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Lec. 4. Strengthening Soft Skills

HETC Project University Development Grants (UDGs) Training Program for Proposal Writers. Lec. 4. Strengthening Soft Skills. by Dr BMK Perera Director/Career Guidance Unit University of Peradeniya. Soft skills are also referred to as. Employability skills Key skills Core skills

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Lec. 4. Strengthening Soft Skills

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  1. HETC Project University Development Grants (UDGs) Training Program for Proposal Writers Lec. 4. Strengthening Soft Skills by Dr BMK Perera Director/Career Guidance Unit University of Peradeniya

  2. Soft skills are also referred to as • Employability skills • Key skills • Core skills • Interpersonal skills • Transferable skills Fallows, 2002

  3. Soft skills defined … • Skills, abilities and traits that pertain to personality, attitude and behavior Moss and Tilly, 1996

  4. Soft skills: The two domains Intrapersonal (Motivational) Interpersonal (Interactive) Overt and covert behaviors leading to success or failure

  5. Examples of Interpersonal (interactive) soft skills … • Team work • Relationship-building • Adaptability • Written and oral communication • Friendliness • Attire • Grooming

  6. Examples of Intrapersonal (motivational) soft skills • Planning/ organizing • Taking initiative • Problem solving • Showing enthusiasm • Stress tolerance • Dependability • Creative thinking and innovation • Time management • Willingness to learn • Coachability

  7. Importance • Employers criticize university output as having their heads full of theories, concepts and principles but graduates are often ill-equipped to deal with real life situations • ‘Soft skills are a lot harder to teach in the world of work‘ Wall Street Journal Article, 2002

  8. Importance (continued) • Companies are going global, and often, technical experts are called upon to do a variety of non-technical tasks requiring soft skills • Currently, people management skills are placed higher than strategic management skills and process management • Source: BMW Presentation made at University of Rhode Island, 2002 Effective_engineer

  9. Predictors of success in the world of work Predicts < 30% of a person’s success IQ Predicts >70% of a person’s success EQ AQ Relates to resilience Soft skills domain

  10. Targeting soft skills • Inclusion of career guidance in academic program • Outward bound training (Experiential learning) • Debates/ public speaking competitions/ Toastmasters Club • Strengthening of student societies • Competitions for projects displaying innovative thinking and team work • Mentoring programs within and outside the system (limited numbers)

  11. Targeting soft skills in academic programs • Lectures/ workshops on campus • Time management • Stress management • Conflict resolution/ negotiation/ mediation • Effective presentations • Assertive behavior • Understanding teamwork • Covey’s 7 habits of effective people • CV writing and interview facing (in the last year)

  12. Evolution of soft skills teaching models Embedded model Highest level of integration Integrated model Skills taught within a given discipline, specialty or faculty Centralized support service providing generic skills, operating outside curriculum/ Can offer ‘Bolted on’ courses Learning Centre model (Expect students to acquire soft skills while following their academic programs Osmosis model

  13. Targeting soft skills in Outward bound Training • Popular with the corporate sector • Historically used for training survival skills to seamen in 1941 • Highly participative • Interactive • Simulates real life situations • Adaptable to needs of the learner • Excellent for changing attitudes and developing team spirit

  14. Targeting soft skills in Outward bound Training • MIT, Sloan Center, Sloan School for Management example • Provided by outside organization (off the campus) • Used to build camaraderie • Students set personal goals • Decide on extracurricular activities to engage in • Develop academic operating norms for the semester (Develop a team charter) • A lot of physical activities

  15. Intervention 1 First, select a set of soft skills to target Intervention 2 Intervention 3 Way to develop the proposal… Equifinality

  16. -Identify concrete needs for university or faculty Determine possible overlaps -Augment teaching with programs where needed Soft skill 1 First, select an activity/ intervention Soft skill 2 Soft skill 3

  17. Irrespective of the approach there is a need to look at; • Cost, time and feasibility issues • Degree of change possible • Relevance to the university

  18. Shedding inhibitions and Developing assertiveness

  19. Group dynamics

  20. Group dynamics

  21. A short drama ...

  22. Debates

  23. Setting new life goals

  24. Speaking about one's own life ...

  25. Workshops for Student Society Leaders

  26. Awareness programs for diverse categories of staff

  27. Thank you

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