PROBLEM OUTLINE
Soft skills have a great impact on the well-being of employees. Proficiency in these skills not only enhances one's ability to navigate work challenges but also extends the duration of a successful career. Moreover, it positively impacts business activities and increases employability. Unfortunately, many employees tend to underestimate the significance of soft skills in today's competitive job market. They may lack awareness of which skills are crucial or struggle to effectively cultivate these essential qualities. Therefore, there is a growing demand for tools that can assess and facilitate the development of soft skills among students transitioning into the labour market, job seekers, and existing employees.
OBJECTIVE
The project Kickstart Your Soft Skills (KYSS) aims at the research-informed development of a self-report questionnaire that maps the level of sixteen soft skills. It reaches both individual and group feedback reports to inform users and act as a starting point for learning and coaching activities. Finally, the project delivers coaching materials to support soft skills development in students, job seekers and employees.
METHODOLOGY
Methodologically, the project uses Educational Design Research (McKenney & Reeves, 2014) as a framework. Project activities include:
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Literature review on important soft skills, soft skill models and existing instruments for mapping soft skills.
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The development of a self-report questionnaire on sixteen soft skills
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Validation study
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Design and development of both individual and group feedback reports
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Design and development of coaching materials
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User experience testing
OUTCOMES
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An online self-report questionnaire with validated scales for sixteen soft skills, with immediate feedback reports at individual and group level
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A set of training and coaching materials.
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A manual on the psychometric quality of the self-report questionnaire
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A general report with recommendations on the importance of soft skills in the labour market and on the use of the developed tools to support soft skills development
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Contributions to scientific and practice-oriented conferences