Integration of Soft Skills of Graduates of the Technical University in Zvolen and Their Applicability in Slovak Business Environment. The Case Study

Abstract

Higher education institutions annually produce hundreds to thousands of graduates with the same or similar education. The new graduates only with academic background compete with the graduates from previous years who have acquired some practical experience. The individual will only assert themselves through the complex of superstructure competencies and the ability to apply them effectively and practically for the benefit of the employer. The paper aims to present research focused on the analysis of soft skills and summarising the requirements for the soft skills competencies of the graduates from the Technical University in Zvolen in terms of employers’ expectations in the Slovak republic. The research was carried out in the form of a questionnaire survey, and the results of the questionnaire survey were evaluated by the method of mathematical-statistical analysis by non-parametric testing of significance. On the basis of the testing of significance, the hypothesis for specific areas of soft skills competencies was confirmed, suggesting that students’ competencies in these areas do not reach the level demanded by enterprises, and therefore, it is necessary to improve the quality of education in that area to match students’ real knowledge with business requirements. Implications for Central European audience: The global labour market requires the introduction of new competencies so that university graduates can work in a domestic or transnational context. An advantage is the added value showed by various interpersonal skills represented by soft skills. In the research, we focused on the analysis and summarising the requirements for the soft skills. Based on the testing of significance, the hypothesis of the statistical significance of the difference for specific areas of soft skills competencies was confirmed, suggesting that students’ competencies in these areas do not reach the level demanded by enterprises. Soft skills and emotional behaviours deficits could affect business outcomes.