Building Employability Skills in English as a Second Language (ESL) Classroom in India

Abstract

Language tasks related to employment are now a main part of the language teaching or training syllabus. Job search is only one part of this process. Newer to the mix is the focus on employability skills. These are the skills needed to keep a job and thrive in a workplace. Though the growing importance of employability skills in higher education cannot be denied, it is only recently that these skills been made explicit in module descriptions, particularly in India. The main aim of the paper is to identify the need of embedding these skills into every programmes and modules. This paper describes the primary employability skills and discusses how these skills can be taught in an ESL classroom. It also presents some activities that can be used by the instructor to hone the employability skills of the learners. The paper uses a descriptive methodology to illustrate how employability skills can be taught in classes. Its main implication is that the integration of employability skills in teaching and learning at higher education can assist students in developing these skills together with their areas of expertise for future employment purposes.