Whether you call it “employability skills” or “soft skills,” the goal is the same, to prepare today’s students to become our future workforce. When you do a quick sweep over the internet, you will find list after list of the top employability skills that employers seek in their workers. These lists can become overwhelming so to simplify things, I compiled a list of the Top 10 Employability Skills That We Can Teach to Students in our classrooms.
Top 10 Employability Skills That We Can Teach Students
- Communication Skills
- Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
- Creativity
- Collaboration & Teamwork
- Leadership
- Flexibility
- Initiative
- Productivity
- Emotional Intelligence & Conflict Resolution
- Reliability
I began a series of lessons that I call the Employability Skills Series. Most of these lessons came directly from my Career and Technical Education classroom. The first of these lessons focuses on communication skills. My goal is to offer lessons that address each of the ten employability skills that I’ve listed above.
CLICK HERE to download this free resource for your classroom.
Putting Your Right Hand Forward: A Lesson in Making Introductions is a quick lesson on teaching proper etiquette and style when introducing yourself to another person. It teaches the very foundation of communication skills. While brief, the lesson is incredibly engaging and helps to build student camaraderie. It is available as a FREE RESOURCE on Teachers Pay Teachers. CLICK HERE to download your FREE copy. Be sure to let me know how you use it in your classroom by commenting below.
CLICK HERE for the link to the lesson.
Another very engaging communication activity that I used in the classroom was Acing the Interview: Exploring the Top 10 Questions Employers Ask in Job Interviews. After researching the internet, I compiled the top ten questions often asked of potential employees in the interviewing process. I asked students to reflect on these questions and to record their responses. They then participated in an interviewing process that resembled speed dating. Desks were lined up, side-by-side, and students would take turns interviewing other students until the timer ran out and then switched partners. So many students demonstrated the insecurities they have in speaking about themselves, but they worked through it. While tough for some, this was always one of my students’ favorite activities because they knew how “real life” it was. When my students were hired for their first jobs, they were always so excited to let me know how much this activity helped them to get their first job. This lesson includes a reproducible organizer, as well as, a fillable PDF which can be used for online instructional platforms. It is also available on Teachers Pay Teachers. CLICK HERE for the link to the lesson.
Keep following me as I have many more of my successful classroom lessons and ideas to share with you for both Career and Technical Education classrooms and for the Science classroom.
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