What are the top skills employers look for in new hires? You might be surprised to find out that they’re not always technical skills specific to the job, but rather soft skills, like adaptability, teamwork and motivation.

According to a 2014 survey of major Canadian employers by the Business Council of Canada, employers expect entry-level workers to gain hard skills and technical knowledge on the job, but they want candidates to display soft skills during the selection process. These skills help workers be adaptable and motivated throughout their whole employment and as they transition into new roles or careers. In other words, they lay the foundation for a strong, flexible, resilient workforce and for happy, fulfilled workers.

Developing employability skills is important for all learners, but especially those who lack technical skills or formal education. That is why ABC Life Literacy Canada, with support from founding sponsor Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life, is developing UP Skills for Work. This program is designed to help learners develop key employability skills through the delivery of workshops on the topics of: Attitude, Motivation, Presentation, Teamwork, Time Management, Adaptability, Stress Management, Accountability and Confidence. These are the nine core employability skills for effective career growth and development, as identified by Futureworx, a Canadian non-profit at the forefront of developing soft-skills programming with over 30 years of experience connecting employers with employees.

The UP Skills for Work program has launched at community learning centres across the country.

Find out how you can bring a free UP Skills for Work workshop for your community learning program or workplace at upskillsforwork.ca.