The importance for students of developing transferable skills, and the contribution such skills make to the development of a successful workforce, have been highlighted in a number of recent studies in the UK and Ireland (NCIHE, 1997; Forfás, 2003; IDA, 2004). More and more frequently, employers are seeking a broad skill-set from their employees, beyond technical expertise or specialist knowledge. The recruitment campaigns of many graduate employers highlight the kinds of skills (including transferable skills) and qualities they look for when recruiting graduates of any discipline. Research carried out by the Transferable Skills Project identified transferable skills as being third only in importance, behind personal qualities and enthusiasm for the position, for graduates when seeking employment. This increases the necessity for graduates to be aware of the skills they develop during their time in higher education and to be given as many opportunities as possible to develop such skills.
Through research conducted with the four main stakeholders in higher education in Ireland (students, academics, alumni and employers), the project identified the skills which are considered most important for a graduate in their career and also those skills which are currently being well developed through academic programmes. These skills are as follows:
| Most important skills | Most highly developed skills |
|---|---|
| 1. Oral communication | 1. Oral communication |
| 2. Time management | 2. Research skills |
| 3. Team work | 3. Written communication |
| 4. Presentation skills | 4. Presentation skills |
| 5. Coping with multiple tasks | 5. Critical thinking |
| 6. Managing one's own learning | 6. Team work |
| 7. Written communication | 7. Analytical ability |
| 8. Planning | 8. IT skills |
| 9. IT skills | 9. Managing one's own learning |
| 10. Decision making | 10. Coping with multiple tasks |
| 11. Problem solving | 11. Information management |
| 12. Critical thinking | 12. Planning |
The above lists show that most of the skills which are considered important are also considered to be quite highly developed through academic programmes. However, there are some skills, such as time management, which are considered very important, yet are not being well developed in academic programmes. The Transferable Skills Project aimed to address such gaps and to make the development of all transferable skills more explicit to both students and lecturers alike.
From an educational point of view, an increasing emphasis is being placed at European level on the employability of graduates, of which the development of transferable skills is a key component. For example, the Education Council of the European Union (2001) has stated that:
"the basic skills which society requires education and training to deliver are those which give an individual a secure foundation for life and work. They thus cover vocational and technical skills, as well as social and personal competencies."
While educational policy in Ireland does not yet include any provision for the explicit development of transferable skills, the mission statements and strategic plans of many of Ireland's higher education institutions frequently describe the kinds of skills and qualities which they expect their graduates to develop during their time spent studying. Transferable skills are naturally developed throughout every aspect of a student's education: through their academic courses, their extra-curricular activities, their study, their work experience and so on. However, these aspects of a student's education can quite often be very disconnected and students rarely take time to reflect on the skills they are developing during their stay in higher education. Integrating such skills explicitly into third-level courses and programmes is one way to ensure that such philosophies and visions are visible in the curriculum, and thus are truly meaningful for both staff and students. Doing so also enables students to see how development of their skills can enhance their learning and vice versa (i.e. skill development and knowledge acquisition are not mutually exclusive).
I don't think you're NOT learning skills throughout the four years. I just think your attention's not drawn to them and when your attention is drawn to them you begin to notice and focus on them more and it's easier to learn them. An awful lot of it is subconscious skill learning but if it's pointed out to you, you notice it a lot more and it becomes more helpful and your skills are more honed.
Law & German, Year 1
It's something that's subconscious. It's built into the programmes but you're never made aware of what you're doing - that you are covering all the skill areas.
Italian & English, Year 3
Council of the European Union (2001) Report from Education Council to the European Council on the Concrete Future Objectives of Education and Training Systems, From:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/2010/doc/rep_fut_obj_en.pdf (PDF | 167KB)
Forfás (2003) The Fourth Report of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs. Forfás: Dublin. Available on:
http://www.forfas.ie/media/egfsn031002_fourth_report_egfsn.pdf
(PDF 431KB)
Industrial Development Authority (IDA) (2004) IDA Submission to the OECD Review of Higher Education in Ireland, IDA.
UK National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (NCIHE) (1997) Higher Education in the Learning Society. Available on:
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/ncihe/