6 Skills Needed for All Jobs Regardless of Field
This post is from NBC Parent Toolkit.
You have likely heard about “soft skills” before. But what are they? Sometimes referred to as “21st-century skills,” “interpersonal skills,” or “applied skills,” they are the skills that are non-technical or specific to a certain job. They are the skills that help you think, communicate with people, and reflect on your experiences. Basically, your young adult needs them to thrive in the workforce. Career coach Jane Horowitz says the basis of her coaching practice is “hire for attitude, train for skills,” and she sees will and drive as being the greatest determinants of young adults getting hired.
And your young adult needs each one of them to thrive in the workforce
This post is from NBC Parent Toolkit.
You have likely heard about “soft skills” before. But what are they? Sometimes referred to as “21st-century skills,” “interpersonal skills,” or “applied skills,” they are the skills that are non-technical or specific to a certain job. They are the skills that help you think, communicate with people, and reflect on your experiences. Basically, your young adult needs them to thrive in the workforce. Career coach Jane Horowitz says the basis of her coaching practice is “hire for attitude, train for skills,” and she sees will and drive as being the greatest determinants of young adults getting hired.
“We hear it time and time again, it’s the soft skills,” says Terri Tchorzynski, 2017 National School Counselor of the Year. “That’s what allows you to keep the job. Employers can hire our students and train them, but if they don't have the soft skills, it's really hard for them to stay employed."
According to the Harvard University “Pathways to Prosperity Project” study in 2011, U.S. employers are increasingly seeing students graduate from college unequipped to survive in the 21st century workforce. Specifically, they are “deficient” in skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and communication. Bruce Tulgan, founder and CEO of Rainmaker Thinking and expert and author on young people in the workplace, has been tracking the generational change in the workplace since 1993. According to Tulgan (and many other experts and employers), there is a gap in soft skills from previous generations to the generation entering the workforce today.
A Closer Look At The Suspensions of African American Students
UNDERSTANDING FACTORS, POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN A SOUTH BALTIMORE SCHOOL
This qualitative research study examined the suspensions of African American students at a south Baltimore k-8 school. The research delved into the perceptions of African American students, school and district administrators to determine what factors, policies and practices influenced the suspension rates among African American students who were the minority-majority at the school. It also sought to delineate the implications of reducing suspensions among African American students, and finally provided recommendations from study participants on how to reduce the suspension rates of African American students.
By Theodosia M. Edwards; M.Ed., M.P.A., Ed.D.
EDLD Dissertation
The researcher concluded that while the suspension rates of students increased at the school and for African American students between 2012-2014, the trend since 2014 has been a continuing decline in the suspension of all students and African American students. The researcher also found that factors such as school and community culture, the lack of student interventions, and a coherent restorative practices model, among other factors, have all influenced the suspension rates of African American students.
Dr. Theodosia M. Edwards
Research Study: A Closer Look At The Suspensions of African American Students
“UNDERSTANDING FACTORS, POLICIES AND, PRACTICES IN A SOUTH BALTIMORE SCHOOL: A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SUSPENSIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS
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A focus on providing resources through mental and counseling supports, and ongoing professional development for staff, students, teachers, and community members would help all stakeholders to take ownership of student behaviors and would help to increase the outcomes of African American students while reducing the need for out of school suspensions.