1. 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

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

14. 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

15. 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

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

17. -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

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

19. Shedding inhibitions and Developing assertiveness

20. Group dynamics

21. Group dynamics

22. A short drama ...

23. Debates

24. Setting new
life goals

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

26. Workshops for Student Society Leaders

27. Awareness programs for diverse categories of staff

28. Thank you