"Soft skills" - you know, those skills not necessarily learned from the book that enable a new hire to adapt to the fast pace and challenges of the working world, are a hot topic in both education and the business sector worldwide. Academic departments are hearing more and more about the value of producing graduates that possess the following skills: teamwork, critical thinking and reasoning, oral and written communication, assembling and organizing information, innovative and creative thinking, facility with numbers and statistics, and foreign language proficiency (Hart 2006 study). Does this list capture the types of skills you expect your new hires to possess? Does the list capture the skills you believe you need upon graduating with your degree, in order to compete in this global economy? For those in continuing education, do you believe your coursework adequately covers these skills with an emphasis on today's needs?
If not, where is it deficient and how can it be addressed by the University?
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Absolutely these things are necessary. I think faculty are doing a better job, at least from my personal perspective, of incorporating these things into class discussion and required work, which seems to be an efficient way of teaching those skills without spending money on a generic course (that most would probably find boring).
On the poll, the first thing I clicked was "oral and written communication." I did so because while I was a grad assistant, I had to read over some papers and it absolutely amazed me the lack of basic writing and grammar skills that students had. Had I not been forced to follow the professor's orders on grading, I would have been much more harsh because of the lack of such basic skills. This is something that must be addressed - I don't care how smart you are, if you can't present yourself and your thoughts properly then you won't be successful.
General education requirements across the system should be restructured to focus on these skills. I'm still shocked at the number of graduates that don't know basic financial skills or how to speak in public.
Of course soft skills are important, and while the phrase "soft skills" may be new, the skills are not. It has always been important for employees (and good citizens for that matter) to be able to think on their feet, interpret a chart, get to work on time, be organized and work well with others.
This area, however, poses a particular opportunity to those humanities professors across the country to chime in and stake a claim for that which they have been doing for years - teaching these skills (often times not enough). This is why reading Socrates in Philosophy 201 is important today, as long as the professors are demonstrating a correlation between the material to today's societal challenges. There is a great deal of work to be done incorporating these skills into our more technical courses with some engineering professors screaming to have GERs decreased to increase major specific coursework - so until those academic departments see the light I hope to see some increased leadership from the humanities in preparing an innovative curriculum that addresses soft skill development.
I am just wondering - are online courses just as effective as courses in the classroom? I took an online course, and I found it extremely easy. The material is there, but I find it hard to actually learn without engaging and interacting. Is this really an issue or am I simply unfamiliar with the approach?
With respect to oral and written communication, I completely agree with bloggers Justin and Zack. I remember my freshman English 11 class, when I was the only student who knew what a gerund was. And while I may be a grammar freak, I still lack skills in public speaking. I wish I had been forced to practice...
I dont consider facility with numbers a soft skill, thats a hard skill same with foreign language.
Ones missing. Ability to get along with all different kinds of people and ability to appreciate differences, even value them. Also everyone doesn't need to have them all but hopefully everyone has some of the soft skills.
Others..Emotional Intelligence, the ability to delay gratification for a better result in the long run. People who know the importance of contigent plans. Things hardly ever go totally according to plan so if you are able to be flexible and have plan b, plan c and even plan d if needed you will be more sucessful.
"Soft skills"... the new buzzword that sounds great but ultimately amounts to very little. Basically when people ask for a person/employee with soft skills, they want a well-rounded and resourceful individual (the same thing they have wanted for years). There are two fundamental faults with asking the university system to produce them.
1) They’re NOT quantifiable. How can you measure soft skills? I have yet to find an accurate way. That's why experience is so important in today's job market. Only over an extended time period can someone tell whether you really have the critical thinking and problem solving abilities you claim.
2) Soft skills have more to do with personality types and personal goals than being told repetitively "critical thinking is great!" Thanks to this mentality we now have a wave of job seekers plastering that throughout their resume and cover letters.
Soft skills should be considered a new differentiator much like 'Community Service' was used for college admissions. The questions remaining are: How can you make them tangible for a hiring manager or employer? How do the individuals with these soft skills rise above the rest? Persistence? Creative ways of grabbing an employer's attention? Enlighten me!
Oh and on a side note... all you grammar freaks posting... isn't that what spelling/grammar check is for?
Thanks
PS. use guuys a wicked smaret ;-)
Without a doubt these "soft skills" need to be addressed in our education. As a rising senior, I have felt that my most recent classes have begun to discuss these skills, but felt that the classes at the start of my college career almost completely neglected these types of skills.
I feel that colleges are so worried about cheating and plagiarism that they enforce heavy penalties on any collaboration with peers. I feel that this really hinders a students ability to learn the skills of communication, working with others, etc. I feel this is especially true for the more technical areas of study.
Later in college, I guess they gain trust in us as students and start allowing you to collaborate and practice these skills.
