Post on 21-Dec-2015
Workforce Connections
October 6, 2014
Beyond the Muddle: What are Soft Skills or Workplace Competencies?
Bonnie PolitzIndependent Consultant
Clare Ignatowski Senior Advisor, Youth & Workforce Development, USAID
Obed Diener Youth and Workforce Specialist, FHI360
Laura Lippman Director, Education Program, Child Trends
Rachel CarneyResearch Assistant, Youth Development, Child Trends
Kristin Anderson Moore Senior Scholar and Director, Youth Development, Child Trends
About Child Trends
Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center that improves the lives and prospects of children and youth by conducting high-quality research and sharing the resulting knowledge with practitioners and policymakers.
childtrends.org
We . . .
1. take a whole child/youth approach2. study youth in the real world3. want youth to flourish4. value objectivity and rigor5. pursue knowledge development and knowledge transfer
Motivation• Obtaining employment and becoming
financially independent is a critical component in the successful transition to adulthood.
• Yet, 75 million youth around the world are unemployed.
• Individual factors contribute to youth unemployment including technical, academic, and “soft skills”.
• Currently, there is a lack of consensus on which soft skills are the best investments for improving youth workforce outcomes, and how these skills are defined.
• To this end, Child Trends seeks to answer the question,
“What soft skills are most important for workforce success?”
Framework for Linking Individual Skills to Workforce Success
Technical Skills
Academic Skills
Soft Skills
Employment
Performance &
Promotion
Income
Con
textu
al Facto
rs Family
Schools
Community
Policies
Job Availability
Accessibility
Training
Violence or
warEntrepreneurship
Methodology•Reviewing the literature
•Asking experts & implementers
•Asking for your input today!
•Asking youth and employers
•Drawing conclusions across sources and perspectives: positive youth development, psychology, economics, employers, organizational development, and workforce development programming
Soft Skills Literature
Empirical studies
Employer
Surveys
Consensus
Projects
Other literatur
e
Considerations in Selection
Key foundational competencies for workforce success should:
•Predict workforce outcomes•Be applicable across contexts and sectors•Be malleable
Important for all
sectors, ages,
contexts
Important for specific groups,
sectors, and contexts
What do you think are the most important foundational competencies for workforce success?
• Communication • Problem solving/critical thinking/decision
making• Conscientiousness• Teamwork• Social competence• Leadership• Positive self-concept• Extraversion• Self-motivation • “Hardworking” and Dependability• Emotional stability [Neuroticism]
Top Foundational Competencies Across All Workforce Outcomes
Extraversion
Self-motivation
Hard working and dependable
Positive self-concept
Emotional stability
Leadership
Social competence
Teamwork
Conscientiousness
Problem solving, critical thinking, decision making
Communication
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Consensus projects
Empirical studies
Employer survey
Other literature
Number of positive findings
Em
plo
ym
en
t
Perf
orm
an
ce/
Pro
moti
on
Incre
ased
w
ag
es/I
ncom
e
En
trep
ren
eu
rsh
ip
Top Foundational Competencies by Workforce Outcome
Conscientiousness
Problem solving, critical thinking, decision making
Social competence
Emotional stability
Communication
Teamwork
Self-control
Self-motivation
Leadership
Positive self-concept
Agreeableness
Extraversion
Openness to experience
Conscientiousness
Emotional stability
Initiative taking
Social competence
Communication
Self-motivation
Adaptability
Responsibility
Positive self-concept
Social competence
Extraversion
Emotional stability
Conscientiousness
Self-control
Leadership
Openness to experience
Hardworking and dependability
Communication
Problem solving, critical thinking, decision making
Teamwork
Positive attitude
Professionalism
Leadership
Hardworking and dependability
Integrity, ethics
Social competence
Planful-ness, Management
Em
plo
ym
en
t
Perf
orm
an
ce/
Pro
moti
on
Incre
ased
w
ag
es/I
ncom
e
En
trep
ren
eu
rsh
ip
Top Foundational Competencies by Workforce Outcome
Conscientiousness
Problem solving, critical thinking, decision making
Social competence
Emotional stability
Communication
Teamwork
Self-control
Self-motivation
Leadership
Positive self-concept
Agreeableness
Extraversion
Openness to experience
Conscientiousness
Emotional stability
Initiative taking
Social competence
Communication
Self-motivation
Adaptability
Responsibility
Positive self-concept
Social competence
Extraversion
Emotional stability
Conscientiousness
Self-control
Leadership
Openness to experience
Hardworking and dependability
Communication
Problem solving, critical thinking, decision making
Teamwork
Positive attitude
Professionalism
Leadership
Hardworking and dependability
Integrity, ethics
Social competence
Planful-ness, Management
Other Competencies from Experts
•Assertiveness•Future or goal orientation•Creativity•Learning or growth orientation•Empathy
Questions for small group discussion:
1. Are these the key competencies for workforce success?
Are any missing? Should any be dropped? Are they in the right order?
2. How and where are these competencies relevant (or not relevant) to workforce success in various contexts?
3. Can training improve these competencies within your programs?
Can these be taught within your programs?Are there certain competencies that are more difficult to develop?
Next Steps•Conduct youth focus groups and surveys of employers•Incorporate input from today and from a symposium in December•Final white paper on key foundational workforce competencies by early 2015•Complete a review of existing measures of these competencies in 2015
Thank you!
twitter/childtrends www.facebook.com/childtrends
www.childtrends.org
www.childtrends.org/WhatWorks
Contact us:
Laura Lippmanllippman@childtrends.org
Kristin Anderson Moorekmoore@childtrends.org
Rachel Carneyrcarney@childtrends.org
Contact us
Obed Diener | Technical Specialist | FHI 360
odiener@fhi360.org | +1.202.464.3913
www.wfconnections.org