Academic and Employability Skills: Enhancing Workplace Performance

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ACADEMIC AND EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
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Executive Summary
In this assignment it mainly focuses on requirement of academic skills that is also required in
employability skills. In this report there has been analysis of time management, team work,
and note taking, positive attitude, willingness to learn and self-management are done.
Tuckmans theory is being applied to show how employability skill is helpful in organization
to enhance their better work. Pareto principle is also shown were different steps are taken to
enhance better organization to employees. Necessary changes are taken to help in enhancing
employees so that they can change and get a better organization. Thus mangers are given new
techniques to help employees and get a better enhancement to employees.
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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Findings and analysis:................................................................................................................3
Time Management..................................................................................................................3
Note Taking............................................................................................................................4
Teamwork...............................................................................................................................4
Positive Attitude.....................................................................................................................4
Willingness to learn................................................................................................................5
Self-management....................................................................................................................5
Theories applicable to employability skills................................................................................5
Discussion on how skills enhance employment opportunities...................................................6
Recommendation........................................................................................................................7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
Reference list..............................................................................................................................9
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Introduction
The study involves mainly focusing on academic and employability skills. Various
advantages and disadvantages are also shown to enable be successful in workplaces. Many
employability skills are also been shown to create better performance. Importance of
academic and employability skills to develop teamwork, communication, and solving
problem will need to be discussed in this topic. It also focuses on how these skills are
required for decision-making, critical thinking, etc. that are essential for success in way of
life and also helps to work better more effectively with extra information. It also focuses on
various academic skills that are required to prepare employees for higher education.
Findings and analysis:
Employability skills required for an employee
Academic skills are those which helps others to become a more effective learner, achieving
academic success and that reflects your potential in future. There are various types to develop
academic skills that can help to develop others in academic success, more effective and also a
good learner. The following are:
Time Management
Assuming good academic skills time management is a major role to play in academic skills as
employees must manage their respective time in different sectors like sleeping, studying,
eating and work. If time management is not being divided into these following respective
sectors employees cannot develop their potential nor can they achieve academic success and
effective learning. As opined by Chankseliani et al. (2016:582), time management makes a
huge contribution to this success. This involves effective planning such that employees avoid
wasting time by performing all tasks at schedule time. This helps to develop them in
employability skills as they can get a better working environment and also can manage the
work and complete it in required time. Due to this skill, employment probability is increased
so that they can complete their work in scheduled time. Various strategies should be taken
that can help to accomplish success such as employees need to use helpful resources to
tackle their work by using technology and internet such that it is related to employability
skills. New technology is known to them that helps employee to work smoothly in an
organization as they do not need extra knowledge to understand the work.
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Note Taking
Another important academic skill that must be followed is note taking. When employees
mainly come for lecture classes they must make note on an important topic that is being
discussed. It also increases amount of information learned in class and results in academic
success. As an employee, this helps them to note down information’s that are provided by
managers. As opined by Messer (2018:16), this idea mainly helps them in future as if they
forget any rule or technique; easily employee can look at the notes and knows the technique.
All employees mainly need foundational academic knowledge on science, math’s and
language arts in today's economic environment such that this helps them to increase their
employability skills. However, to become career ready they need to be able to apply
academic context and need more attention and development. For example, employers often in
English writing or communication make mistakes on grammars and sentence making. This
leads employee in issues such that there is often a gap in between this. These developing
skills are required for better employment.
Teamwork
It is also a key role skill for employee as good teamwork management helps employers to
increase their experience in work with others. As said by Messum et al. (2016:25), this idea
helps them to build events and encourages completing work with extra efforts. Good
teamwork takes various roles and responsibilities and creates a better working condition for
an employee. They should discuss ideas and solve various problems. All employees must be
clear on long-term goals for their respective organization. In good teamwork, they can help
each other to get whatever their goals are and it also provides a clear and better vision
towards success.
