“Are business graduates ‘work-ready’ or ‘oven-ready’?” Employers’ perspectives from Sri Lanka

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine employers’ perspectives on developing the soft skills of business graduates via university–industry partnership in a “developing country” context. Design/methodology/approach Informed by the interpretivist paradigm, a qualitative study was conducted by exploring the perspectives of 24 industry experts on their roles and the activities they participate in with the interest of developing soft skills. Findings While industry experts perceived their role as being supportive in nature, they did acknowledge the roles of other salient stakeholders such as academics and students as facilitators and key drivers. Regarding the activities undertaken by the industry, internships and awareness-building activities were mostly highlighted as direct form of industry participation. The presence of stakeholder-related, institutional and contextual barriers appears to limit the effectiveness of collaboration in enhancing graduates’ soft skills. Practical implications For HEIs, the need for strategic orientation in designing and executing soft skill development interventions through university–industry partnerships, rather than using such collaboration to address need-based, short-term and ad hoc measures is emphasied. Originality/value This study contributes to the debate on salient stakeholders’ role in soft skills development and provides insights into industry’s engagement in nurturing soft skills via university–industry partnership.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether soft skill requirements found in employer job postings (advertisements) within different roles of business are similar to the soft skills practically needed in the workplace and the perception of faculties at schools of business in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach A two-phased study was administered. Phase 1 involved reviewing the latest relevant literature and hundreds of job advertisements; and in phase 2, questionnaires were administered to elicit responses from executives and faculty members from different universities in Bangladesh. Judgment sampling and the snowball technique were used to develop the sample of 84 respondents with a response rate of 56 percent. In total, 15 soft skills were used to develop the instrument. Descriptive statistics and a Kruskal–Wallis test were performed to analyze the collected data, where factors that retained α at or below 0.05, a family-wise Bonferroni adjustment (Mann–Whitney U test) was applied. Findings All the mentioned soft skills are found to be desirable by the recruiters and faculties also agreed with them. However, there exist disparities on the perceived importance of four soft skills among faculties and recruiters, and a gap was found between the business curriculum and industry expectations from fresh-out business graduates. Originality/value This study could be a basis for future studies and would help business education institutions guide their students to master the skills, and to develop and prepare them for real life battle in the job market. Moreover, the study indicates the gap between executives’ expectations from the graduates and the institutional teaching provided by higher education institutions (for business majors), which would help practitioners reform their business curriculum to better ensure employability for their business graduates. Moreover, the study opens an avenue for further research in this field for implementing training programs for attaining the most desired soft skills among higher education institutions.

The article analyzes applied and theoretically oriented studies of scientists devoted to the development of soft skills of a teacher, starting with his training in higher school. The authors of the article, along with the analysis of scientific papers, offer a list of declarative documents of the European and American pedagogical communities, in which soft skills are integrated into institutional domestic policy. The article states a single (not systematic) description of the content aspects of teachers’ soft skills in foreign studies. When reviewing teaching and learning in higher education institutions in Europe, the authors emphasize the great variability of methods and approaches to the study of the degree of proficiency in soft skills of higher schoolteachers and students. The article notes a shift in the focus of research on teachers’ soft skills to Asian countries, due to the pace of development of China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and other countries. The authors actualize the general trend of Western and Asian studies of soft teacher skills: the overwhelming number of scientific papers is based on social questionnaires and surveys, without involving extended theoretical analysis. In this context, the key position of this article is the need to change the goal setting of socio-pedagogical experiments on soft skills, the result of which, from the authors’ point of view, should be the creation of prospective educational programs for teacher training based on systemic theoretical generalizations and

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the labor market, increasing the importance of soft employability skills. Higher education institutions have had to adapt to produce graduates with the necessary competencies, especially in the shift towards remote work and virtual communication. This paper investigates the factors that influence the enhancement of soft skills among undergraduate students in a selected university in South Malaysia. 121 students participated in the study using a purposive sampling method and an online questionnaire as the data collection tool. The findings suggest a positive relationship between students' awareness and the enhancement of soft skills, as well as significant relationships between university support, teaching methods, and soft skills enhancement. The study highlights the importance of early exposure to soft skills for better interpersonal relationships, effective decision-making, improved communication skills, and positive professional development. Therefore, universities need to emphasize developing students' soft skills through comprehensive approaches that incorporate soft skills into the curriculum.

