The generic skills debate

The debate about the definition and importance of the inclusion of generic or soft skills as key competencies in training packages is continuing. Since their introduction in 1992, changes in the Australian and global economy have brought into question the essential generic skills that enterprises, individuals and communities need to be successful in the current environment. A research project by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and the Business Council of Australia (BCA) found that employers want more than technical skills and identified a set of eight major skill...  [+] Show more

The debate about the definition and importance of the inclusion of generic or soft skills as key competencies in training packages is continuing. Since their introduction in 1992, changes in the Australian and global economy have brought into question the essential generic skills that enterprises, individuals and communities need to be successful in the current environment. A research project by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and the Business Council of Australia (BCA) found that employers want more than technical skills and identified a set of eight major skill areas and a set of personal attributes that employers said were important (the ACCI/BCA report, ‘Employability skills for the future’, is indexed at TD/TNC 70.178). Skills areas such as teamwork, self management and problem solving are included. Teachers and students were also surveyed about their attitudes toward the value they placed on generic skills.

This article is one of a number of articles presented in the section entitled ‘Training packages: teaching and learning’. These articles are indexed from TD/NSW 74.02 to TD/NSW 74.05 and from TD/NSW 74.07 to TD/NSW 74.09.