Through conversations with instructors, I have found that most educators want to implement soft skills coverage in their courses. They find it important for students to have the trade skills and competency necessary to do their job, but they also want to ensure that students are employable after completing their program. In today’s competitive job market, soft skills can give employees-students like yours-the edge they need to get hired and stay employed. These personal attributes enable employees to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people. These skills also help employees add value to the workplace and contribute to the overall success of their organizations. Here are some of the specific soft skills that instructors told me are important to them:

• Communication
• Confidence
• Continued interest in learning
• Critical thinking
• Persistence
• Professionalism
• Self-direction
• Teamwork

Students can acquire soft skills through working, volunteering, or participating in extracurricular activities. But how can instructors weave soft skills into the course curriculum? Some instructors try to lead by example, while others use supplemental materials or provide specialized lessons on topics such as email etiquette, professional dress, and goal setting. As students become more visual, instructors can incorporate short videos on common mistakes to avoid in the workplace and successful soft skills to employ. If instructors can continue to teach soft skills in the classroom, it will only strengthen our future workforce. For more information on soft skills, check out videos and booklets on soft skills through JIST Career Solutions, another division of Carnegie Learning.