What are the skills marketing majors need upon graduation from college? In today’s world, many of the skills rely on technology within the field of marketing (technical/hard skills). Other skills (soft skills) can be taught across various curricula. Organizations, educators and professional job search sites are placing increasing emphasis on “workplace” or “career” readiness skills. In this paper, the authors discuss their analysis of 133 pieces of literature from practitioners and academics on the in-demand skills needed by marketing majors. The first section provides a categorization of marketing soft skills to give a broad picture of various soft skill sets that students need to be aware. Next, the paper analyzes different “hard skills”, or technical abilities individuals need to perform to be successful in different marketing careers. The authors then examine the primary soft skills needed to execute different hard skills. Finally, the paper discusses course strategies to implement soft and hard skills in class. Attention is given to developing an integrative and “robust” set of soft and hard skills, and strategies, that can be used in different types, and sizes, of marketing classes.

This study aims to explore the leadership soft skills are necessary needed for leaders in universities from the views of experienced leader in higher education institutions. For decades, the focus of management and leadership was on technical skills, i.e., the so-called ‘hard skills’. Technical skills are critical as to perform effectively within an organization. Nowadays, employees also need leaders with critical soft skills. These soft skills are more generic in nature and are the keys towards effective performance across job categories. The main purpose of this study is to answer the main question which is, what are the soft leadership skills required in higher educational institutions? Then, explain and interpret the implementation of the nine components of leadership soft skills, namely social power, trust, mentoring and coaching, prepare successions, supporting, intelligence, emotional intelligence, inspirational and cultural and diversity awareness. This study employed in depth observation with long experience in higher education leadership. Then, discuss on the effectiveness of the implementation soft skills development. Findings prove the importance and value of leadership soft skills in higher educational institutions. Additionally, provide information to assist administrators in developing high-quality interpersonal relationships with their associates and support staffs.

The article is devoted to the problem of developing future social workers’ social skills (soft skills). The relevance of the study is due to the public need for training competent and competitive social workers who are able to solve various social issues in society promptly and in a team, creatively perform social tasks, have motivation for self-development and self-realization. For this purpose, such research methods as the analysis and generalization of normative, literary sources, educational and scientific programs of higher educational institutions on the investigated problem, as well as questionnaires among students of higher education at bachelor's and master's levels – future social workers – were used. We understand soft skills as social skills – skills, abilities and characteristics that allow one to be competitive and successful in professional activities. As a result of the survey conducted among students of 9 institutions of higher education, it was found out that 10 skills are the most important soft skills of future social workers: knowledge of a foreign language, an active civic and life position, analytical thinking, communication skills, the ability to inspire new ideas, time management, the ability to build an algorithm of actions to provide the necessary social assistance to people, the ability to resolve conflicts, leadership qualities and the ability to lead, work organization skills. The necessary socio-pedagogical conditions for the effective development of future social workers’ soft skills at a higher education institution were defined and substantiated: the motivation and readiness of future social workers to develop soft skills necessary for successful social work; integration of the development of the complex of social skills "soft skills" in students in the process of educational work and during extracurricular practical social activities; availability and integrative implementation of various forms of "soft skills" development; use of a complex of innovative technologies and interactive methods of "soft skills" development; self-education through the involvement of students in practical social work beyond school hours. The set of factors affecting the introduction of socio-pedagogical conditions for the development of students’ social skills in institutions of higher education is characterized. Integration forms, innovative technologies and methods are highlighted, which are expedient to use in the educational process of modern institutions of higher education for the effective development of future social workers’ soft skills.

The article is dedicated to the research of soft skills structural units and their formation of future social workers, as well as the issue of their professional growth and development. Professional skills consist of specific knowledge and abilities important for performing a particular job and that can be mostly identified, evaluated and measured. Until now, there was a perception that hard or functional- -technical skills were the only skills needed for career growth and development. However, a study carried out at Harvard University shows that 80% of career achievements are determined by soft (social and communication) skills and only 20% by functional and technical skills. Since the labor market currently requires diverse professionals, higher education institutions face new challenges. One of these challenges is to create pedagogical conditions for the development of soft skills, including those of future social workers. The professional competence of a social worker involves three groups of skills, namely hard skills, soft skills and meta skills. We suppose that the mechanism of their formation in the conditions of professional training should be focused on the development of all components of soft skills, and their development provides the necessary professional qualities, the implementation of abilities, and the realization of values in social work. In accordance with the characteristics of future social workers in the development of «soft skills», its characteristic features and peculiarities are clarified, including: creating an informal environment for the formation of social leadership in higher educational institutions; filling the educational program with options for «soft skills», activities aimed at increasing the practice-oriented training of future specialists, the use of active and interactive techniques, forms, methods and means of developing the «soft skills» of social workers. The results of the study include the definition of the concept of «soft skills», the identification of their general characteristics, the outlining of groups of soft skills, and the description of their main components. It was found that the most in-demand flexible competencies are: teamwork, critical thinking, leadership, creativity, meeting deadlines, responsibility and discipline, as well as communication skills, emotional stability, ability to work in stressful situations, adaptability to a new team or working conditions, conflict resolution, critical and creative thinking, public speaking skills, reliability, flexibility, responsibility, priority setting, planning, adequate perception of criticism and readiness for improvement, and professional etiquette proficiency

