Over, the last decade, a great emphasis has been placed on math, English, and ICT skills. These core skills are considered to be the holy trinity for schoolchildren today. It is these skills, ‘functional skills’ as we often refer to them as, which are considered to be essential skills prospective employers look for.
The government has placed a great deal of emphasis on these subjects; it regards them as being essential to allow citizens to engage fully in society, which is exactly why prospective employers look for these functional skills. Having good literacy and numeracy skills is vital for everyday life and in order to communicate with those around us. ICT is relatively new by comparison but is becoming increasingly relevant to our everyday lives as we become more technology consumed.
Not only does proficiency in these core subjects ensure that your daily interactions with other people are as straightforward as possible and that the most common problems that you are likely to encounter can be tackled, they are also seen as being incredibly important to for personal development. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why employers place such emphasis on these subjects in particular.
Math
Math is all around us, whether we are aware of it or not. Simple tasks like going shopping require us to use our math skills, and whenever you look at your watch to check the time and see how long you have until an appointment, you are doing math. From the perspective of an employer, the ability to work with numbers and demonstrate functional math skills makes an employee more versatile.
Math is a skill that is called upon at all levels of employment. For example, retailers prefer to have staff who are proficient with numbers as this leads to fewer mistakes being made on the tills. Employees who are good with numbers can also be trusted to take on tasks such as cashing up.
English
The UN recognizes that learning to read and write is a fundamental human right, and being able to read and write is an unwritten requirement for many jobs. It’s easy to understand why this is considered so important for employers. Health and safety training, as well as company procedures and on the job training, will require that employees are able to communicate with one another.
The ability, or lack thereof, to read tends to go hand in hand with writing and speaking. However, these are all distinct skills and being proficient in one doesn’t necessarily mean proficiency in another. For employers, having an English qualification is an indicator of an individual being a great communicator.
ICT
Like numbers, computers are all around us. It’s not just the fact that every employee now carries a sophisticated computer around in the form of a smartphone, more and more of the everyday tasks we undertake as part of our jobs involve a computer in some way.
Proficiency with IT, therefore,o indicates to employers that you are likely to be fast to learn and have the ability to take on administrative tasks that are often completed on a computer. Employers place a good deal of importance on information and communication technology (ICT) qualifications because, not only do they demonstrate knowledge of current systems and software, those who excel at ICT can often have the skills that allow them to overcome hurdles with new technology. Whether it is complex software or the new office printer.
There are few industries today that haven’t seen ICT start to play a much more prominent role in day to day business and employers across the spectrum view ICT as a key skill.
Math, English, and ICT are all essential skills for the modern worker. These qualifications will be one of the first things that employers look for when they are vetting a CV. It’s probably best to ensure