Perceived instructional requirements of hard skills trainers and soft skills trainers

In recent decades, educators have pushed to implementing active learning techniques that can advance students' competences. Universities are increasingly required to develop knowledge measured in terms of grades (hard skills) and inter-personal, social, and communication abilities (soft skills). Nevertheless, within the field of active learning, educators often focus on how these techniques can improve students' hard skills and their satisfaction. Few have analysed whether and how these techniques might improve students' soft skills. Moreover, among these few studies, the majority has analysed hard and soft skills separately, measuring whether different active learning techniques may or may not improve them. Virtually no one has studied whether students' hard and soft skills can converge or diverge in an active learning format. This study allows us to understand the relations between these two sets of variables, for example, whether an improvement (or deterioration) in the hard skills corresponds to an improvement (or deterioration) in the soft skills, and vice versa. In our experiment, we analyse the impact of a specific active learning format, such as the Flipped Classroom (FC), on both students' hard and soft skills, by comparing it with a traditional class integrated with other active learning techniques, such as presentations, debates, and teamwork activities. First, we use Pearson correlations to measure the relation between students' hard skills, understood in terms of grades, and a set of soft skills, such as critical thinking, self-efficacy, teamwork, and perception of learning. Second, we use canonical correlations to analyse whether hard and soft skills converge or diverge in an FC format, in comparison with a traditional teaching format integrated with the other active learning techniques. Our main finding is that the FC per se neither improves nor worsens students' performance in terms of hard and soft skills.

PurposeIn recent decades, educators have pushed to implementing active learning techniques that can advance students’ competences. Universities are increasingly required to develop knowledge measured in terms of grades (hard skills) and inter-personal, social, and communication abilities (soft skills). Nevertheless, within the field of active learning, educators often focus on how these techniques can improve students’ hard skills and their satisfaction. Few have analysed whether and how these techniques might improve students’ soft skills. Moreover, among these few studies, the majority has analysed hard and soft skills separately, measuring whether different active learning techniques may or may not improve them. Virtually no one has studied whether students’ hard and soft skills can converge or diverge in an active learning format. This study allows us to understand the relations between these two sets of variables, for example, whether an improvement (or deterioration) in the hard skills corresponds to an improvement (or deterioration) in the soft skills, and vice versa.MethodIn our experiment, we analyse the impact of a specific active learning format, such as the Flipped Classroom (FC), on both students’ hard and soft skills, by comparing it with a traditional class integrated with other active learning techniques, such as presentations, debates, and teamwork activities. First, we use Pearson correlations to measure the relation between students’ hard skills, understood in terms of grades, and a set of soft skills, such as critical thinking, self-efficacy, teamwork, and perception of learning. Second, we use canonical correlations to analyse whether hard and soft skills converge or diverge in an FC format, in comparison with a traditional teaching format integrated with the other active learning techniques.Results and conclusionsOur main finding is that the FC per se neither improves nor worsens students’ performance in terms of hard and soft skills.

This study was conducted to find out the effect of New Normal Education which was described in terms of online and distance learning on teachers? skills in management as to soft and hard skills. Specifically, it aimed to determine the extent of new normal education as to online distance learning in terms of computer competency, virtual classroom behavior management and web resources utilization; and the extent of new normal education as to modular distance learning in terms of lack of communication, learning materials and time management. It also sought to find out the level of teachers? soft skills in management relative to adaptability/flexibility, communication, conflict resolution, creativity, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and problem solving; and the level of teachers? hard skills in management relative to multitasking, social media management and video production. Also, it sought to determine the significant effect of new normal education as to online distance learning and modular distance learning to teachers? soft and hard skills in management. The results of the study implied that out that the extent of new normal education as to online learning in terms of computer competency and virtual classroom behavior management was to a very great extent while the extent of new normal education as to online distance learning was to a great extent. Moreover, the extent of new normal education as to modular distance learning in terms of lack of communication, learning materials and time management were remarked as to a very great extent. The level of all the teachers? soft skills in management were remarked to a very great extent except creativity which was to a great extent. The level of teachers? hard skills in management in terms of multitasking as well as social media management was to a very great extent while video production was to a great extent. The study revealed that new normal education as to online and modular distance learning in terms of computer competency had no significant effect of teachers? soft and hard skills. Moreover, virtual classroom behavior management showed no significant effect on teachers? soft and hard skills in management. In addition, there is a significant effect on teachers? soft skills and hard skills with regards to web resources utilization. It also revealed that only time management for new normal education as to modular distance learning had significant effect on teachers? soft and hard skills in management while lack of communication and learning materials had no significant effect. The null hypotheses: new normal education as to online distance learning has no significant effect on teachers? soft and hard skills in management; and new normal education as to modular distance learning has no significant effect on teachers? soft and hard skills in management were partially accepted. Based on the aforementioned conclusions of this study, it is recommended to establish clear procedures and routines at work that may prevent many problems with time management which enables teachers to be productive, effective and efficient.

