How soft skills can enhance job market success

Dr. David A. Schmidt, President, The American University of Ras Al Khaimah discusses the importance of integrating soft skills with technical knowledge in university curricula to enhance graduates’ employability

In the fast-evolving 21st century where the Fourth Industrial Revolution is upending the job market, employers look for well-rounded, ready-for-market graduates whose competencies go beyond technical and academic knowledge.

Studies and surveys clearly demonstrate there is often a gap between a graduate’s technical knowledge and the on-ground realities of the job market. A Talentbank survey revealed that many employers are dissatisfied with recent graduates’ performance in the workforce as they failed to have mastered 21st-century skills. The employers commented that fresh graduates will not be able to cope or find employment in competitive industries if they did not match their technical or academic qualifications with competency in soft skills.

In higher education the traditional focus is usually on transmission of technical and theoretical knowledge specific to each area of study. However, it is becoming increasingly evident that the success of our students in their careers and professional lives depends not only on their technical knowledge but also on their mastery of and competence with soft skills.

What are soft skills?

The difference between technical skills and soft skills is quite simple. Technical skills are the practical knowledge and expertise required to perform actions, tasks and processes of a job. Soft skills are unique human traits and attributes that are difficult to replace with technology.

According to Nobel Prize winner James Heckman, “soft skills predict one’s success in life,” while having a high IQ and a high EQ is the magical combination that triggers success both in personal and professional life.In a dramatically evolving job market, there are different types of soft skills needed to be successful in a career. .

From my experience, the following standout as the most significant soft skills in today’s marketplace:

• Complex problem solving: Devising solutions to unusual, multi-dimensional problems in complex scenarios
• Critical thinking: Using logic and reasoning to question an issue, consider various outcomes of that issue, and assess the positives and negatives
• Creativity: Looking at unrelated information, ‘connecting the dots’ and producing a new, innovative idea from this information
• Communication: Communicating with others – whether potential clients, suppliers or others internally within the organisation – is critical and includes pitches to potential customers, progress reports to clients and management, and reports, proposals and internal communications
• Teamwork: Today’s new mantra is working fruitfully in a team; working solo or in seclusion is reserved for just a few categories. Working in a team has become the number one industry requirement today
• Technology savvy: In any type of industry, use of the latest technology (including software tools and social media expertise) is not only an advantage but also an absolute necessity.

The list of soft skills may differ slightly from industry to industry but the core remains the same. According to the World Economic Forum (2020), the top 10 skills include service orientation, negotiation, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, people management, creativity, coordinating with others, complex problem solving, cognitive flexibility and judgment & decision making.

Challenges facing universities

Against this backdrop, higher educational institutions are called upon to identify crucial skills to be reinforced in their syllabi to prepare university students for the future workforce. Education ministries and institutions have a critical role in embedding learning skills in the curriculum to meet the industry’s and society’s demands.

Two main approaches are generally recommended for fostering the development of soft skills at universities – parallel and embedded. The parallel approach provides students with activities focused on the development of specific soft skills in the form of a parallel offering to the programme curriculum. The embedded approach is based on the premise that there is no difference between the way disciplinary content and soft skills are taught, and that the development of soft skills cannot be separated from the processes of acquiring other knowledge or disciplinary competencies.

One of the most effective ways in which a university education can foster the development of soft skills is through project-based learning. Group projects help students develop teamwork and communication skills, while giving them the opportunity to apply their technical knowledge to real-world situations.

University education should also include extracurricular activities that allow students to develop social and leadership skills, such as clubs and student organisations. These activities give students the opportunity to interact with a variety of people and work on projects in a non-academic setting, which can help develop important soft skills.

Universities can also create specific courses or subjects to develop soft skills to provide students with a well-rounded education relevant to today’s working world. These courses can help improve important skills such as effective communication, leadership and teamwork, which can give students a competitive edge in their job search.

It is a seemingly herculean task for universities to produce graduates who have the right balance of technical expertise and soft skills against a landscape where the goalposts are constantly changing. However, the challenge must be met if universities are to remain relevant.