The Computer Science Department at NCSU has a perfect example of a class that combines both class material and the development of these soft skills. It is the "Senior Design Class" and I highly recommend more classes in the state research and model some classes after this one.
The anonymous poster touched on a good point. For years now science/engineering departments have realized the importance of deveoloping these "soft skills" in their graduates by encouraging students to participate in co-op programs. I partly attribute this to the fact that the long-time stereotype for these students has been as math nerds or science geeks who don't interact well with others. While this isn't always true the idea of a co-op helps students develop soft skills in a real enviroment. Co-op's provide students with the chance to really see what skills are necessary on the job in the real world.
It may be an unorthodox idea but I think we should encourage more students to participate in co-op programs and not just in the science/engineering fields. Sure summer internships are great but they are not the same as working for two or three rotations in a co-op. Just think about the benefits an accounting major would gain by working full-time for an Ernst and Young for two or three semesters. They would get to see what it is really like to be an accountant (personally I think I'd go insane but to each their own!). I know folks will say that you can get the same experience from a summer internship but its not the same.
The problem with this idea is that it causes students to stay in school 5 or 6 years. Thats a burden on the system but ultimately we're here to provide our student with the best set of skills to enter the workforce. Increased encouragement of co-ops across all majors would help with this immensely. Another added benefit is the experience a student who has done a co-op brings back to the classroom. It reallys helps to learn something and think back to how that would have applied in your co-op.
So sort of a long answer to the question but basically the way to teach these soft skills is not by any traditional method but by encouraging more students to take the chance to get real work experience while still in school.
I'd like to make a few comments on some of the statements that have been made on this blog.
First, it was stated that since soft skills are not quantifiable, the idea of promoting them is flawed. It the value of a skill dependent on its measure? One cynical educator once told me "if you can't measure it, kill it." Very few of the important things in life can be measured.
Second, it is assumed that distance education--any education, for that matter--is about presenting information to students. That is not learning! Learning requires engagement. It requires dialogue. It requires problem-solving. It requires community. All these things can be achieved online, but only if instructors know how to plan and implement courses effectively.
Third, the empirical research indicates that online learning is as effective as face-to-face learning--for some people. Others just don't respond well to distance education. We're all different, and we have different needs and preferences.
Finally, I'm not sure if it is considered a soft skill, and I am quite certain that it cannot be measured, but learning is more than skills, and it is more than developing knowledge. Learning is about development. A college experience should promote leadership development, moral development, epistemological development, identity development, spiritual development, and so forth. This aspect of learning goes hand in hand with gaining knowledge and skills. One requires the other. But this type of learning occurs in residence halls, in Greek letter organizations, in campus ministries, in study abroad, in campus recreation centers, and many in-class and out-of-class endeavors.
Soft skills are not for the faint of heart, nor are they a skill set reserved for university graduates only. High school and community college graduates need them too.
At Rowan-Cabarrus Community College--where I teach English--keeping in mind the softskills my students will need to develop in order to help themselves become better prepared for the workforce is a top priority for me. And they soon realize, in a fairly short time, that I am anything but "soft" in the classroom.
For an example of what we're doing in just one of my classes, we're analyzing and gleaning insights from a 2006 publication entitled "Are They Really Ready To Work?" Now, keep in mind that these students are already-working-adult- students. They are already carrying a heavier load than most of their university counterparts. Yet, they are actively engaged, thoroughly immersed, and growing daily under this rigorous curriculum. If you want to know what softskills are, and why they're so important, ask a community college student--someone whose flexibility and critical thinking skills have them juggling so much at once that many would fall under the weight of it all.
In all my classes, students required to be punctual, be present, and be prepared. Just showing up and being a "warm body" in the room is not good enough. They are required to submit their work both orally and in written formats. They will conduct research--using both primary and secondary source materials. They will (and do!) collaborate on multiple projects throughout the semester.
They're required to compile a semester-long portfolio that will show their growth and commitment to their stated lifelong learning goals. There's no room for pretending here. One either performs or one doesn't perform. And believe me, I track their progress closely. They know I'm not just playing a game, because life itself is not a dress-rehearsal.
They're challenged, in short, to perform well in the classroom. They're always encouraged to keep their focus and stay engaged, all in anticipation of performing well in their chosen future workplace environments.
I'm extremely proud of each of my students, and upon completing their academic journeys at RCCC, whether they proceed directly to a university, or successfully find new workplace paths, I'd put the educational experiences and training they're receiving in my classroom right up against anything the university's providing its best and brightest.
Ultimately, the real test of anyone's ability to succeed is the determination to get up more times than he falls. Truly, then, there's nothing *soft* about the school of hard-knocks, so in some respects, the term "softskills" as applied in a community college classroom is a bit misleading.
Most of the students who attend one of our 58 community colleges within the NC community college system already know what hard knocks causes a person to do: get up again, no matter what. But enough about me and my wonderful students at the community college.