While employers still see the value in accessing hard skills, the current hiring process involves placing a greater emphasis on the transferable skills known as soft skills. These soft skills include critical thinking, teamwork, leadership, written and oral communication, and the ability to research independently. As such, hiring managers suggest the onus for developing soft skills rest with faculty as they equip these future employees with the soft skills necessary for a given role or industry. There exists an abundance of research in skill development and employability from the vantage point of the employer and of the graduating student, however, very little has been dedicated to faculty perception of the value of hard and soft skills. The purpose of this study therefore was to measure the emphasis sport management faculty place on soft and hard skills. Respondents (n = 106) provided the level of emphasis they give to soft and hard skills in the classroom and in their faculty meetings. Results indicate that sport management faculty place significantly greater emphasis on soft skills in the classroom and believe these skills have a greater impact on both initial hiring decisions and subsequent long-term career success.

Introduction/Main Objectives: This study sought to quantify how hard skills, soft skills, organization learning, and innovation capability all affected performance. Background Problems: The abilities required to advance in the workplace are changing due to the expanding workplace. Every university graduate is expected to perform exceedingly well, possess high levels of competence, and be adept at their jobs. Educational institutions play a crucial role in developing competent graduates with hard skills, soft skills, and self-efficacy. Novelty: This study evaluates the similarities and differences between the previous research and the research conducted because the earlier research did not integrate the three variables in one research title. Research Methods: This study employs a qualitative literature study. Secondary data is gathered from research findings from multiple references that are pertinent to the study's subject and goals. Finding/Results: The findings demonstrated that organizational learning, hard and soft skills, and innovation capability all had a direct, positive, and significant impact on performance. Additionally, among other factors, soft skills have the most significant an impact on performance. Conclusion: Every educational institution must continue to focus on developing hard and soft skills through training to improve employee performance.

This research aims to determine whether implementing the independent learning program through the teaching assistance program can influence the soft and hard skills of accounting education students. Teaching assistance is the Independent Campus Learning program launched by the government. Teaching assistance aims to improve the competency of college graduate students in terms of soft and hard skills. Based on the initial observations of accounting education students at the Universitas Negeri Malang, various problems were found related to students' soft and hard skills in teaching assistance. This research uses quantitative methods by collecting data through questionnaires to measure teaching assistance on students' soft and hard skills. The research sample comprised 153 students in the accounting skills program at SMKN 12 Malang. Data analysis uses simple linear regression analysis to test the effect of teaching assistance on students' soft and hard skills. The research results show that teaching assistance can positively impact students' hard and soft skills. The conclusion of this research shows that teaching assistance is a program that can help students hone soft and hard skills to prepare themselves to become teachers in the real world. The experience students gain through teaching assistance can equip them to be ready for the world of work and to face real situations and conditions in the classroom.

The main objective of the research is to study the perception of students in accounting profile within the "AurelVlaicu" University of Arad in comparison with the employers’ perception of the hard and soft skills needed in view of the accounting graduates’ access on the labour force market. The target group has been asked to express its opinion on the skills required to candidates to access the jobs in order to penetrate the labour force market in the field of accounting. In order to achieve this objective, an empirical study based on a cross-cutting descriptive research has been carried out, the method chosen is the survey based on a questionnaire. The target group consists of 250 students majoring in accounting within "AurelVlaicu" University of Arad, as well as from 300 professional accountants who are members of CECCAR (The Body o Experts and Chartered Accountants of Romania). The case study concluded that a large part of the interviewed accountants have considered that employers would be increasingly interested in hiring young graduates in accounting that hold strong soft skills, being also willing to subsequently invest in trainings to develop their hard skills that they need daily in the chosen job. In order to succeed and perform in the field in which they will work, accounting students (future accounting professionals) must hold a set of powerful soft skills to complete the hard skills acquired and tested during the academic studies. The target group interviewed in the case study considers it would be useful the accounting students to participate in internships, scientific sessions, Erasmus scholarships, voluntary actions, Work and Travel Programs, teambuilding programs, national and international projects, summer schools, student scientific clubs to develop hard and soft skills during the university studies. In order to generate sustainable organisational success, future professionals who will be working in the field of accountancy will have to possess both hard skills and soft skills to be able to contribute in this way to the success of the organization they will be part of and the accounting profession will gain.

