This document discusses the importance of developing life skills and transferable skills across different domains like study, work and life. It notes that while employers value "soft skills" like communication, teamwork and problem solving, many graduates lack these skills. The document also examines definitions of life skills from various organizations and advocates for teaching life skills through subjects like English class. It provides some sample classroom activities focused on developing skills like evaluating plans, analyzing assumptions and critical thinking.

1. Study, Work, Life: developing
transferable skills across domains
Steve Taylore-Knowles

2. today’s young adults ...
aged approx. 18-25: born between 1988 and 1995

3. aged approx. 18-25: born between 1988 and 1995
‘Generation Y’
‘Echo Boomers’
‘the Millennials’
‘Generation Next’
‘the Net Generation’
‘Generation 9/11’
‘Boomerang Generation’ (parasaito shinguru)
‘Peter Pan Generation’
‘€700 Generation’
‘the Precarious Generation’
‘Generation Flux’
today’s young adults ...

4. What is the world like for today’s young adults (millenials)?
Telefonica Global Millennial Survey, 2013

5. ‘How employable are today’s graduates?’

6. Percentage of employers rating as important:
the right academic qualifications
the ability to appreciate an alternative point of view
communication and the ability to work in teams
the ability to grasp complex information
27%
42%
62%
68%
Source: GRADdirect

7. Employers who feel that graduates lack ‘soft skills’, including
the ability to communicate effectively 55%
Also highlighted as concerns are an employee’s ability to:
manage their own learning
solve problems
be motivated
Graduate Recruitment Surveyy, Association of Graduate Recruiters

8. University of Warwick Podcast (extract)
‘How employable are today’s graduates?’
Professors Kate Purcel and Peter Elias
from the University of Warwick Institute of
Employment Research

9. Top ten skills that employers want
University of Kent study of multiple surveys

10. Top ten skills that employers want
1 Verbal communication
2 Teamwork
3 Commercial awareness
4 Analysing and investigating
5 Initiative / Self-motivation
6 Drive
7 Written communication
8 Planning & organising
9 Flexibility
10 Time management
University of Kent study of multiple surveys

11. Other skills seen as important
global skills
negotiating & persuading
leadership
numeracy
computing skills
self-awareness
confidence
lifelong learning
stress tolerance
integrity
independence
developing professionalism
action planning
decision-making
interpersonal sensitivity
creativity
University of Kent study of multiple surveys

12. The Importance of Soft Skills in Entry-Level Employment and Postsecondary Success: Perspectives
from Employers and Community Colleges, Seattle Jobs Initiative 2013

13. Skills lacking among job applicants
UK Commission for Employment and Skills Report, 2014

14. The Importance of Soft Skills in Entry-Level Employment and Postsecondary Success: Perspectives
from Employers and Community Colleges, Seattle Jobs Initiative 2013

15. life skills

16. psychosocial and interpersonal skills
generally considered important
UNICEF

17. personal management and social skills which
are necessary for adequate functioning on an
independent basis
International Bureau of Education

18. Life skills education is designed to facilitate the practice
and reinforcement of psychosocial skills in a culturally
and developmentally appropriate way; it contributes to
the promotion of personal and social development, the
prevention of health and social problems, and the
protection of human rights.
World Health Organisation

19. It is evident that in addition to practical and vocational
skills, other types of skills such as social, individual and
reflective skills are also needed. Life skills programmes
emphasise abilities that help to facilitate communication,
negotiation, to think critically and solve problems and
make independent decisions.
Madhu Singh, UNESCO Institute for Education

20. Work and Career Study and Learning Self and Society
Life skills are the key skills you need to be effective in
your work life, your academic life and your social life.

21. Life skills are the key skills you need to be effective in
your work life, your academic life and your social life.
Young people need to be prepared for flexible careers, and
need to develop the skills that employers value. (Work and
Career)
Young people need to develop autonomy and responsibility
for their own learning. (Study and Learning)
Young people need to express themselves and find personal
fulfilment in an increasingly-connected, global, social world.
(Self and Society)

24. But I’m an English teacher!
I teach English!

25. You should be developing life skills in your
English classroom because …

26. You should be developing life skills in your
English classroom because …
- English alone is no longer enough

27. … as English becomes more generally
available, little or no competitive
advantage is gained by adopting it.
Rather, it has become a new baseline:
without English you are not even in the
race.
David Graddol
English Next (2006)
British Council

28. You should be developing life skills in your
English classroom because …
- English alone is no longer enough
- communication skills are key

29. You should be developing life skills in your English
classroom because …
- English alone is no longer enough
- communication skills are key
- many lifeskills are culturally and linguistically
dependent

30. You should be developing life skills in your English
classroom because …
- English alone is no longer enough
- communication skills are key
- many lifeskills are culturally and linguistically
dependent
- it’s the expertise teachers already possess

36. Target skill:
evaluating different plans
Context
Pre-Intermediate / Intermediate
Possible grammar links:
modals of possibility / prediction (may, might, will, could)
will / going to

37. Target skill:
evaluating different plans
• Establish which factors are important.
• Evaluate how each plan affects these factors.
• Rank the plans.
(Decision matrix)

38. A Work in groups. Think about the people who
live in your town/city. Which of these factors are
most important for them? Check four.
new jobs
places to enjoy nature
good roads
cheap housing
good schools
clean air
good public transportation
places to shop





39. B Your town/city government is considering three
development plans for the green area in the
picture. Read the information about each plan.

