Employability skills for the future

This chapter, a summary of the report 'Employability skills for the future' (TD/TNC 70.178), provides an overview of a research project which was undertaken by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and the Business Council of Australia (BCA) and funded by the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA). The project report provides a consolidation of research undertaken with small, medium and large-sized enterprises during 2001. The development of an employability skills framework has been a major outcome of the project. This chapter describes the drivers and influences on the development of this framework. The framework itself and its links with the Mayer key competencies are described, as well as the role that enterprises play in encouraging the development of generic skills and how employers assess whether employees have these skills.