This study examines the key soft skills affecting employment decisions among the employers of Dhaka city. After examining 10 key soft skills, 4 soft skills such as good communication skills, problem-solving skills, working well under pressure and comprehension/thinking skills have been observed significantly influencing the employment decisions of the employers of Dhaka city. Factor analysis has been used to identify the most significant skills influencing employment decision. Correlation is also used to identify the most highly correlated skills. Simple descriptive statistics has been used to measure the degree of influence of the soft skills. General Linear Model is also used to examine the differences of employment decision making depending on the soft skills. Non probability random sampling has been considered as a sampling technique for collecting data. Sample size for this study is 201 respondents, 152 respondents from private organizations and 49 respondents from government organizations and 209 respondents from business graduates. It has also been identified that business graduates are aware of such soft skills like good communication skills and multiple choice fashions are the most significant method of judging these soft skills and training is the most influential method of measuring the improvement in learning soft skills. Business students should be assigned relevant tasks for mastering soft skills and also more and more practice of soft skills should be incorporated to the curriculum so that business students could make themselves competent enough to compete in the job market as far as soft skills are concerned and also would be able to meet the requirements of the concerned workplace and hence turn the employment decision in their favor positively and significantly.

Aim. Based on similar studies, this research work aims to investigate the perception of students and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of learning about the importance of soft skills for their education and employment since these skills are increasingly sought-after by potential employers. Methods. The Kendall Tau b test and Mann Whitney U test have been applied to show the relationship between soft skills and job preparedness for students. This study investigates a selection of 100 students from a private HEI (UBT College) and 100 students from a public HEI (University “Haxhi Zeka”), both in Kosovo. A total of 200 valid responses were collected from July to September 2020. Goldsmith inventory for 15 soft skills has been distributed as a questionnaire has been distributed to the students of these universities. Results and conclusion. The research results indicate that in soft skills development of the UBT College students is significantly higher than the soft skills developed of the University “Haxhi Zeka” students. The findings also show that most of the students believe that their actual soft skills were at a less than the desired level. Practical application. This research implicates the Higher Education Institutions to consider the soft skills as an important tool for enhancing graduates’ employability. The results indicate the need to reconsider the curriculum by embedding soft skills on it. The students’ perception on soft skills is a contribution not only for the universities considered in this research but also for all graduates in HEIs in Kosovo, since the curriculum does not change much among universities. According to Eurostat the unemployment youth rate in Kosovo is about 55.4% and for this reason the results will help the HEIs to rethink about their students’ future employment opportunities. Originality. This is the only study done in Kosovo about graduates’ soft skills and employment and it provides information about a concerning problem in the country. This paper suggests initiatives to upgrade students’ soft skills and to improve their perspective on their future employment.

Over the past few decades, there has been a widening disparity in the abilities required for various skills, and employees are expected to possess the necessary requirements in this age of technology and industrial advancement. Education institutions around the globe face a formidable task in meeting this demand for skilled workers. Therefore, this research discusses the perspective of vocational education students on job readiness. A quantitative survey of nine soft skill indicators of vocational education students was conducted. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted on an online survey of 530 students from 29 vocational schools across Indonesia. The data focuses on the soft skills currently attracting industry interest. Furthermore, soft skills are closely related to student work readiness, while vocational education learning only focuses on developing hard skills. Based on the needs of the industry, soft skills are progressively becoming essential qualifications. Therefore, vocational education needs to include soft skills in learning objectives, and the research reported five strong and three weak indicators. Soft skills can be increased through integrated and effective learning. This study's findings are that six indicators of soft skills have been developed enormously, and three other hands are weak. The presence of employers in the learning process is beneficial in developing soft skills for work readiness.