Positive Attitude
Having a positive attitude helps employees in getting their chances of doing their respective
work smoothly. Employees must have a positive attitude as they are focused on their work
and never makes mistakes while doing their work. As measured by Rabiner et al. (2016:250),
this also encourages other employees to work hard and compete with others. It also helps
employee to cope up better under stressful situations and overcome them. This also reduces
obstacles and difficult situation that a company encounters. Employees also overcome
challenges if they have a positive attitude in them. They can keep on trying their work and do
not give up in small things as this can lead to a better workspace.
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Willingness to learn
Willingness to learn shows that employees are happy to learn new things and implement
those ideas in their respective work. For example, if a manager says to employees that they
must focus on programming to improve their programming language, they don't need to get
upset and but try hard to do better. As opined by Ransom et al. (2015:1043), employees must
get involved in cultural events or industry association such that they can learn new skills and
innovative ideas to use in the organization. Volunteering also helps employees to provide
opportunities in developing their skills of learning and also helps them to grow and learn.
They must think about a big goal so that this type of mindset helps in making a more strategic
decision and build a better position to go ahead.
Self-management
Employees must manage themselves in working conditions that don't harm others. Self-
management skill helps employees to communicate with other co-workers, customers and
makes healthy decisions. Employees should have self-confidence as this helps organization to
make better decisions and complete tasks on schedule work. They should have patience in
their work as this leads them to a better working condition. Due to having patience in their
work, there is no misbehavior among employee and managers.
Theories applicable to employability skills
Teamwork in an organization plays a important rule for success. It includes a group of people
working together and is focused on a specific goal. Group researchers and social scientist
develop theories to define effective practices. Business administration mainly teaches team
about techniques to be applied in organization. Employers also ask management about team
building technique and practices. In Tuckman's theory, it is mentioned that a business
organization must follow four phases on group development; they are forming, norming,
performing and storming. Firstly, forming phase in a business term means to start a business
by registering, incorporating or form a partnership. As said Saeed & Rashidi (2017:302) by it
helps the business in sizing up organization and finding a place in team to work smoothly.
Secondly, norming means proving ideas and work on them. In organization norming helps
team members to distribute ideas among together and work on the provided ideas. In this
phase, employees come together to solve problems of organization. Thirdly, by performing in
business term means developing good performance in business organizations. Performing
helps organization to motivate efforts of employees and cultivate that strength to grow bigger
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and effective. Lastly, storming mean developing growth strategy of business. Storming helps
organization to challenge another employee in doing effective work. This helps an employee
of organization to create a challenge of completing their respective task within allocated time
period.
In Pareto principle, time management is discussed on two points that are identifying key
results and prioritize task. Firstly identifying key result is important as it focuses on fulfilling
responsibilities in organization and work efficiently. It helps in achieving business goal and
focuses on key results. On the other hand, prioritize task in organization helps to organize
task by estimated effort. Organization identifies the important prospects and adapts those in
business. For positive attitude in a business organization, six theories are to be followed in
organization that keeps an open mind, think big, go with flow, be persuasive, action and
boldness, be proactive, not reactive.
Regarding betterment business organization, always employees have to be open-minded as
such this can help to know all information regarding outside market so that they it increases a
market revenue. Organization needs to think bug as more likely it will help in achieving a
goal. This helps in pushing boundaries and inspires in starting a new positive plan. Thirdly,
organization gets help as it is flexible in market that portrays a good understanding with
customers and this face obstacle. Go with the flow helps organization to face obstacles.
Fourthly, being persuasive organization gets help on creating its own ideas and implementing
those in market to increase revenue. Fifthly, due to a good response of action and boldness
organization gets help to compete with rivals. This helps them to be in a good position and
increases their demand. Lastly, organization is always proactive and not reactive as this helps
them to think ahead one step from other organization and influence in coming up with new
ideas.
