Transferable or interpersonal skills, however you name them, are soft-skills that are increasing in importance when it comes to defining the value of competences a person gained. This is especially true in the labour market. When facing their interviews and potential future employers, young people might not have crucial previous work experience, and that is where soft-skills arise. Soft-skills are not scientifically precise in definition, but you can think of them as skills that are not tied to one specific job. They integrate technical and academic skills. And one of the best way to develop them, is for young people to volunteer. Whilst for youth organisations is essential to guide their volunteers in such development.
The point being that mainly soft-skills are not recognised as so. Generally young people don’t even discern which transferable-skills they have developed while volunteering or don’t have the tools to distinguish one another.
Here is a brief, not thorough, list to visualise what soft-skills are about:
- Public speaking;
- Empathy;
- Assertiveness;
- Responsibility;
- Leadership;
- Critical thinking;
- Problem solving;
- Team-work;
- Flexibility;
- And more.
Understanding My Journey Toolkit
S.A.L.T.O. has recently published a tool for young people to understand which transferable-skills they gained. It is called “Understanding My Journey partnership” and it is freely available. The purpose of the Toolkit is to help young people identify, map, and develop 8 different soft skills. It includes a practical guidance for developing 8 different interpersonal skills, plus overall advice on how to use each soft skill section. The 8 soft skills are as follows:
- Positive Attitude
- Communication
- Adaptability
- Time & Energy Management
- Work Ethic
- Problem Solving & Analytical Thinking
- Teamwork
- Leadership
GloRe Network: soft-skills certification
Needless to say, the list is far from finished. Youth organisations keening on helping their volunteers to get a certification for their soft-skills might find helpful the GloRe Network, a platform that certifies soft-skills through an e-learning process. The partner organisations can manage the Certification System, whilst their volunteers will have to go through a step-by-step e-learning process to acknowledge their interpersonal-skills.
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