Paradoxically, in the digital and all-technological era, it is the mastery of human and interpersonal skills, commonly known as “Soft Skills” (as opposed to “Hard Skills,” academic knowledge), that will allow employees to integrate and evolve in the labor market, and companies to differentiate themselves from their competitors to establish themselves on the international stage.
At a time when we can find any type of information online and follow numerous training courses remotely, we need more than ever to cultivate and develop qualities related to soft skills and our mindset rather than simple know-how.
These qualities, intrinsically linked to our personality, have long been neglected. Once identified, they can be developed based on specific objectives. Today, they are sought after, even prioritized by companies and recruiters, who make them their primary selection criterion for candidates (*). They impact the salary levels of young graduates, career progression, and international mobility.
Among these skills, we can mention creativity, self-confidence, curiosity, adaptability, organizational skills, rigor, knowing how to manage stress and conflict, communicating non-violently, being able to lead and inspire teams, speaking easily in public, being quickly operational, flexible, and able to work collaboratively, multiculturally, and multisectorally—in short, many qualities that are not taught at school, university, or on campuses, but which are nevertheless real passports for finding a job, succeeding professionally, and imposing oneself on a market.
Alongside the necessary acceleration of digital use and the revaluation of vocational training, the teaching of “Soft Skills” appears as one of the possible answers to the problem of mismatch between the training offer and the skills expected by companies in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa, where the economic fabric has not yet managed to develop to its full potential and where unemployment persists.
The necessary connection between vocational training centers and companies, through public-private partnerships for example, must thus be the opportunity to train young people entering the labor market in “Soft Skills”, so that they are equipped to evolve effectively and usefully within companies, while being quickly operational.
These training programs will naturally build on the cultural values and social practices of the countries concerned, in consistency with the principles underlying this global approach.
Studies cited:
http://www.cereq.fr/publications/Net.Doc/L-effet-des-soft-skillssur-la-remuneration-des-diplomes
Article published on Africa France: http://bit.ly/2bIsfDo
