Page 38 - A Handbook for Academia, Industry and Policymakers: Reinforcing the Innovation-Employability Nexus in the Mediterranean

38 REINFORCING THE INNOVATION-EMPLOYABILITY NEXUS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REINFORCING THE INNOVATION-EMPLOYABILITY NEXUS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN 39

All major international organisations dealing of disruptive innovations: blockchain, artificial Soft skills skills for employability is recognised by various
with employment and education, such as the intelligence, wide spread digitalisation educational reforms in the region, such as in
International Labour Organization (ILO), the accelerated by the constant growing number of Soft skills refer to non-technical skills that Tunisia where the HE system has undergone a
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and people and devices connected to internet, 5G, support an individual in staying relevant through re-structuring and a pillar of the new structure is
Development (OECD), the World Bank, and United and other technologies. Across all sectors in all continuous learning. There are different names dedicated to the employability of young graduates,
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural professions, digital skills have generated new for these skills, ranging from ‘professional skills’, including equipping them with soft skills.
Organization (UNESCO), have established types of work, promoted efficiency, and underpin ‘key competencies’, ‘transferable skills’, ‘essential
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employment and education departments to innovation . skills’, ‘life skills’, or, as the ILO calls them, ‘core The ILO groups and describes soft skills as
develop relevant strategies to cope with the work skills’ or ‘core skills for employability’ follows :
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rapidly changing trends in the job market, to Globalisation and demographic changes were as shown in Table 2. The importance of these
anticipate the needs of emerging professions already having a profound impact on everyday
and future skills, and to find solutions to the life, culture, educational systems, societies, Soft skills, also known as ‘core work skills’
‘skills gap’. There are different types of skills and businesses and on the very sensitive ever- Table 2
within each, different levels of accomplishment. changing job market. The COVID-19 pandemic
According to the ILO, skills are ‘the ability to and subsequent lockdown has dramatically Learning to Learn Communication Teamwork Problem-solving
carry out the tasks and duties of a given job’, accelerated the emphasis on digital skills,
and skill specialisation refers to the service or requiring everyone from the youngest pupils to Being willing to learn Reading competently Managing oneself at work Thinking creatively
Working in teams or groups
Solving problems independently
Using learning techniques to acquire
Reading, understanding and using
good generated and what was used to produce it, mid- to late-career professionals to have enough and apply new knowledge and skills materials, including graphs, charts and Interacting with co-workers Testing assumptions
displays
such as disciplinary knowledge, instruments and digital knowledge to manage their own home- Working safely Understanding and speaking the language Respecting the thoughts and opinions of Identifying problems
Pursuing independent learning
others in the group
materials . office or school equipment. It has also ushered Taking responsibility for own learning in which the business is conducted Working within the culture of the group Taking the context of data and
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circumstances into account
in the exploration of new operating models Thinking abstractly Writing effectively in the languages in Understanding and contributing to the Identifying and suggesting new ideas to get
which the business is conducted
that have come about through work-from- Writing to the needs of an audience organisation’s goals the job done (initiative)
Beyond the specialised skills required to Organising, processing and holding Listening and communicating effectively Planning and making decisions with others Collecting, analysing and organising
information
technically fulfil job requirements, there are two home environments that will have an impact Interpreting and communicating Listening to understand and learn and supporting the outcomes information (planning and organisation)
categories of skills that apply across the board on everything from recruitment and talent information using numeracy effectively Taking accountability for actions Planning and managing time, money and
other resources to achieve goals
Building partnerships and coordinating a
Conducting systematic inquiry, following
to all types of jobs: digital skills and soft skills. acquisition to re-shaping job markets and higher through to find answers Articulating own ideas and vision variety of experiences
These also are the most cited by companies as education systems. Using time effectively and efficiently Working towards group consensus in
decision-making
without sacrificing quality
lacking in their new hires and areas where they As more people have been forced to work or study Selecting the best approach for tasks Valuing others’ input
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experience the skills gap in their organisations . from home, an unusual experiment has unfolded Beginning, following through and Accepting feedback
completing tasks
Digital skills provide a foundation of knowledge in an alternative productivity that may outlast Being adaptable Resolving conflicts
Coaching, mentoring and giving feedback
that can help keep up as required skill-sets the pandemic and change the way of working Leading effectively
change. Soft skills refer to a mind-set that and studying to a more blended approach. This Mobilising a group for high performance
facilitates continuous learning. Both these skills change will further increase the importance of 32
build upon and strengthen basic and specific digital skills. Source: ILO
skills gained through education, giving the
possessor the capacity to be productive even in a
fast-changing environment. As technology-driven skill sets emerge, focused Looking closely at the links between these three
around user experiences and user interfaces, players to re-consider the traditionally separate
employers will need people with a combination roles is essential.
Digital skills of digital and soft skills: a digital mindset that
Skills are at the forefront of digital innovation. can visualise what technology can deliver and Academia
There is a growing polarisation of labour-market knowledge of human factors that can deliver HEIs have been seen as primary knowledge
opportunities between high- and low-skilled jobs, services alongside the technology, creating
increasing the mismatch between skills provided With the exponential a better service to customers. Capabilities producers, a source of vocational identity and are
and job requirements. Technology- driven and competencies required for the future are important contributors to society and nations.
skill sets are emerging, focused around user growth in information, changing. Everything is changing, from the kind They are also centres for lifelong learning and
experience and user interface. At the same time, of jobs available, to the way of working, and even hubs for discovery and innovation, building new
the market will also need skills sets developed professionals face a the type of education needed to acquire and keep knowledge and changing understanding of the
around human factors. The requirements of the up with these skills. world through fundamental science that leads
to new treatments and products, or sources of
workforce are changing, and the capabilities knowledge half-life the evidence on which policy decisions should
and competencies required for the future are 34 It is becoming clear that there will be a significant be made. Anticipating skill requirements when
changing. dilemma disruption in how we perceive work and that the technology is changing rapidly and offering new
response cannot come from HEIs alone. It needs to study programmes to match these requirements
The transformational era currently underway —
the so-called 4th Industrial Revolution referring come from a robust and functional collaboration creates pressure on HEIs. The post-Covid-19
to the convergence of digital, biological, and between academia, industry and governments, perspective has accelerated this discourse. How
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physical innovations — has seen the emergence and requires different policy approaches . can HEIs facilitate innovation and effectively