Final Speech Script:
Employability Skills for Youth
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,
A WORLD OF POTENTIAL!
We are living in a world of more than 7 billion people, in which 1.8 billion of them are younger than 24 years old. This is the largest cohort of young people ever in our human history. On one hand, this is thought to create promising opportunities for economic and social development. But on the other hand, it’s challenging. These opportunities depend on how well our young people are transformed into effective human resources to succeed in a dynamic and competitive labor market.
However, research shows that many young people see their potential hindered by a lack of soft skills or in the other word we call “Employability skills”. But the big question is what employability skill is? How can we reach our highest potential in life and your career? I do ask myself the same question.
You may have noticed that today employers look for employees not only for their specialized skills and academic merits, but also strongly focus on employability skills like leadership, communication, critical and creative thinking, self-management, time management, decision-making, problem-solving, team work and team building, to name a few. Why so? Why are employability skill so important? The answer is simple. It is because we are in the 21st century when there is a shift in the global economy, driven by globalization and technological change. This means there’s an increase in competition in the labor market and sophistication of the working environment. Amanda Wright Recruitment agency which specialized in Human Resource Recruitment clearly stated that “A degree may make you eligible to apply for a job but to be successful in the role you will need to demonstrate a range of flexible skills.” So, flexible, leadership, communication, critical and creative thinking, self-management, decision-making, problem-solving, team work and team building serve as important assets for you to deal with and adapt to this global trend and to succeed in this new economy.
But let me ask you frankly. Do you think you have all of these skills? If not, what should you do? The good news is that these skills can be learned. As Soraya Pugh, head of graduate at recruitment consultancy Fresh Minds Talent said "You can train yourself just as you can in hard skills". Therefore, I personally encourage you to take any opportunities to develop yourself. I encourage you to participate in student exchange programs or study abroad programs, do summer jobs, initiate projects with your friends, join volunteering and community service programs, and so on. The more, the better! Because I myself have been actively getting involved in these activities both in my home country and in foreign countries such as the United State of America, Europe, and Japan, and consequently I have developed a great deal of soft skills mentioned above. In addition, when your school provides direct links between education and business communities, such as offering internships and apprenticeship opportunities or organizing job and career fairs with cooperation from local and international companies, I encourage you to attend those events. This will give you a sense of connection between what you know from school and what you need for work. It will help you to gain these necessary skills as well as to make informed career decisions when you graduate.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me repeat this! Youth are the driving force of social and economic progress. Investing in the future of young people is synonymous to ensuring the prosperity of society and the world as a whole.
Thank you everyone very much!
A WORLD OF POTENTIAL!
We are living in a world of more than 7 billion people, in which 1.8 billion of them are younger than 24 years old. This is the largest cohort of young people ever in our human history. On one hand, this is thought to create promising opportunities for economic and social development. But on the other hand, it’s challenging. These opportunities depend on how well our young people are transformed into effective human resources to succeed in a dynamic and competitive labor market.
However, research shows that many young people see their potential hindered by a lack of soft skills or in the other word we call “Employability skills”. But the big question is what employability skill is? How can we reach our highest potential in life and your career? I do ask myself the same question.
You may have noticed that today employers look for employees not only for their specialized skills and academic merits, but also strongly focus on employability skills like leadership, communication, critical and creative thinking, self-management, time management, decision-making, problem-solving, team work and team building, to name a few. Why so? Why are employability skill so important? The answer is simple. It is because we are in the 21st century when there is a shift in the global economy, driven by globalization and technological change. This means there’s an increase in competition in the labor market and sophistication of the working environment. Amanda Wright Recruitment agency which specialized in Human Resource Recruitment clearly stated that “A degree may make you eligible to apply for a job but to be successful in the role you will need to demonstrate a range of flexible skills.” So, flexible, leadership, communication, critical and creative thinking, self-management, decision-making, problem-solving, team work and team building serve as important assets for you to deal with and adapt to this global trend and to succeed in this new economy.
But let me ask you frankly. Do you think you have all of these skills? If not, what should you do? The good news is that these skills can be learned. As Soraya Pugh, head of graduate at recruitment consultancy Fresh Minds Talent said "You can train yourself just as you can in hard skills". Therefore, I personally encourage you to take any opportunities to develop yourself. I encourage you to participate in student exchange programs or study abroad programs, do summer jobs, initiate projects with your friends, join volunteering and community service programs, and so on. The more, the better! Because I myself have been actively getting involved in these activities both in my home country and in foreign countries such as the United State of America, Europe, and Japan, and consequently I have developed a great deal of soft skills mentioned above. In addition, when your school provides direct links between education and business communities, such as offering internships and apprenticeship opportunities or organizing job and career fairs with cooperation from local and international companies, I encourage you to attend those events. This will give you a sense of connection between what you know from school and what you need for work. It will help you to gain these necessary skills as well as to make informed career decisions when you graduate.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me repeat this! Youth are the driving force of social and economic progress. Investing in the future of young people is synonymous to ensuring the prosperity of society and the world as a whole.
Thank you everyone very much!
