Futureworx Society

“Employability Skills Assessment Tool” Grant

Phase I 2012-2013
Phase II 2013-2014

Futureworx Society was awarded a grant in May, 2012 to enhance and digitize its Employability Skills Assessment Tool (ESAT). Futureworx Society, a community based non-profit organization from Nova Scotia, has responded to the ever changing employment and skills development needs of clients since 1984. The agency believes that employability skills are crucial as getting and keeping a good job requires multiple skill sets. Employability skills are the foundation upon which essential and job skills rest. If an employee’s employability skills require development, they can impact negatively on their employment no matter how good their other skills sets are.

Futureworx Society developed ESAT as a web-based tool for assessing, tracking and supporting the development of nine employability skills: motivation, attitude, accountability, time management, stress management, presentation, teamwork, adaptability and confidence. Training programs that use the ESAT methodology can gain insights in a learner’s behavioural barriers to employment then work with them to develop different behavioural strategies that are more aligned to the needs and expectations of the workplace. It can be used in programs as short as three weeks where the aim is to create awareness of employability expectations, to longer programs of six months or more where more complex real behavioural change can be achieved.

A second grant was provided in March, 2013 to pilot test the digitized version with various service providing agencies in Nova Scotia and Ontario.

Please access the Futureworx Society website for more information about this resource which is available in English and French: http://futureworx.ca/content/esat