You are here: Home » Resources »
A new Employability Skills Framework has been published by Skills England, providing employers, education providers and training organisations with a practical tool to help identify, develop and assess the skills needed for success in today’s workplace.
The framework has been developed to address a common challenge: employers and young people often describe employability skills in different ways, making it harder to recognise and evidence workplace readiness. It also acknowledges the growing role of digital and artificial intelligence (AI) skills, integrating them throughout the framework rather than treating them as separate competencies.
Reflecting Priorities Identified Through the Kent & Medway LSIP
The publication closely aligns with findings from the Kent & Medway Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), which has consistently highlighted the importance of employability and transferable skills alongside technical and sector-specific knowledge.
Through extensive engagement with employers across Kent and Medway, the LSIP has identified recurring demand for skills such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, adaptability, leadership and digital confidence. Employers frequently tell us that while technical skills remain important, individuals who can work effectively with others, adapt to change and communicate clearly are often best placed to succeed and progress in the workplace.
The new framework provides a valuable resource for education and training providers seeking to respond to those employer needs, helping to create a consistent approach to developing and recognising employability skills across the skills system.
13 Core Employability Skills
The framework outlines 13 core employability skills that support successful transitions into work:
For each skill, the framework explains what it looks like in a first job, how young people may have developed it through education, volunteering or enrichment activities, and how employers can assess and support its development.
Preparing for a Changing Workplace
A notable feature of the framework is its emphasis on AI-enabled employability skills. Rather than simply encouraging the use of technology, it promotes the responsible application of AI tools alongside critical thinking, judgement and accountability. Skills such as evaluating information, checking outputs, communicating clearly and making informed decisions are positioned as increasingly important as AI becomes embedded within the workplace.
This reflects themes emerging through the Kent & Medway LSIP, where businesses across multiple sectors have highlighted the growing importance of digital capability and the ability to adapt to changing technologies.
Supporting Better Alignment Between Education and Employment
The Kent & Medway LSIP is committed to strengthening the connection between employers, education and training providers, and wider stakeholders to ensure people develop the skills needed by the local economy.
Resources such as the Employability Skills Framework can support this work by providing a common language for employability, helping employers articulate their needs more clearly and enabling providers to better prepare learners for the realities of the workplace.
The Kent & Medway LSIP will now be reviewing and mapping the framework against our local priorities and employer evidence. This will help ensure that our work remains aligned with the skills employers are seeking, while supporting partners across Kent and Medway to embed employability skills more consistently within education, training and workforce development initiatives.
Ultimately, this alignment will strengthen our collective ability to address workforce challenges, support employers to meet their current and future workforce needs, and help build a workforce equipped with both the technical and transferable skills needed to succeed and contribute to economic growth across the region.
Find Out More
The full Employability Skills Framework can be viewed on the GOV.UK website here or download below.
As the Kent & Medway LSIP continues to work with employers and partners to address local skills needs, frameworks such as this offer practical guidance for developing the transferable skills that underpin long-term career success and economic growth.
