{"id":50080,"date":"2019-08-01T12:26:45","date_gmt":"2019-08-01T10:26:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cesie.org\/scan-the-challenges-and-results-of-the-4th-monitoring-exercise-on-the-it-platforms-compliance-to-the-code-of-conduct-on-countering-illegal-hate-speech-online\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T20:52:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:52:37","slug":"employability-skills-labour-market-inclusion","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cesie.org\/en\/studies\/employability-skills-labour-market-inclusion\/","title":{"rendered":"Study on Basic Employability Skills of Low-Skilled Adults for Labour Market Inclusion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Study on Basic Employability Skills of Low-Skilled Adults for Labour Market Inclusion<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div>

A wide literature is already available about the skills that are most valued by employers. However, they usually embrace a large range of competences, which are not all necessarily relevant for the job opportunities offered to low-skilled adults. This research aims to understand what are the \u2018basic employability skills\u2019 needed by low-skilled adults to better integrate into the labour market in Spain, Romania, United Kingdom, Italy and Slovakia, in order to develop tailored tools for the intermediary professionals working with them.<\/p>\n

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The methodology used combined both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis among different profiles of professionals working with low-skilled adults which included university professors, educators, vocational education counsellors, recruiters, HR experts, social workers, trainers, career advisors\/coaches. Two tools have been used to collect information: questionnaires on the key competences low-skilled adults need and the difficulty of assessing each of them were completed and focus groups and semi-structured interviews to deepen and explain the data gathered in the questionnaires and explore issues that needed further clarification.<\/p>\n

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In total 61 professionals took part in both research phases to understand the key skills for low-skilled adults and the main challenges faced by professionals. The findings highlighted the importance of soft skills and across the 5 countries indentified, 45 soft and 11 hard skills have been identified as necessary by professionals. Furthermore, 15 soft (in addition to which 21 others were indicated as very important) and 4 hard skills at national level were identified. Professionals indicated skills belonging to the categories of social, personal, digital and professional skills. A list of hobbies was also established that they thought could be useful in order to discover some low-skilled adults\u2019 competences that may not yet be known or utilised.<\/p>\n

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In addition to the identification of soft and hard skills, the research also documented the main challenges faced by professionals during competence assessment with low-skilled adults. Findings revealed that they consisted of:<\/p>\n