The Growing Soft Skills Gap
Technology and automation will take over many tasks. Soft skills will be required for the rest.
The fourth industrial revolution is here. Rapid advances in technology and automation are changing the nature of work and the job skills required for success. All of the parties involved in creating the future workforce, including employers, employees, students, and universities, are feeling the strain of this adjustment.
The Soft Skills Mystery
Soft skills are critical for the future of work. But what are they actually? What are the best training approaches for soft skills, in the classroom or on the job? How are they best assessed? How can they be made relevant to specific jobs?
Our Expertise
We take the mystery out of soft skills for our clients. We define these skills from our deep knowledge of and contributions to research in psychology and cognitive science.
An Example: Creativity, Defined for a Military Organization
Creativity in US Army Training
In Dr. Sidman's prior work at Aptima, Inc., he led an initiative to develop assessment tools for non-commissioned officers (NCO) training. The training organization had the goal of developing creative thinkers.
Dr. Sidman and his team applied a structured methodology to deconstruct "creativity" into work-relevant measures. This involved working with subject matter experts to understand what creativity looks like in the training context. From there, the team iteratively developed a set of measures for leadership to use in assessing trainee performance.
The behaviorally-anchored rating scales (BARS) developed serve as both a method for assessing trainee performance, and a job aid for evaluators to help them connect "creativity" to observations of job performance.
Our Services
For Employers
- Workshops to define skills in organization-relevant terms
- Reskilling programs
- Assessment tools
- Job aids
For Universities
Training services for creating job-relevant:
- Curricula
- Degree programs
- Industry partnerships
For Individuals
One-on-one coaching services to:
- Improve soft skills
- Market soft skills to employers
- Identify employers that match with your skills