WCC incorporates 'soft skills' into curriculum
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on November 13, 2014 1:46 PM
Most people would not show up for a job interview wearing what they wear to mow the lawn.
Or be late for that appointment.
No matter how qualified a candidate might be, those "soft skills" -- such as being on time, dressing properly and having the ability to communicate well -- may make all the difference in getting the job.
"They're looking at the more well-rounded employees," said Jena Cantwell, director of training/curriculum development for soft skills and human resource development at Wayne Community College. "It's really come to the surface now because employers want a well-rounded complete employee and not just someone who has the technical skills."
Wayne Community College is integrating the concept into its regular curriculum programs in an effort to better prepare potential employees for the workplace. The campuswide effort also provides a better understanding of why such "soft skills" are important.
Businesses are realizing they can train workers on the technical side of things, giving those with non-technical skills an edge at interview time, Ms. Cantwell said.
"One of the things is the cost of turnover," she said. "If they don't hire right, the cost of turnover per person, it costs employers billions of dollars a year.
"The days of warm body hiring are gone. They want the complete package. It's not necessarily what you wear. It's how you wear it."
Outward appearance is not the only area that requires a shift in approach. Technology also has become a barrier.
"People think it's OK in the middle of an interview to give their resume on the phone," Ms. Cantwell said. "They think that they're being creative, but not understanding that it's still not appropriate.
"But it's also having the phone go off during an interview. Or in class."
And then there are other elements, like being punctual, that all go back to an attitude that can be taught.
"Tardiness. Integrity. Don't cheat. Show up to class. Turn in your assignments. They all play a huge part," she said. "That's what some employers say is lacking, a whole montage of things.
"What we're trying to do is catch them in the beginning, the importance of these skills."
The college has developed a "Skills for the Workplace Rubrick," with a list of things identified by employers as desirable in the workplace. Included on the list are attendance, time management, integrity and professionalism, communication, quality of work and information processing, interpersonal skills and teamwork, initiative and dependability and problem solving.
If these are first modeled in the classroom, and students develop an awareness of the expectations, ideally it will carry over when they enter the workplace.
"In most classes that Rubrick goes into the professionalism points or attendance points," Ms. Cantwell said. "In one class it's 10 percent of their grade."
The skills are measured on a three-point scale, for exemplary, acceptable or unacceptable, she said. But it could also boil down to a very simple concept -- either they have it or they do not.
Diane Ivey, executive director of the Business and Industry Center at WCC, said the program has been well received by instructors.
"It's been kind of voluntary up until now," she said. "But starting spring semester 2015, the Rubrick will be on the course syllabus for every class.
"We want to turn out a fully-prepared student, somebody who's really ready to enter the workforce, someone who has brought those technical and non-technical skills."