Chapter 9: Essential Employability Skills
Students enter EKU seeking wisdom and knowledge. They leave with the passion and purpose to make a difference in their lives, their communities, and the professions they discover.
EKU is a public, 4 year higher education institution. This means the curriculums, programs, and initiatives developed at EKU are partially influenced and informed by regulations mandated by KY state leaders and legislators. Broadly speaking, the regulations are implemented to ensure that all graduates of postsecondary institutions leave with the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in the career and life choices they make.
Learning Objectives
This chapter will…
- Introduce the purpose of Essential Employability Skills
- Define the different Essential Employability skills
Kentucky Graduate Profile
The Kentucky Graduate Profile is Kentucky state’s postsecondary learning framework. It is an effort to align the knowledge, skills, and abilities that students gain in college with the skills needed for success in the workforce and in life.
All students graduating from public postsecondary institutions in Kentucky should have multiple, intentional opportunities to develop these 10 Essential Skills through the institution’s curriculum and co-curricular offerings.
The 10 Essential Skills Framework
Specifying the skills gained through the college experience gives faculty, staff, students and employers a way to talk about the value of higher education. Students gain these 10 Essential Skills that help them be successful in their first job, throughout their career, and in their personal, social and civic lives.
The 10 Essential Skills framework helps provide structure and coherence to the college experience. It allows students to better understand the purpose of general education, how general education connects to their majors, and how their majors connect to life after college.
The 10 Essential Employability Skills Defined
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Communicate effectively |
Graduates will communicate effectively by listening, weighing influencing factors, and responding accurately and professionally. They will express their thoughts coherently through writing, speech, and presenting.
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Think critically to solve problems and create new ideas and solutions |
Graduates will think critically by evaluating assumptions and assessing information to make informed conclusions. They will also think creatively by combining ideas in original ways or developing new ways of addressing issues. |
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Apply quantitative reasoning skills to analyze and solve numerical problems |
Graduates will hone their ability to provide solutions guided by data and choose the best methodologies for arriving at informed conclusions.
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Interact effectively with people from different backgrounds |
Graduates will reflect on their own cultural identities, appreciate cultural and intellectual differences, and effectively interact with people from different backgrounds. They will collaborate, communicate, and work respectfully with people with different perspectives, ideas, and cultural beliefs. |
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Adapt to changing circumstances while leading and supporting others |
Graduates will accept change and find effective ways to work and thrive in different settings. They will motivate others in the pursuit of a common goal and coach others in the pursuit of this goal.
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Perform professionally |
Graduates will adhere to the code of ethics in their chosen profession and act with honesty and fairness. They will prioritize their tasks, manage their time, take initiative, and demonstrate accountability and reliability. |
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Engage in civic life to improve society |
Graduates will engage in political, social, and other activities to address issues that benefit society. |
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Collaborate and work in teams |
Graduates will collaborate with colleagues, become effective team members, and manage conflict. |
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Apply academic knowledge, skills, and abilities |
Graduates will articulate and apply the theoretical content of their academic preparation with relevant knowledge and abilities essential to their chosen career.
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Use information for decision making |
Graduates will identify, evaluate, and responsibly use information needed for decision making. |
Building Skills in the Classroom Helps in the Workforce
Sometimes in the classroom it can feel like you’re not making progress towards your career goals. For example, you might wonder what does completing a discussion board post have to do with being a forensic scientist or maybe you’re unsure why having to take a public speaking course has anything to do with training to be a nurse. Well, a lot of the skills you’re building through course assignments translate to the job you hope to get after graduation. The discussion board posts ensure you’re distilling information and communicating it in ways that make sense to your peers. The group presentations make sure you collaborate with people who are different from you. Scroll through the infographics below to see how building workforce skills are critical to your success on the other side of college.
Resources, Licenses, and Attributions:
“Kentucky Graduate Profile.” Council for Postsecondary Education. February 25, 2025.