In The Workforce? (NAPSA)—From preschool through college, teachers are instructed to build students’ academic skills, like reading, writing and arithmetic. However, students leave the classroom untested for many skills that are directly applicable to one’career. Soft skills may notbe “graded? but they can make or break your career. Soft skills are increasingly important to success in the workplace; i$ no longer A flair forcollaboration cantake you farin business andall oflife. Fortuhighly developed interpersonal skills, which nately,it can be taught. enough torely ontechnical skills to set yourselfapart. Employees must also demonstrate leadership abilities. And employers are looking for employees whoare efficient and co, over the past 20 years, as companies have begun to automate or outsource many structured or process-oriented tasks, much of the workthat remainsis wisely, whether it’sjugglingmultiple projects or avoiding personal distractions.’ lem solving requires a willingness to be contribute to a positive work culture and promote strong teamwork and enhanced demonstrate the ability to manage their time A recent 2016 national curriculum survey conducted by the American College Test (ACT) found that supervi- sors and employees ranked thelack of three nonacademicskill areas—consci- entiousness, problem solving and critical thinking—among the topfive skills most likely orvery likely to lead to a poor outcomefor an employee”. complex andhighly collaborative’. 4. Problem Solving/Creativity: Prob- creative andthink outside the box. Professionals whoare willing to be patient and ap- proach problems from all angles are more likely to find solutions, andto be noticed by their supervisors fortheir resourcefulness. 5. Emotional Intelligence: Emotion- al intelligence (EQ) is as valuable as IQ in the workplace: having perseverance, growth of these skillssaid Constance St. self-control andtheability to get along with others is necessary throughout ‘one’s career. According to TalentSmart, 90 percentoftop performers have high University of Phoenix Colleges of Hu- centofjob performanceis alsoattribut- “Soft skills begin to develop at a very youngage, andit’s essential to support the Germain,J.D., Ed.D., executive dean for manities & Sciences, Social Sciences, and Security and Criminal Justice. “Integrat- ing soft skills into our curriculum alongside technical knowledge is an integral approach that University of Phoenix uses to prepare our students for successin the workplace” Dr.St. Germain highlights the following as among the most valuable soft skills: 1. Communication: Effective com- munication skills, both written and verbal, are integral to success in any industry. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that communication ranked first among the skills that Americansbelieve are most important for children to haveto get ahead in the world’. 2. Critical Thinking: According to the ACT survey, more postsecondary science instructors cited weakness in critical thinking than in content knowledge as mostlikely to contribute to a poor outcome for a student*. Critical thinkingskills are necessary to navigate a variety of workplace challenges, including making big decisions and communicatinga pointof view. 3. Collaboration: Collaboration is key to a company’s success, especially as the landscape of industry demands continuesto evolve. According to Cis- emotionalintelligence. Fifty-eight pered to EQ’. 6. Professionalism: Adult learners can begin to incorporate professional behaviorin the classroom through their approach to learning, teamwork, tackling assignments and accomplishing their educational goals. Theprofessionalism nec- essary to successfully complete a degree program,especially as a working adult who may bebalancingother responsibilities, can create a strong foundation that will translate into the workplace. Learn More To learn more about University of Phoenix College of Humanities andSci- ences, visit www.phoenix.edu/colleges_ divisions/humanities-sciences.html. For more information about each of these programs, including on-time completion rates, the median debt incurred by students who completed the program andother important informa- tion, please visit www.phoenix.edu/pro grams/gainful-employment. Citations: 1. Pew Research Center; The skills Americans say kids need tosucceedin life, February 19, 2015 2. National CurriculumSurvey 2016, ACT;pg. 29 5, Pew Research Center; The skills Americans say kids need tosucceedin life, February 19, 2015 4. National CurriculumSurvey 2016, ACT; pg. 23, 5. Cisco Connected Workplace Survey 2013 pg. 2 6. Talent Smart;Emotional Intelligence (EQ) |The Pre‘ier Provider - Tests,Training, Certification,andCoaching. ‘TalentSmart. Web. ibid