Discussion on how skills enhance employment opportunities
Time management skills are enhanced employment opportunity in various ways such as it
increases a time understanding towards employees so that they can complete a given task
within a scheduled time period. As opined by York et al. (2015:20), this skill helps
employees to be more perfect in time management and complete their task with innovative
skills and ideas. On the other hand, note taking skills helps employee in making note of work
so that in future if employees don't understand or forget technique of work they can take help
from their note making. However, teamwork also helps employees to bring them in creating
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good teamwork and complete specific job clearly. It also helps employees in focusing on
long-term goals of organization and completes them within required time. On another side, a
positive attitude to employees enhances them in making a good environment within
workplace. It reduces risk and obstacles of organization and thus enhances employees to
create a better mutual understanding. However, employees are mainly enhanced on
willingness to learn. This helps them to increase their outer knowledge by participating in
company events, programs, etc. As opined by James (2018:225), self-management helps
employees to enhance in taking healthy decision making as well as with other co-workers.
Employees are also serious in their related work and do not misbehave in workplace.
Recommendation
Various methods are to be taken to improve employability skills so that more employees are
enhanced by this process. Firstly, schedule tasks must be provided so that as per employees
skills and abilities work can be completed. This function must be followed to complete task
on scheduled time and there is no delay. This can enhance employees as according to this
employees are being provided with their skill ability work. Secondly, note taking can be
improved by reviewing again and also by providing with best ideas and researches.
This will help employees to be focused on notes and enhance them to apply this technique.
Thirdly, teamwork must also include open communication and managers within employees
and properly organized so that employees always get help from managers and understand
work. Fourthly, a positive attitude may also include an open-minded behaviour among
employees so that they can be more effective in their work and stay focused. Fifthly, self-
management must be shared with all employees, co-workers and all departments. This action
can help create better work and also enhance employees to work smoothly in organization.
Conclusion
This assignment concludes that academic skills are required for employee to work in an
organization and help to create a better understanding. Teamwork enhances employees by
making groups so that a specific work can be discussed and with every employee, idea work
is completed. A better positive attitude also helps employee to improve decision-making that
leads organization to lower their risk and thus do not decrease their profit revenue from
market. Positive attitude among employees creates a good relationship between them. This
helps them to increase their efficiency and stay focused on their work. Note taking helps
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employees to go through the notes that help them to increase their knowledge. In future, they
can also study this note or refer this to get knowledge.
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Reference list
Journal
Chankseliani, M., James Relly, S., & Laczik, A. (2016) Overcoming vocational prejudice:
how can skills competitions improve the attractiveness of vocational education and training in
the UK?. British Educational Research Journal, 42(4), 582-599.
Jackson, T. P., & Oliver, S. (2018) Adaptive Learning Program for Developing
Employability Skills. Journal of Pedagogic Development, 8(1).
James, A. I. (2018) Embedding Writing Support Within a Psychology Academic Skills
Module: A Case Study. Journal of Academic Writing, 8(2), 225-228.
Messer, D. (2018) Work placements at 14-15 years and employability skills. Education+
Training, 60(1), .16-26.
Messum, D. G., Wilkes, L. M., Jackson, D., & Peters, K. (2016) Employability Skills in
Health Services Management: perceptions of recent graduates. Asia Pacific Journal of Health
Management, 11(1), 25.
Messum, D., Wilkes, L., Peters, K., & Jackson, D. (2016) Content analysis of vacancy
advertisements for employability skills: Challenges and opportunities for informing
curriculum development. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate
Employability, 7(1), 72.
Rabiner, D. L., Godwin, J., & Dodge, K. A. (2016) Predicting academic achievement and
attainment: the contribution of early academic skills, attention difficulties, and social
competence. School Psychology Review, 45(2), 250-267.
Ransom, D. M., Vaughan, C. G., Pratson, L., Sady, M. D., McGill, C. A., & Gioia, G. A.
(2015). Academic effects of concussion in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 135(6),
1043-1050.
Saeed, K., & Rashidi, Z. (2017) essential employability skills for marketing careers: gap
analysis of education and profession. Pakistan Business Review, 19(2), pp.302-319.
York, T. T., Gibson, C., & Rankin, S. (2015) Defining and Measuring Academic
Success. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 20.
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