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ERIC Number: ED624673
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Aug
Pages: 7
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Implementing Soft-Skills Programs in a Postsecondary Setting: Lessons from the New World of Work
Dalporto, Hannah; Lepe, Marco
MDRC
Increasingly, companies are dropping four-year degree requirements in job postings, favoring skill-based requirements--such as communication and writing--instead. These types of nonacademic "soft skills" are viewed as essential for employment--employers consistently cite these abilities as among the most valuable in job applicants, yet also the most difficult to assess. In response to this growing emphasis on soft skills, postsecondary educators are looking for ways to teach the skills explicitly. The aim is to produce graduates with recognizable competency not only in academic and career-technical skills, but also in the soft skills needed to navigate a modern, diverse, and rapidly evolving work environment. This brief outlines practical considerations and recommendations for developing and implementing soft-skills programs, curricula, and instruction in a postsecondary setting. These qualitative lessons are culled from an in-depth examination of a soft-skills training and assessment program called the New World of Work (NWoW). NWoW was selected for this study in part because it combines three components theorized to strengthen soft skills: (1) a classroom curriculum with direct instruction in 10 soft skills; (2) a concurrent, work-based learning experience; and (3) an assessment and credential-granting component (digital badges).
MDRC. 16 East 34th Street 19th Floor, New York, NY 10016-4326. Tel: 212-532-3200; Fax: 212-684-0832; e-mail: publications@mdrc.org; Web site: http://www.mdrc.org
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: MDRC
Identifiers - Location: California
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A170304