Crown House Publishing award-winning independent publisher
Press Release
Helping young people prepare for the world of work - and take charge of their future careers Connecting the evolving needs of today’s employers with how young people are being prepared for working life, makes perfect sense. It supports the transition from education into employment, provides new starters with a greater understanding of the language of work, helps staff to make a valuable contribution at the earliest possible stage and enables all employees to fully realise their long-term potential. While the pursuit of academic interests will always support the delivery of long term aspirations, growing evidence suggests that too much emphasis on formal outcomes alone, could result in the risk of overlooking the specific skills and approaches required to ensure that the next generation succeed in employment. A greater emphasis on practical life skills
Evidence from The Prince’s Trust’s Results for Life (2017) report demonstrates that young people don’t feel fully equipped to enter the workforce.
In the survey, 43 per cent of final year students said they felt ill-prepared for work, and lacked the adaptive skills required to prosper. When asked why they believed such skills were important, 62 per cent of young people said that they believed developing ‘softer’ life skills would help them get a job. This appetite to extend capability around some of the most transferable work skills was strongly supported by teaching staff, with a staggering 91 per cent of tutors recognising that schools and colleges should be doing much more to help their students to develop these skills.
The British Chamber of Commerce has also called on businesses to take on more responsibility in addressing gaps in young people’s skills and experience levels. This echoes the concerns of The Prince’s Trust, who have discovered that once new starters are up and running in a new role, nearly three quarters of them still feel unprepared for their chosen career. In a world in which access to information is
freely available at the touch of a smartphone, the value of passing memory-based exams quickly becomes less relevant. There is a growing gap between what employers see as valuable and what young people are prizing upon leaving education. Bridging the gap between formal qualifications and evolving employer expectations
Many institutions are of course working hard to address this issue, with a greater emphasis on work placements and ongoing assessment techniques. However, the language used by employers to describe the elements of effective performance at work remains unfamiliar to the majority of young people, who still need to develop their understanding of what is expected of them and then be able to describe these requirements in contextual terms. With more people expected to undertake a greater number of job roles in their lifetime, developing the adaptive skills which are likely to be attractive to employers may well accelerate entry into new positions and increase opportunities for job movement.
This is why Chris Watson has produced Upskill: a book designed for anyone who is committed to developing themselves and enhancing their career prospects, but may not have the time, the resources, the budget or the inspiration to know where to start. Using straightforward terms, it demystifies employer expectations and delivers a rich resource of reliable strategies for readers to action in their own time and at their own pace: 840 practical ideas reflecting the latest thinking on how to extend capability at work and boost performance. Readers will discover a host of engaging tools, proven techniques, novel approaches, topical insights, time-saving apps and carefully selected videos, as well as signposts to relevant quotes, books and resources. Ultimately, Upskill reinforces the importance of applied people skills and the human dimension of work by placing each person at the heart of their own learning journey.
Chris Watson is an award winning specialist in the promotion of adaptive skills who founded Endor Learn & Develop in 2002 following a successful career in publishing and higher education. Incurably curious about all aspects of organisational behaviour, his aim is to strengthen relationships in the workplace by sharing straightforward solutions which people can relate to on a personal level. Chris has collaborated with a number of institutions to support employability initiatives and is the creator of an innovative toolkit for young people on the language of work.
Upskill: 21 keys to professional growth by Chris Watson ISBN 9781785833526 £14.99 Will be published 30th October 2018 www.crownhouse.co.uk
Extracts and interviews available
Chris Watson is available to provide expert comment, interviews and by-lined articles on a number of topics, including: • • •
Developing the adaptive skills essential for success at work and beyond Understanding the language of work Accessing relevant learning options, linked to individual job requirements
• • •
Helping young people to adapt and adjust to evolving work demands Managing personal development in your own time, at your own pace The secrets of the self-directed learner
For a review copy, an extract, or an interview with the author, please contact: Tabitha Palmer tpalmer@crownhouse.co.uk 01267 211345