knowledge session: building soft skills for business success
TRANSCRIPT
Knowledge Session: Building Soft Skills for
Business Success
Presenters
•Robert Pasick, Leaders Connect•Naheed Huq, SEMCOG•Aron Gerics, Mott Community College
THE LIFELONG SOFT SKILLS FRAMEWORK AND E-LEARNING MODULES
Governor’s Economic Summit
March 2, 2015
ECONOMIC STRATEGY
BACKGROUND
• SEMCOG/MAC Talent Task Force• Three Pilot Projects
– Soft Skills– Infrastructure and Jobs– STEM Careers and Skilled Trades
WHAT IS THE LIFELONG SOFT SKILLS FRAMEWORK?
• Plan that identifies 18 basic skills for workplace success
• Identifies 8 stakeholder groups • Creates lifelong plan for soft skill
development, reinforcement, coordination• Policy recommendations and Best
Practices
WHAT ARE SOFT SKILLS?
• Non-technical skills• Personal traits:
– work ethic, personal judgment, initiative
• Learned academic skills:– digital literacy, communications, three “r”s
• Life skills:– Time management, Teamwork, Diversity
• Problem Solving
PERSONAL TRAITS AND ACADEMIC SKILLS
LIFE SKILLS
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Raise awareness of soft skills and workplace success
• Replicate successful pilot programs• Emphasize soft skills in K-12
curriculum, make connections with life success
ELEARNING VIDEOS
• 14 new videos• Publicly available• DISC profile• Four groups of skills• http://www.mitalent.org/elearning-s
oft-skills-program/
DISC PROFILE
www.DiSCProfile.com
Dominance Influence
SteadinessConscientious
WHY ARE THE VIDEOS IMPORTANT?
• Responds to Employer needs • Relates soft skills directly to
workplace and life success• Different audiences• Open source• Contextual messages
NEXT STEPS
• Fine-tuning context based notes for different users
• Presentations to different audiences• Technical programs to include relevant
soft skills • Identify soft skills in job ads
Southeast Michigan Council of Governments1001 Woodward Ave, Ste. 1400
Detroit, MI 48226www.semcog.org
Naheed Huq
Leader, Education and Workforce Development
SEMCOG Executive Office
313 324-3356