The article deals with the methodological issue of building soft skills in the context of teaching modern foreign languages to students of higher institutions. The analysis of the available scientific and methodological research works devoted to the problem of developing students’ soft skills, especially in the process of teaching foreign languages, reveals that even though soft skills are crucial for securing employment of graduates they are still underdeveloped in the system of higher education, which results in a growing need for institutions of higher education to address the defined gap. The paper suggests some ways capable of bridging the gap and fostering the development of personal and interpersonal XXI century skills in the process of teaching foreign languages. It focuses on intra-curricular approaches to classroom management (e.g., pairing or grouping students) and methods and content of classroom activities (case study, debates, discussions, project-based learning, etc.), which have the potential to equip students with the core skills through real-life scenarios and different learning experiences. The author emphasizes that speaking and listening activities, being undoubtedly highly beneficial for soft skills development, are not the only ones that can be used to enhance learners’ soft skills. Students’ soft skills can be significantly improved while reading or writing, so the key point is to organically integrate diverse activities and teaching strategies. Therefore, before planning a class, teachers have to understand how soft skills are developed, choose what soft skills they want their students to learn, and select corresponding instructional methods and tools to model a situation in which soft skills could be naturally acquired. Particular emphasis is also placed on the question of how and what soft skills can be developed during self-assessment or peer-assessment practices. The article finishes with a few recommendations regarding possible aspects of further research.

In the 21th century the talented employees and their knowledge and skills are the most important assets of the organizations. In relation to graduated students of economics and management studies employers often value soft skills more than technical and professional skills. Therefore, higher education institutions have a significant role in the advancement of the employability of their students – developing not only their knowledge and professional-technical skills, but soft skills, too. The aim of this paper is to introduce the results of a few international research concerning the role of university-level study programs in the development of the students' soft skills. Besides, the paper presents the results of a questionnaire-based research on the students' perception of the importance and development of soft skills in Hungary and Serbia. Based on the data obtained in 2023 from students of Budapest Business University and Faculty of Economics in Subotica, University of Novi Sad we will show the students' perception of the most important soft skills, their opinion on where the soft skills may be developed, how important is university in developing soft skills and what soft skills may a teacher help to develop. The research hypothesis is that students from Hungary and Serbia have similar perception on the importance and development of soft skills. The IBM SPSS Statistics 26 program is used for statistical analysis. The obtained results may be a useful input for the evolution of university level study programs for students' soft skills development both in Hungary and Serbia.

The article presents the main aspects of theoretical and experimental study of the conditions for the “soft skills” formation of future athletes and physical education teachers in higher education institution. The content and features of the “soft skills” formation of a professional are revealed. The place of "soft skills" in the professional structure of the athlete and teacher personality and the role in the implementation of professional activities is determined. Complex multi-level solution of problems; critical thinking; creativity; people management; cooperation with others; emotional intelligence; judgment and decision making; customer orientation; ability to negotiate; cognitive flexibility; stress resistance; effective job search have been chosen for criteria of "soft skills" formation of university students majoring in physical culture and sports. Levels of formation of "soft skills" are ranked according to the degree of manifestation into initial, low, medium and high.With the help of these indicators, the conditions for the effective “soft skills” formation of modern students in the field of physical education and sport of higher education institutions are experimentally tested.It is recommended to supplement part of the educational components of the professional training of the educational program with topics that will contribute to the formation of "soft skills". It is important to target students to participate in soft skills training, and also to bring up the need for self-improvement as soft skills are crucial for graduates in employment and career development in the context of globalization.

Various organizations employ Quantity Surveying (QS) graduates. The diversity of employment opportunities bring the needs of QS graduates to equip with the key competencies to be able to work effectively and efficiently with other professionals. The QS profession faces threats to its traditional roles and functions as a result of changing client needs in the construction industry advances in technology and the particular needs of a developing economy. Within the context of the current situation, the globalization is pushing QS graduates to become competitive in term of soft skills that they possess such as communication skills, problem-solving skills, leadership, and teamwork. This research adopted a survey approach, using a questionnaire as the data collection technique. 80 questionnaires were distributed to employers, or human resource (HR) managers of the organizations that had QS graduates working with them. This paper reports on the views and expectations of the employers towards the soft skills of QS graduates in Malaysia. The employers were asked to rate their views towards current QS graduates’ soft skills’ performance in Malaysia as well as to assess their expectations of these graduates’ soft skills based on a five-point Likert scale. From the findings, a ‘competency gap’ between the current local university QS graduates’ soft skills’ performance and their expectations were identified, and discussed. This paper also presents the recommendations made by the employers towards Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Malaysia producing QS graduates in order to improve and prepare the graduates for their work place.