How do employability skills differ from academic and technical skills

Employability skills are skills one should have to be considered qualified for a job. Some common examples of employability skills are good communication, teamwork abilities, problem-solving, initiative, planning, self-management, and others. Some of these skills cannot be learned through the academic or technical background, only through experience. If one has academic or technical skills, of course, these could count as employability skills, but employability skills can't be learned without work experience or specific courses dedicated to their development. Maybe one has excellent academic and technical skills, but doesn't have employability skills; probably this individual wouldn't be hired. Employability skills are necessary for employment, while academic and technical skills are only necessary to perform a job.

Thus, the differences between employability skills and academic or technical skills are:

- One needs employability skills to be employed and to put their specific skills (acquired through academic or technical means) in practice. In the meantime, one doesn't need the employability skills to learn how to perform functions inherent to the job.

- Academic and technical skills are useful in both academic and professional situations, while employability skills are useful specifically in professional situations.

- Employability skills are learned through practice, and sometimes academic and technical skills are only learned through theory.