relevant skills
needed by professionals. In this learning process, it is important to focus on development and
growth of capabilities so that objectives are achieved within a period of time. In second topic
of employability which is article 1, from this article I learnt and examined that it is a
necessary to have a proper knowledge about what employers are looking for vacancy for
organization. Both of these article very helpful in improving and develop my knowledge
about employability as well as skills which are to be adopted by me. With this changing
period of time, it is important to me differentiate and achieve competitive benefit so that
getting job become easy for an individual (Mariani, 2019).
Academic and employability skills are important concepts which are needed to be
understood with proper considerations so that goals are accomplished with in a fixed time

interval. Implementation of this concept employability full also contribute towards the
national building where it will help in employing the graduates with a solid backbone for
performing different task and a great knowledge to improve the condition within the
economy. Student with the skills of employability from the higher education will priorities of
different organisation as well as support the growth and development within the firm. Also, it
help in upgrading that ranks of different educational institutes where they can increase the
students as well as increased their pay by providing them opportunity to use employability
skills for their campus recruitment programs (Reynolds, 2020).
Herein the overall process is assessed in an appropriate manner. It has been assess that
it impose both positive as well as negative impact and provide guidance to a person for taking
future action. I personally have various experiences which I have collected during academics.
The level of performance is measured on continuous basis and makes important improvement
to exploring career in future period of time. My whole personal experience was good and I
have given my knowledge and skills that will assist me in exploring my career in future
period of time. Therefore, I also assess that my public speaking skill are superior and I am
capable to interact with another individual in an appropriate way.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of above given report it has been analysed that employment skill is the
capability of an individual person to undertake appropriate task in an proper manner. It is
used in improving image of applicant in mind set of employee for generating profound image
and get job. Therefore this is a significant from the point of view of employer as with its
employer perform different function in an appropriate way. It has been analysed that they are
various skill that assists by individual person to perform different kind of task in an
appropriate manner that help in achieving competitive advantage over rivalry at
Marketplace. There are various capability like communication, presentation, time

Administration that is important for personal and professional development of individual
person during particular phase of time period

REFERENCES
Books & Journal:
Aliu, 2019. Employers’ perception of employability skills among built-environment
graduates. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology.
Hooker, 2016. Embedding key transferable employability skills for lifelong success through
blending an innovative portfolio to complement traditional assessment. Practitioner Research
in Higher Education, 10(1), pp.156-175.
Mariani, 2019. Wath do employers look for when hiring new graduates? Answers from the
Electus survey.
Reynolds, 2020. Differences in medical student performance on examinations: exploring
score variance between Kolb's Learning Style Inventory classifications. BMC Medical
Education, 20(1), pp.1-7.
Skoyles, 2019. Developing Employability Skills Workshops for Students’ Higher Education
Achievement Reports. New Review of Academic Librarianship,25(2-4), pp.190-217.
Tomkins, 2016. ‘Oh, was that “experiential learning”?!’Spaces, synergies and surprises with
Kolb’s learning cycle. Management Learning, 47(2), pp.158-178.
Tudy, 2017. Employers’ Satisfaction on the Performance of New College
Graduates. SLONGAN, 3(1), pp.22-22.
Ghanbari, H., Homayouni, S., Safari, A. and Mohammadpour, A., 2017. Hyperspectral
Images Classification using Gaussian Mixture Model and Gibbs Sampler Algorithm.
El Miedany, Y., 2019. Reflective Learning, Reflective Teaching. In Rheumatology
Teaching (pp. 199-233). Springer, Cham.