Essential Employability Skills (EES)
Essential Employability Skills (EES) are part of all Ontario College Certificate, Diploma, and Advanced Diploma programs, as mandated by the Ontario Government’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities. This site provides resources to help College faculty understand EES and how they can be incorporated into curriculum and course design.
The eleven skills are organized in six categories, representing the building blocks for success in the workplace:
Employers expect graduates to have competent technical and knowledge skills – the vocational component of their programs – but getting and keeping a job depend on how well they manage the day-to-day challenges of the workplace. Graduates must be able to communicate ideas, use numerical data, analyze and solve problems, organize and apply information, contribute effectively to team endeavours, and manage themselves in a professional context.
By incorporating EES at all levels, College programs help students learn these skills and graduate ready to apply them.
The 11 Essential Employability Skills
Communication
1. Communicate clearly, concisely and correctly in the written, spoken and visual form that fulfills the purpose and meets the needs of the audience.
2. Respond to written, spoken or visual messages in a manner that ensures effective communication.
Numeracy
3. Execute mathematical operations accurately.
Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving
4. Apply a systematic approach to solve problems.
5. Use a variety of thinking skills to anticipate and solve problems.
Information management
6. Locate, select, organize and document information using appropriate technology and information systems.
7. Analyze, evaluate and apply relevant information from a variety of sources.
Interpersonal
8. Show respect for diverse opinions, values, belief systems and contributions of others.
9. Interact with others in groups or teams in ways that contribute to effective working relationships and the achievement of goals.
Personal
10. Manage the use of time and other resources to complete projects.
11. Take responsibility for one’s own actions, decisions, and consequences.