What are Key Skills and Why are They Important
Key skills cover the areas of Numeracy, Literacy, and IT. Having a good level of knowledge in these subjects is useful for pretty much all jobs. Most employers will require a minimum level, such as GCSEs at grade C or above. For specialised jobs there will probably be more requirements. Everyone is taught these subjects in school, and the skills taught in them are used in most jobs. Different jobs will call for different amounts; some roles don’t have much maths involved, others have hardly any writing or reading, but there will almost always be the need for basic levels in all of them.
Employers place value on key skills because they expect candidates and employees to perform the tasks and duties of their role to a good standard. Having a solid grasp of these skills is a strong indicator that you will be able to learn new things as part of your job role, and also shows that you’re hard working.
Developing and Demonstrating Key Skills.
If you don’t feel as strong in all of the key skills they are very easy to develop and improve upon. There are lots of courses online, such as BBC Bitesize which offers a wide range of subject material up to GCSE level. Not doing as well in your exams as you’d hoped isn’t the end of the world, and by making the effort to learn and grow your skills yourself you’ll really impress employers.
Basic skills are best demonstrated by the grades you have obtained, either in GCSEs, BTECs, or other qualifications. Make sure you include these on your CV, and know where your certificates and awards are in case an employer wants to see them.
If you’ve got a particular strength or interest in one of the key skills areas make sure you highlight this on your CV and at interview. It’s a smart move to do some extra development in this area in order to give you an edge. You can then talk about this during interviews, remembering to use the STARRS model for giving a great example.
