The West of England Institute of Technology (WEIoT) has launched a new “soft skills certificate”, after working with Business West on the LSIP (Local Skills Improvement Plan), which aims to bring together employers, colleges, independent training providers and stakeholders to set out the key changes needed to make skills training more responsive to employers’ needs.
The certificate will enable people to gain the soft skills and certified credentials requested and recognised by local employers.
WEIoT are offering the training free of charge delivered by industry and specialist partners. Modules include Digital Skills for Inclusive Cloud Collaboration, Team Working, Effective Communication, Workplace Skills And Behaviours, New World Working, Soft Skills for Project Managers and Insights Discovery.
This comes as recent research by Upskillist found that soft skills are essential to employee wellness and engagement as well as business growth.
The latest ONS Labour Market figures revealed that there are over 1.16 million vacancies in the UK, highlighting the importance of skills development so businesses can find suitable candidates more easily.
Soft skills have also become increasingly important in a post-pandemic world, where communication can be more complex as people don’t interact as much face-to-face. Global job site Monster’s The Future of Work 2021: Global Hiring Outlook revealed soft skills such as collaboration, dependability and flexibility are among the skills employers most value in workers. However, Michael Page recently found that 63% of hiring managers surveyed said they felt candidates focused too much on their hard skills and not enough on the human side.
Business West’s LSIP Trailblazer research found that employers reported that soft skills around people and project management, problem-solving and leadership are generally lacking in staff and that they are not cohesively aware of dedicated formal training to help develop these.
Lizzie Lyons, Head of Skills at Business West said:
“Our research from the LSIP Trailblazer was crucial in revealing employers’ need for staff with basic soft skills.
“There is a notable shift happening where many highly technical parts of work are becoming increasingly automated or replaced by technology, so companies need employees who can problem-solve, juggle bigger responsibilities and work well with others.
“With our recent Quarterly Economic Survey results showing that just under half of respondents have tried to recruit new staff during Q4, with many facing challenges finding people with the right skills, this certificate is valuable in ensuring people are prepared adequately for employment.
“We would encourage employers to apply for the certificate to upskill their existing staff in line with emerging skills needs and individuals who are looking to enhance their soft skills credentials.”
Claire Arbery, Director of West of England Institute of Technology, said:
“The Soft Skills Certificate is important as it supports employees in the region to develop the skills that are needed to interact in changing workplaces regardless of which sector or industry the employee works in.
“The work of the LSIP was key to its development. This activity was a natural progression and a chance to further investigate and put into practice the findings from the LSIP trailblazer. We are testing employer feedback and we hope that employers will engage with the soft skills pilot to help with further development of the programme.”
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