Work Readiness Skills & Shaping Your Career Path

A group of students in a classroom sitting at their desks during a lecture in NLTCC

Work readiness skills refer to a person's ability to perform work tasks independently, competently, and reliably. These essential skills are a major factor in securing jobs or clients and can help shape a successful career path. In today's job market, simply having a degree is not enough. Read on to learn more about work readiness skills. 

Why Are Work Readiness Skills Important?

Work readiness skills are the foundational skills required to qualify for a job opening or project. Technical skills are important, but soft skills are equally essential, with an emphasis on the latter. 

Your job readiness skills are crucial for your career. Different stages in life require different sets of skills to transition successfully into the workforce. Even if you have a degree, you will still need to acquire practical experience and skills to handle the challenges of employment. 

Skills Necessary for a Successful Career Path

Having a degree is no longer enough to secure job security and career growth. Employers are now looking for candidates who possess essential skills to get their work done right. Candidates need to cultivate technical and soft skills to improve their job readiness. Here are some of the crucial skills that one needs to focus on:


 • Technical Skills
Technical skills are specific to job requirements and are critical to job performance. They include hard skills required for each job, like certification in Cyber security, and proficiency in video content creation for social media marketing. Technical expertise ensures that candidates maintain timely knowledge, which is important for the job market.


 • Soft Skills
Soft skills or timeless skills are transferable abilities that are used in every job and stage of the job process. These abilities include interpersonal or social skills, critical thinking or problem-solving skills, independent living skills, job searching and keeping skills, career management, and networking.

Necessity of Developing Soft Skills

Most work readiness modules emphasize soft skills because these are essential for building strong relationships with recruiters, leaders, teammates, and for long-term career growth. Interpersonal skills enable candidates to communicate effectively and foster positive relationships not only in their professional but also in their personal lives. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills involve gathering, interpreting, and analyzing information to solve complex problems logically.

Enroll Now at Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College!

Developing your work readiness skills is crucial for achieving a successful career path. Soft skills like teamwork, effective communication, and critical thinking, coupled with technical skills, are essential components of work readiness. Therefore, enrolling in certificate or vocational programs are great ways to enhance and refine your work readiness skills.

Several institutions offer courses to develop relevant work readiness skills. Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College is one such institution, offering various programs and training opportunities for individuals. Reach out to us today so that we can guide you on the career path you would like to pursue.