….the skills employers care most about aren’t always the ones you learn in a classroom.
Yes, qualifications matter. But the young people who walk into a job interview with confidence, a current first aid certificate, and a clear idea of what they bring to the table? They stand out — regardless of what their report card says.
The good news is you don’t have to wait until you’ve graduated to start building these skills. Here are five you can work on right now.
It sounds basic, but a surprising number of young people enter the workforce without knowing how to budget, open a bank account, or understand a payslip. Employers notice when a young person has their practical life admin sorted — a Tax File Number, a bank account, a MyGov account set up.
These aren’t just life skills. They’re signals that you’re ready to show up and participate in the working world.
At Youth Futures, students are currently working through a budgeting activity called Who Stole My Money — because knowing how money works in the real world is a skill that can’t wait. As Rebecca, who coordinates the FutureReady program, puts it: “When you’re not exposed to that, you don’t know how it works.”
Start small: work out your weekly income and expenses, look up how superannuation works, and make sure your bank account and TFN are sorted before you start job hunting.
This is the skill that comes up most consistently when employers talk about what they’re looking for in young workers. Not just being able to speak clearly, but knowing how to send a professional email, show up on time, follow instructions, and work as part of a team.
These skills are built through practice — in work experience placements, volunteering, casual jobs, and even in the way you interact with teachers and support workers day to day. Every interaction is a chance to practise.
Liam, who recently secured a full-time plumbing apprenticeship, credits putting himself out there as a turning point: “That’s basically how I got my job now. I kind of just put myself out there and then went to the place and just showed who I am really. I think that’s a hundred percent the best thing I did.“
Short courses and industry tickets open doors in a way that surprises a lot of young people. A White Card means you can legally work on a construction site. A First Aid certificate is required for a huge range of jobs working with people. An RSA opens up hospitality and events work. A food handling certificate gets you into cafes and kitchens.
These credentials are quick to obtain, nationally recognised, and genuinely valued by employers in WA’s fastest growing industries. Rebecca explains why they matter so much: “Those practical skills alongside their certificates will mean that they hold an employable CV the moment they leave — they don’t have to leave and then find a way to do them. And it’s cost prohibitive out there in the real world. We can actually afford to help them.”
If you can graduate with even one or two of these under your belt, you’re already ahead of the pack.
A resume full of white space is not a barrier if you know how to talk about what you do bring. Reliable, hardworking, a quick learner, good with people — these are real qualities that real employers want. The key is knowing how to communicate them.
Practising for interviews, getting help to write a resume, and learning how to talk about your strengths are all things you can do before you graduate. Mock interviews, career workshops, and one-on-one coaching with a youth worker or employment service can make a genuine difference to how you present yourself when it counts.
Chase, now a roofing apprentice, is proof of what’s possible when a young person finds the right pathway. He puts it simply: “I never thought I’d be a carpenter. And now — I’m capable.”
This one might surprise you — but it’s increasingly what employers talk about when they describe their best employees. Knowing how you work best, recognising when you’re stressed and having strategies to manage it, understanding your own strengths and limitations — this is emotional intelligence, and it’s genuinely rare.
Young people who can say “I work best when I have clear instructions” or “when I’m overwhelmed I take five minutes and then come back to it” stand out in a workforce where many adults still haven’t developed this skill.
Rebecca sees this as central to what FutureReady is building: “Our 18-year-olds are going into a world that is expensive, that has job insecurity, housing insecurity — lots of things these young people are going into that we never went into. By Youth Futures taking some of that challenge on and getting them ready to be an adult, they can start with goals and ambitions and skills already in place.“
At Youth Futures Community School, every one of these skills is part of how we prepare students for life after school. Through our FutureReady program combined with our Individual Transition Plans, students work on resume writing, interview practice, financial literacy, and life skills alongside their academic qualifications.
Year 11 and 12 students can earn nationally recognised tickets like White Card, First Aid, and RSA — plus get hands-on experience through trade taster days, TAFE visits, and career expos.
You don’t have to figure it out alone. And you don’t have to wait until you’ve graduated.