40. Plan A
Under this proposal, the government is planning
to use this area for urban development. They are
going to build a large number of new houses as
well as other facilities, such as schools and a
shopping mall. They are also going to create more
roads and provide public transportation to the
area. They will allow a few companies to build
facilities near the new development.

41. Plan B
Under this plan, the government is going to
create a large park for people to enjoy. They plan
to clean up the area and provide facilities such as
picnic tables, barbecues, and a playground for
children. They are going to build several new
roads to the park, but they won’t allow the
construction of houses, schools, or stores in the
green area.

42. Plan C
This plan will allow the government to sell the
green area to private developers. The developers
want to build a small number of large, expensive
houses. They are going to build new streets and a
small park. The park will be exclusively for
residents. The city government is going to provide
a bus service to the area for people who work in
the houses.

43. C Write the four factors you checked in A in the
first column of this table. Give each plan a score
from +2 to -2, depending on how it will affect
each factor.
Factor Plan A Plan B Plan C
1
2
3
4
Total
new jobs
cheap housing
clean air
places to shop

44. Plan A
Under this proposal, the government is planning
to use this area for urban development. They are
going to build a large number of new houses as
well as other facilities, such as schools and a
shopping mall. They are also going to create more
roads and provide public transportation to the
area. They will allow a few companies to build
facilities near the new development.
new jobs cheap housing
clean air places to shop
+2
-2
+1
+2

45. C Write the four factors you checked in A in the
first column of this table. Give each plan a score
from +2 to -2, depending on how it will affect
each factor.
Factor Plan A Plan B Plan C
1
2
3
4
Total
new jobs
cheap housing
clean air
places to shop
+2
+1
-2
+2

46. Plan B
Under this plan, the government is going to
create a large park for people to enjoy. They plan
to clean up the area and provide facilities such as
picnic tables, barbecues, and a playground for
children. They are going to build several new
roads to the park, but they won’t allow the
construction of houses, schools, or stores in the
green area.
new jobs cheap housing
clean air places to shop
0
+2
-1
0

47. C Write the four factors you checked in A in the
first column of this table. Give each plan a score
from +2 to -2, depending on how it will affect
each factor.
Factor Plan A Plan B Plan C
1
2
3
4
Total
new jobs
cheap housing
clean air
places to shop
+2
+1
-2
+2
0
-1
+2
0

48. Plan C
This plan will allow the government to sell the
green area to private developers. The developers
want to build a small number of large, expensive
houses. They are going to build new streets and a
small park. The park will be exclusively for
residents. The city government is going to provide
a bus service to the area for people who work in
the houses.
new jobs cheap housing
clean air places to shop
+1
0
-2
0

49. C Write the four factors you checked in A in the
first column of this table. Give each plan a score
from +2 to -2, depending on how it will affect
each factor.
Factor Plan A Plan B Plan C
1
2
3
4
Total
new jobs
cheap housing
clean air
places to shop
+2
+1
-2
+2
0
-1
+2
0
+1
-2
0
0
+3 +1 -1

50. Target skill:
analyzing assumptions
In critical thinking, ‘assumptions’ refers to anything that is taken
for granted in the presentation of an argument. These may be
facts, ideas or beliefs that are not stated explicitly but which
underlie the argument. Without them, the same conclusion
would not be possible.
Stella Cottrell, Critical Thinking Skills (Palgrave, 2005)

51. Target skill:
analyzing assumptions
Context
Intermediate / Upper Intermediate
Possible grammar links:
present deductions (must be, might be, could be, can’t be)

52. An example: Analyzing assumptions
In critical thinking, ‘assumptions’ refers to anything that is taken
for granted in the presentation of an argument. These may be
facts, ideas or beliefs that are not stated explicitly but which
underlie the argument. Without them, the same conclusion
would not be possible.
Stella Cottrell, Critical Thinking Skills (Palgrave, 2005)

53. Connect these dots by drawing four straight
lines, without lifting your pencil off the paper
and without going back over a line.

54. Connect these dots
by drawing four
straight lines,
without lifting your
pencil off the paper
and without going
back over a line.
Questioning your assumptions
1 The instructions say each line has to start and end on a dot. T / F
2 Your lines can go further than the rows of dots. T / F
3 Each line has to go through three dots. T / F

55. Connect these dots by drawing four straight
lines, without lifting your pencil off the paper
and without going back over a line.

57. Study, Work, Life: developing
transferable skills across domains
Steve Taylore-Knowles
http://www.facebook.com/STK01