When you hear a stampede in the next five years, don’t think of either horses or zebras. Think Generation Z. They’re the individuals who will make up over one-third of our workforce by the year 2030. Just as our society has changed drastically over the last 20 years, so have the demands of our workforce.
Currently, the skills gap is widening rapidly in the workplace; this means the difference between employees’ skills and those needed by employers does not match — only 30% of today’s employees possess the skills to perform their jobs effectively. Is this the fault of school educators or graduation rates? No, it’s simply the result of changes in workplace needs, outdated training strategies, and high turnover rates on jobs. So, what kinds of skills should today’s schools focus on to best prepare their scholars for successful careers?
It’s no longer enough for students to concentrate solely on academics or job-specific knowledge because the impact of evolving technology requires sets of skills that go beyond these knowledge bases. Today, workers need skills in addition to their knowledge base to be successful; they need soft skills, and they need technological skills. Which type of skill matters the most?
To find out, let’s explore workplace needs for the 21st century and see how we can prepare today’s scholars for the needs of a rapidly changing workplace. In this blog, we’ll examine:
- Definitions of Soft Skills and Technological Skills
- The Importance of Soft Skills in Today’s World
- Why Technical Skills Still Matter
- Why Scholars Need Both Types of Skills
- Tips for Parents and Educators
- How Leman Academy of Excellence Approaches Skill Set Development
What are Soft Skills and Technological Skills?
Soft skills can be defined as those that help people get along well with their coworkers, clients, and other job-related personnel. Skills such as the ability to network, communicate, engage in teamwork, and use critical thinking are those that are called “soft skills”.
LinkedIn recently published a list of the top 15 soft skills needed for success in the working environment. They predict that by 2030, 70% of traditional skills used on the job will have changed. Their recommended number one skill that all workers should embrace is AI literacy. Skills that follow AI literacy are conflict mitigation, adaptability, process optimization, and innovative thinking. People develop soft skills through social interaction, character building and real-world life experiences. They can’t be explicitly taught but are acquired through a person’s conscious shaping of his or her behavior.
Technological skills, however, can be taught. These are the abilities to manage and interact with computer-based technology. Examples include coding, math proficiency, data analysis, cloud computing, and digital marketing. Such skills are usually taught in academic settings.
The Importance of Soft Skills in Today’s World
According to a Pew Research Center, 35% of post-Covid employees are working remotely full-time, and 41% work in a hybrid arrangement, with some work in the office and some at home. In these situations, where work is discussed via phone, text, and email, there’s a significant need for workers who can develop positive communication skills and build relationships with coworkers.
Due to this trend, most employers today are prioritizing soft skill abilities. Some even view it as more important than work readiness, with a “hire for attitude, train for skill” approach.
The benefits of soft skills include stronger leadership, improved problem-solving, better teamwork, and enhanced efficiency and productivity.
Despite the importance of soft skill abilities, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner has stated that the lack of soft skills currently makes up the largest skill gap in the U.S.
Why Technical Skills Still Matter
Although today’s workforce places a higher importance on soft skills now more than ever, technical skills are still needed to fill the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in modern industries. Having acquired these skills, graduates are finding occupations as data engineers, software engineers, network/cloud architects, cybersecurity specialists, systems engineers, programmers, and analysts.
Digital literacy, the ability to work using computer technology, is paramount in today’s workforce. In this tech-driven world, the importance of digital literacy cannot be overstated. Even for people who do not work in technological fields, it’s important for people to know how to protect themselves by safeguarding their personal data, recognizing phishing attempts, and understanding cybersecurity risks.
Bridging the Gap: Why Today’s Scholars Need Both Types of Skills
Although both technical and soft skills are desired in today’s modern workforce, they’re not absolute. Most occupations require a mixture of both to be successful in work. Today’s employers are seeking a hybrid skillset in their candidates to develop a talented workforce.
Strong hybrid skillsets are found in such tasks as AI prompting, asynchronous communications, software debugging, and quality assurance.
How can today’s schools prepare scholars for these skill sets? Classrooms can foster skill growth by engaging scholars in discussions, projects that require collaboration, and organizing scholar presentations. By encouraging participation in interactive learning, practicing real-world problem-solving scenarios, and emphasizing the importance of ethics, empathy, and leadership, teachers guide scholars in developing soft skills as well as technical skills for the modern workforce.
Tips for Parents and Educators
Just as learning to read, write, and calculate can be encouraged in the home environment, so can soft skills be nurtured at home. As a parent, you can encourage your children to practice good communication skills when they answer the phone and take messages, provide opportunities for your child to develop skills working within a team, and help them develop empathy for others.
Likewise, technical skills can be encouraged at home, too. Provide supervised time for your children to “work” on the computer. Many children enjoy computer games and, in this way, learn their way around technical jargon and keystrokes. Special coding classes for kids are available, too. You can check out Coding with Kids, CodaKid, and coding summer camps.
By practicing both soft and technical skills at home, you prepare your children to be well-rounded adults.
How Leman Academy of Excellence Approaches Skillset Development
Leman Academy of Excellence, a Classical Education K-8 charter school with campuses in both Arizona and Colorado, promotes development in both soft and technical skills.
Character development is a fundamental goal of the Classical Education model. Virtues such as wisdom, courage, and justice are intertwined with the academic curriculum. Scholars study classical literature and then follow up with discussions about the virtues integrated into the literature. At the rhetorical stage of classical learning, scholars adopt positions on social issues and present their arguments.
In addition to soft skill development, Leman Academy supports logic, reasoning and hands-on learning in fields that contribute to the development of technical abilities. Its emphasis on critical thinking and analytical skills are imperative for solving complex technical challenges. Leman also offers extracurricular activities, including clubs, projects and activities in which scholars explore the uses and benefits of technology.
Conclusion
Preparing scholars for the future workforce involves preparing the whole child. While most public schools emphasize acquiring knowledge with the goal of passing exams, it’s important to shape our scholars’ abilities to communicate well and be fair, kind, and supportive of others in their endeavors. It’s likewise crucial to help our scholars grow with the technological skills they’ll need to excel in the adult world. All of these factors, knowledge, social skills, and technical skills are necessary in nurturing today’s youth for them to be successful in life.
See How The Leman Academy of Excellence Prepares Their Scholars for Success