“Soft skills” are necessary for the future workforce
Even in a world increasingly focused on automation, so-called “soft skills” are the ones that are most in-demand.
What are “soft skills”? These are skills that are related to how you work with other people, rather than skills directly related to your job. “Soft skills” include:
- Communication
- Critical thinking
- Leadership
- Teamwork
- Positive thinking
- Work ethic
“Hard skills”, like technical know-how or job-specific tasks, are much easier to teach to a worker than the ability to negotiate and work well with others. If an employee lacks these “soft skills”, they will likely find themselves unable to move up in their career without some serious help.
Because of the importance of “soft skills”, we believe they should instead be referred to a 21st century skills. The term “soft skills” can connotate they are less important than technical skills. But the truth is that these 21st century skills are the skills our workforce will need for the future. In fact, research by LinkedIn found that the most in-demand skills for workers are:
- Oral Communications
- People Management
- Social Media
- Development Tools
- Business Management
4 out of 5 of these skills are, arguably, related to 21st century skills. Oral communication and people management are obviously directly tied to an employee’s interpersonal skills. Business management also includes a high level of interpersonal work that requires candidates to work with others. Even social media involves connecting with customers, even if it is over a digital platform.
So how can we better prepare our workforce with the 21st century skills that employers are looking for, even in tech jobs? The answer is supporting public education.
In 2018, our education report card focused on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). SEL, as defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), “the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.” In other words, the 21st century skills that make workers great candidates.
Nashville’s public-school system can help prepare students for the future job market by making sure they know how to work with others, manage themselves and build positive relationships. Not only will this help them learn “hard skills”, like math, necessary for progressing in their academic education, it will improve their quality of life overall.
If you’d like to learn more about SEL in Metro Nashville Public Schools and read more about the recommendations made by our Education Report Card committee, you can download the full 2018 Education Report Card here.