This paper critically examines the concepts of hard and soft skills, emphasizing their crucial role in future development. Focusing on Albania, the study aims to investigate the influence of hard and soft skills on employment within both urban and rural contexts. Additionally, the paper seeks to unravel the disparities in employment policies between these areas, shedding light on the unique challenges and opportunities present in Albania's evolving employment. The literature review serves as the foundation for our research, providing essential insights into the influence of soft and hard skills within both urban and rural contexts, particularly in developing countries. Understanding the dynamics of these skills in employment is paramount for comprehending the nuances of workforce development and policy formulation in diverse geographic settings. The questionnaire, developed based on the insights gleaned from the literature review, was administered to managers and individuals involved in the recruitment process. Data collection involved a random sampling method, resulting in 182 respondents from rural areas and 179 respondents from urban areas. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS, version 23, with regression analysis employed to empirically assess the formulated hypotheses. In conclusion, the study underscores the fundamental role of education in facilitating employment opportunities, particularly in rural areas where diplomas hold prominence. However, the ability to retain employment and thrive in the labor market is contingent upon possessing essential soft skills. Thus, while education serves as a gateway to employment, cultivating soft skills is paramount for long-term success in both urban and rural employment areas. The findings of this paper hold significant value for individuals directly engaged in the recruitment process, including employers and employees alike. Employers stand to benefit from insights into the importance of prioritizing soft skills alongside hard skills when evaluating potential candidates, particularly in urban settings where these skills hold greater sway. Similarly, employees can leverage the understanding that possessing and refining soft skills is critical not only for securing employment but also for maintaining long-term market relevance. Overall, this study provides valuable guidance for enhancing recruitment practices and fostering career development in diverse employment contexts. This paper stands out for its focus on employment practices within both urban and rural areas, a perspective that offers a nuanced understanding of workforce dynamics. Furthermore, the inclusion of Albania as a case study adds a unique dimension, providing insights into employment practices within the context of a developing country. By exploring the employment landscape in Albania, the study offers valuable perspectives that may not be captured in studies conducted in more developed nations. This original contribution enhances our understanding of the intersection between urban-rural employment dynamics.

The present study assesses hotel workers’ perceptions regarding their soft and hard skills, during COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, data were collected through a survey applied to 4 and 5 star hotel workers in the Historical Center of Porto (Portugal). The results show that workers have a generally positive perception on their skills, especially in the case of teamwork, interpersonal relationship and flexibility (soft skills). Digital competencies (hard skills), present the lowest level of confidence. Data also show that essential competencies are rarely provided by the employer. Moreover, the evaluation of workers with a higher education degree only differs significantly regarding hard skills (linguistic).

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to achieve sanctimonious status to the soft skills discipline. It explores soft skills in global organizations and educational institutions.Design/methodology/approachThis paper explains the significance of soft skills and the methods to acquire these. It differentiates between soft and hard skills with examples and illustrations. It draws a blueprint to offer soft skills program. It unveils expository strategy, guided strategy and active strategy for teaching and training soft skills.FindingsThe finding of this study reminds that the world is shifting from knowledge economy to self-knowledge economy and of the importance of soft skills with the advent of artificial intelligence. It enlightens that a judicious blend of hard and soft skills is essential for achieving professional and leadership success. It implores not only to build hard skills but also mind soft skills. It concludes that soft skills are essential for everyone from janitors to chief executives to achieve the desired outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper explains from the academic and organizational perspectives only.Practical implicationsThis methodology can be applied in any industry and in any size of organization globally.Social implicationsThe social implications of this research suggest that educational institutions and global organizations can adopt these methods and strategies to impart and improve soft skills.Originality/valueThis research explores tools and techniques to measure soft skills. It encourages experiential learning to impart soft skills. It coins an innovative evaluation tool – Meka’s five-level model – to measure soft skills training. It outlines a few sample questions to measure soft skills training. It crafts course curriculum for soft skills. It unveils a list of soft skills essential for leaders.

Increasing awareness of the productive potential of soft skills has sparked a discussion of their systematic and purposeful development. However, education systems pay only limited attention to this topic in most countries and remain focused on the development of hard skills. Is this approach rational or inadequate? This article provides new evidence on different aspects of the wage returns to soft skills (as an approximation of their productivity), and thereby contributes significantly to the discussion of the role of educational institutions in their development. It provides evidence that soft skills are as productive as hard skills. Moreover, it suggests that the productivity of hard skills stems from their combination with soft skills. These conclusions do not correspond to the fact that the value of education is intermediated mainly by hard skills, resulting in unequal development of soft and hard skills in schools. While concluding that education systems should pay more attention to soft skills development, the analysis recognises that this attention should be differentiated according to employers’ needs, owing to substantial differences in the value of soft skills across economic sectors. It is also noteworthy that while significant gender differences in returns to hard skills were identified, wage returns to soft skills appear gender neutral.

