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What Are Transferable Skills?

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Transferable skills can often be described as essential, general skills which can be developed from the workplace, throughout studies and life in general, helping us to understand and deal with different types of situations (McGann, 2010).
Personal qualities I possess, would be that I can bear responsibility. By admitting responsibility, it allows me to learn from my mistakes and turn these experiences into a positive one. My self- reliance also allows me to handle things on my own without much assistance as I am comfortable and confident with doing things alone, in turn, reflecting how independent I am. Although I am fairly opinionated, I do obtain an open mind as it helps me to explore and engage with new and different ideas and perspectives, …show more content…

This skill has developed through my years at school, but more so in college when I had to learn to how to meet deadlines, arrive on time for lessons and in general, driving myself to achieve specific grades in order to enter university. In addition, my exceptional communication skills make it possible for me to express my ideas to others in a clear and concise manner, enabling me to work effectively in social environments. These skills have strengthened through my job (working in a bookmakers) as I’m always engaging in conversation with customers, answering company phone calls and promoting offers, however when there’s a problem e.g. customers aren’t happy with the service, I have to inform higher positions above me and I’m able to communicate with them confidently and appropriately. The strongest transferable skill I possess, however, would be that I have excellent organization skills, allowing me to perform tasks efficiently so that they run smoothly. When I used to work as a merchandiser for River Island I had the responsibility of placing products where they needed to be, stacking shelves, and making sure I’d do that precisely and …show more content…

Armstrong (2006) suggests staying in a ‘happy mood’ can help boost one’s creativity. I need a basic understanding of numeracy and literacy which I already possess and listening skills which I can develop through my placement when listening to children read. By volunteering as a classroom assistant in a reception class, I need to have patience, especially when dealing with challenging children. Lastly, I need to have the ability to work as part of team and know how to manage groups of children. Training in safeguarding and reading was provided on my induction day which was necessary as it taught us how to and interact and deal with young children appropriately.
Sgobbi & Suleman (2015) contribute to our understanding of transferable skills stating that ‘transferable skills increase workers' employability’ and that they can also be applied to different social contexts (Bridges, 1993). The skills I will gain through my placement will hopefully help me gain a better understanding of young children as in the future I’d like to pursue a career in social work, specifically dealing with young

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