Soft Skills A Necessity To Narrow The STEM Skills Gap (NAPS)—The United States has been battling a STEMskills gap over the past decade, according to the Bureau of La- borStatistics, where technology has advanced faster than the knowledge and skill level of companies and employees. To helpfill this gap, employees muststay up-to-date on the latest technologies andskills. Theless obvious but equally impor- tant part is learning thesoft skills that enhanceefficient workplace interaction. STEMskills alone aren't enough anymore. Employees also need to excel in soft skills, like communicationandcrit- ical thinking. Teamwork, for example, canbe as importantastechnical knowledge when it comes to accomplishing mosttasks. According to the Pew Research Cen- ter, jobs emphasizing social or analytical skills generally pay more than higher physical or manualskill jobs. “Thelessonslearned in the sandbox = ‘lo Companiestoday want workerswith social skills as well as technological know-how. need to think outside the box, using both hard IT skills andsoft skills such as critical thinkingto stand outin a crowd- ed space. Employees whocanthink cre- atively and innovatively are more valuable whenefficient and cost-effective solutionsare necessary. Thinking critically means having the skills to obtain, organize, analyze and can extend far beyond the playground disseminate information. With so much competition today, it’s important that em- ronments)’ says Dennis Bonilla, executive dean, University of Phoenix College opportunities to learn the valuable soft skills notoften present in the workplace. and mayserve well in competitive envi- ofInformation SystemsandTechnology. “Learning to work with others and de- ployees are provided continuing education Helpful Resources velop leadership skills are someofthe Mostsoft skills must be learned and someuniversities offer degrees to help Speaking Tech With technology evolving at an exponential rate—and showing nosigns of important aspects of improving your company, productorproject.” Effective communicationis essential in every job, but especially in tech careers. Basic communication,via e-mail, phoneorfaceto face, couldbethedifference in getting hired bya client or chosen byaninvestor. Learning how to communicate well with others playsa big role in tech careers. Employees mustbe able to explain complicated IT projects and progressin clear, jargon-free language to executives, who may nothavethe sametech vocabulary. There’s no “I”in Team ‘A good product, idea or company can go so far on its own—only with a team with differentskill sets doesit flourish. Overcoming theskills gap requires bringing together people with unique skills and knowledgeto completea task. ‘The more agreeable andreliable an em- ployee is, the more likely he or she is to advance in the company. ThinkingCritically and Creatively Companies and individuals today IT professionals stay ahead ofthe curve. slowing—education no longer has an enddate. University of Phoenix, for example, launchedthe RedFlint” Experience Cen- ter in Las Vegas, an incubator, accelerator and co-working space to connect with experts, interactwith the latest technologies andlearn valuablesoft skills. At RedFlint, employees, companies andstudents have access to workshops, simulations and top tech. University of Phoenix also offers online programslike the Associate of Arts with a concentration in Information Technology that establishes foundational knowledge and critical thinking andcollaborationskills neededfor any working environment. For more information about these programs, including on-time comple- tion rates, the median debtincurred by students who completed the program and more, visit www.phoenix.edu/pro grams/degree-programs/technology/ associates/aaitt.html.