The analysis of students' perceptions of job readiness was conducted using the Pareto analysis method. The results showed that interpersonal skills were the main factor that most influenced students' perceptions of job readiness, with a frequency of 40%. Hard skills had a frequency of 37%, while soft skills had a frequency of 23%. Interpersonal skills are necessary for building good relationships between employees and superiors, colleagues, and customers. Hard skills determine whether employees have the technical skills required in their field of work, while soft skills are essential in problem-solving and making the right decisions in the workplace. Therefore, students need to improve their interpersonal skills by training skills such as communication, leadership, collaboration, and empathy. Hard skills can be improved by increasing technical knowledge and direct practice in the desired field of work. Soft skills can be honed through exercises in creativity, innovation, data analysis, and conflict resolution. Students also need to understand the importance of having a balanced set of interpersonal, hard, and soft skills to prepare themselves well for the job market. They should take advantage of opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities, internships, or relevant training and certification courses. By improving their interpersonal, hard, and soft skills, students will be able to strengthen their perception of job readiness and increase their chances of getting good jobs and succeeding in the future. Furthermore, companies can obtain more qualified and productive employees, helping them to achieve their business goals more effectively.Keywords: Student Perceptions, Job Readiness, Interpersonal Skills, Hard Skills, Soft Skills, Pareto, Gaps

Background: Healthcare rehabilitator skills can be grouped into hard and soft skills. Hard skills are specific and teachable, which can be defined and measured, while soft skills are less tangible and more difficult to quantify. The aim of this study is to investigate the level of knowledge of soft skills among Italian healthcare rehabilitators, and how they were acquired.Design and Methods: Two hundred healthcare rehabilitators, who worked in Southern Italy were enrolled from September 1st to October 31st 2017, and interviewed with Computer-Assisted-Web- Interview (CAWI) software, to assess their level of soft skills.Results: Healthcare rehabilitators showed significant satisfaction with university education (59.5%), particularly for theoretical training (64%), while significant dissatisfaction was found fortechnical- practical training (63.5%), training in patients’ family management (66.5%) and stages participation to improve soft skills (59%). Dissatisfied rehabilitators were found for university education of soft skills (59%), particularly for interpersonal relationships with patients’ family (66.5%) and technical-practical train in (63.5%). Women considered the training courses about soft skills acquisition more useful than men (43.8%).Conclusions: Healthcare rehabilitator training is lacking in the teaching of both technical-practicaland soft skills. It is striking that in a healthcare profession like that of the rehabilitator, where practical and empathic skills are fundamental in the relationship with the patients, such skills are not treated in analogously with theoretical training.Significance for public healthThis study investigates on the perception about soft skills competence by healthcare rehabilitators working in Southern Italy. In fact, soft skills are an essential component to improvement performance in many professions and especially in healthcare professions such as healthcare rehabilitators, but unfortunately, in university courses, they are not taught sufficiently or equally as hard skills.

This paper critically examines the effects of technical competencies and personal abilities on employment. Emphasizing the crucial role of hard and soft skills in future development. Focusing on Albania, the study aims to investigate the influence of hard and soft skills on employment within both urban and rural contexts. Additionally, the paper seeks to unravel the disparities in employment policies between these areas, shedding light on the unique challenges and opportunities present in Albania's evolving employment. The literature review serves as the foundation for our research, providing essential insights into the influence of soft and hard skills within both urban and rural contexts, particularly in developing countries. Understanding the dynamics of these skills in employment is paramount for comprehending the nuances of workforce development and policy formulation in diverse geographic settings. The questionnaire, developed based on the insights gleaned from the literature review, was administered to managers and individuals involved in the recruitment process. Data collection involved a random sampling method, resulting in 182 respondents from rural areas and 179 respondents from urban areas. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS, version 23, with regression analysis employed to empirically assess the formulated hypotheses. In conclusion, the study underscores the fundamental role of education in facilitating employment opportunities, particularly in rural areas where diplomas hold prominence. However, the ability to retain employment and thrive in the labor market is contingent upon possessing essential soft skills. Thus, while education serves as a gateway to employment, cultivating soft skills is paramount for long-term success in both urban and rural employment areas. The findings of this paper hold significant value for individuals directly engaged in the recruitment process, including employers and employees alike. Employers stand to benefit from insights into the importance of prioritizing soft skills alongside hard skills when evaluating potential candidates, particularly in urban settings where these skills hold greater sway. Similarly, employees can leverage the understanding that possessing and refining soft skills is critical not only for securing employment but also for maintaining long-term market relevance. Overall, this study provides valuable guidance for enhancing recruitment practices and fostering career development in diverse employment contexts. This paper stands out for its focus on employment practices within both urban and rural areas, a perspective that offers a nuanced understanding of workforce dynamics. Furthermore, the inclusion of Albania as a case study adds a unique dimension, providing insights into employment practices within the context of a developing country. By exploring the employment landscape in Albania, the study offers valuable perspectives that may not be captured in studies conducted in more developed nations. This original contribution enhances our understanding of the intersection between urban-rural employment dynamics.

Soft Skills Development Needs and Methods in Micro-Companies of ICT Sector