Modern society sees disparities between an individual’s skills and skills that companies require for a specific position, leading to a labor market with more vacant positions than individuals willing and having the skillset to occupy them. Thus, it is important for employability counselors to understand the existing work-related skills of unemployed individuals to better assist and support their clients to reintegrate the job market.
An assessment tool has been developed in the lab to acquire a more comprehensive assessment of an individual’s work-related skills to better assist employability counselors in supporting their clients. The validity and reliability of the tool is currently being tested (Voyer et al., 2024).
References
2024
Future Work Skills
Development and validation of the Contemporary Workplace Skills Inventory (CWSI) for the post-pandemic workforce in a French-Canadian sample
The COVID-19 pandemic brought in a multitude of global economic changes, particularly in skilled labor shortages. In response to contemporary changes in the job market and required skills, this study aimed to develop and validate the psychometric properties of a new assessment tool which measures workplace skills. A preliminary 32-item pool was administered to 230 participants, resulting in ten initial factors covering skills like professional development, communication, critical thinking, and inclusivity. Exploratory factor analyses showed that all factors independently explained variance, totaling 64.34% (eigenvalues > 1, factor loading > .3). After removing unstable factors (n = 4), items with no loading (n = 3), and cross-loading items (n = 1), the final 26-item self-report inventory with five factors showed good reliability (internal consistency α = .83; test–retest reliability r = [.34–.76], except for one factor, r = .13). This tool is reliable and valid for local employability organizations to assess future-oriented skills among their clientele. Further refinement is suggested for a comprehensive measurement of workplace skills, enabling targeted interventions for skills gaps and supporting the re-entry of unemployed individuals into the labor market.
@unpublished{voyerFutureWorkSkills2024,title={Development and validation of the Contemporary Workplace Skills Inventory (CWSI) for the post-pandemic workforce in a French-Canadian sample},author={Voyer, Chloé and Deng, Jiaxuan and Sauvé, Geneviève},year={2024},month=oct,type={Manuscript in preparation},}
