April 6, 2022

Soft skills, people skills, human skills, communications skills … there’s no consensus on what to call the bundle of character traits and interpersonal skills such as creative thinking, communications and problem-solving.

But employers agree: those are the skills that make the difference when they make hiring decisions.

And that’s why Seneca is launching a first-in-Canada initiative to prepare students with an array of the skills — beyond technical know-how — that will allow them to thrive, regardless of the program or discipline they are studying.

The pilot will start this fall with Seneca’s Public Relations – Corporate Communications (PRCC) graduate certificate program.

“We have heard over and over again from employers, industry partners and our program advisory committees that we need to build these skills into our curriculum,” said Marianne Marando, Vice-President Academic. “While our programs include many of these skills already, this program will incorporate them in a holistic way right from day one. This will uniquely qualify Seneca graduates to meet the needs of employers and contribute meaningfully to society.”

Chris McCracken, Chair, School of Marketing & Media, says transferable soft skills are always changing.

“The pandemic has, to a certain extent, reshaped the definition of traditional soft skills,” said Mr. McCracken, who is leading the initiative. “Computer-mediated soft skills are rather new because of remote work. Many students entering the workforce may never work in an office environment.”

This reality, he says, requires a new set of soft skills such as communicating remotely, building virtual relationships and time-management. In addition, the arrival of artificial intelligence in many workplaces means teamwork, empathy and creativity are more important than ever as students learn to work alongside machines.

Mr. McCracken has been conducting interviews with professors, program co-ordinators, chairs and deans, among others, to hear their ideas.

“The insight and wisdom shared in the interviews have been enlightening and helpful,” he said. “For example, ‘worldliness’ was notable. This means having students learn about the world around them so they can communicate and collaborate across different cultures and work environments. Another is the value of curiosity and being a lifelong learner.”

Working in partnership with Future Design School, Mr. McCracken hopes to build an early understanding of the initiative among the Seneca community and involve as many stakeholders as possible.

“The more people we can hear from, the better,” he said. “Faculty and industry voices are critical. Students also need to have a strong voice in this.”

Seneca graduates have also been consulted.

Stefen Hakim is one of them. The PRCC graduate, and now Communications Manager for Tennis Canada, says leadership and management skills are important to consider when addressing soft skills.

“Coming out of school, not everyone’s going to walk into a managerial role, but everyone has an opportunity to be in a leadership role,” Mr. Hakim said. “Leadership is found at all levels of seniority in an organization and in every department.”

With Seneca’s soft skills initiative, he says students will be graduating with a better understanding of themselves and be more willing to take chances and be leaders in their lives and for their teams.

“Soft skills have a fluidness that’s situational,” Mr. Hakim said. “The individuals, collective team, goals and tasks can all require different leadership and soft skills at any given time.”