If you want a closer look at the publication that reveals SO much on this thread of softskills, what they are, and who needs them, here's a blurb from the publisher's website (www.conference-board.org):
"In collaboration, The Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and The Society for Human Resource Management conducted an in-depth study of the corporate perspective on the readiness of new entrants into the U.S. workforce by level of educational attainment. The study includes results from both an in-depth survey conducted during April and May 2006 and interviews with a sampling of a dozen HR and other senior executives.
In addition, a workforce readiness report card is included which provides a summary of the basic knowledge and applied skills that are either "deficient" or "excellent" in those areas that employer respondents rate as 'very important.'"
Take a closer look at the report, Friends. It's free, and loaded with invaluable information. You too may be surprised and happily enlightened by what you'll find there. Happy reading (and writing)!
:)
LaNita Kirby, Instructor of English, Rowan-Cabarrus CC (Salisbury, NC)
All graduates of any institution should to able to identify and use their soft skills. Many students feel that they are unprepared for jobs when they graduate. They are talking about soft skills. Institutions should offer more classes to develop student's soft skills, such as simple oral communication. But, on the other hand, I don't believe that we could offer a course on common sense. You have to develop that on your own.
In order to get these "soft skills",teachers should involve these in their everday class. No matter what the class is, teamwork,critical thinking and reasoning and so on should be a part of everyday life. Students do not need a special class to learn these. It is not only up to the teachers but everyone involved should realize that these are critical to live. If teachers add these "soft skills" to their curriculum then the students will be participating in these activities and not even know it so they will already be gaining these skills.
some softskill you should learn in elementary and high school. Your home and college that where you should learn the rest. the writing and oral you learn that from elementary to college. but most softskill are commonsense. most of the time we do these things without noticing it. i am suprise that college graduates do not have softskill.
As an older student at RCCC and a already-working-adult student, I know first hand how important it is to not only have soft skills, but to be able to show or prove these skills.
I once worked for the #1 textile manufacturer in the world, not just the U.S., but the world. In 2003, I personally witnessed the gates being pad-locked, taking with it not only my means of making a living, but also destroying the way I felt and looked at myself in all aspects.
Being out of school for 30 years, I found myself right back at the beginning of my working career. I was starting fresh. At least this time I had my working experience and life experiences to back me up.
I do agree with bloggers Zack, Justin, and Michelle with respect to oral and written communication skills being the most important of the soft skills. Why? Because I am one of those students who has trouble being able to present myself and my thoughts properly. You see, I didn't have to do well in English while I was in school. I had the #1 textile manufacturer in the world wanting me to come and work there my whole working career. In other words, work until I retire. What a fantasy world I was living in!!!!
As I have learned in my English 114 class, along with my instructor Ms. LaNita Kirby, having only applied skills are not enough for the 21st century workplace. There is a tremendous amount of competition today for the jobs that are out there. You have to be able to stand out in this sea of applicants, have an edge, and be able to sell yourself. To accomplish this, you will need as many soft skills as you can acquire.
Lets not forget about the applied skills. Learning applied skills will only assist you in being able to achieve soft skills.
Last, but not lest, having said all that, I still believe you will also need some old-fashioned working experience to go along with your applied skills and your soft skills to become a well-rounded and resourceful individual for the length of your working career and personal life.
Whatever you decide is your path in life, please think long and hard about your education. You cannot predict the future. STAY IN SCHOOL AND GET THE BEST EDUCATION YOU POSSIBLY CAN. It's alot easier only having to worry about school, homework, etc., than it is when you have other responsibilitis. This is only my personal opinion.
The ability to effectively communicate with others has been lost in our technology driven society. More and more time is being spent interacting with various electronic devices and less time is spent engaged interpersonally.
I believe that these skills need to be addressed not only in our college system, but in our lives as a whole.
Upon the completion of college, students should not only be able to test well, but they also need to have basic skills to become productive employees and citizens in our community. These “soft skills” consisting of effective oral and written communication, leadership and social responsibility are vital to our success as a nation competing in a global market. We as a country need to find a way to inspire these individuals to become all these things.
Where would our country be without strong, driven individuals leading our nation toward a cause, such as Martin Luther King Jr.? We are in need of these people, those that are natural leaders that are able to collaborate and to creatively solve the issues that we as a country are facing both today and tomorrow.
Soft skills are an important focus of most employers today, and I think that making soft skills a major focus in the class room would really help the students that are applying for jobs after college. Having already gotten a job that most would want I am fully aware of what is required as an employee and it’s not what I am learning in school, it’s much more beyond just knowing the skill its being proficient with the skill that you know in a business environment, soft skills are the skills that are needed to do so. And for some reason our colleges and universities are omitting them from the curriculum.
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