After seven years in this field it’s almost laughable when I hear ongoing discussions about soft skills. It’s quite the topic, almost like a butterfly — beautiful and desirable, but so hard to grasp — you think you have it and in no time it’s out of your reach, dangling above your head almost mockingly.

The hardest part about soft skills, in my opinion and gathered experience, is its multifaceted nature — it isn’t one thing and doesn’t come about in one way but comes as a result of constructs affirmed and reaffirmed over time. What this will require is continuous instruction, evaluation, keen attention, and many opportunities for trial and failure owing to it being a practical, not theoretical, skill.

For constructs to be developed, it has to be done across a repetitive framework. It will differ across individuals and, therefore, is not a one-size-fits-all. This, however, should not be daunting; it should spur research and catalyse innovation.

The demand for a skilled labour force is ever-growing, not just locally but globally, and with increased ease of access to global job markets, the competition is greater. The problem with soft skills is that it is not taught overnight, and whilst it is not impossible to learn on the job, it’s much easier to be summoned into reality if it already exists prior to one’s entrance to the job market. Therein lies the school-to-work gap: soft skills are not necessarily acquired on the job but honed.

Now that the ‘when’ is out of the picture we can move on to the ‘how’ and ‘where’. How and where exactly are these skills acquired in the first place? I am reminded now of Austrian social critic Ivan Illich’s bold proposal to de-school society. He argued that since education doesn’t only take place within the classroom but in all of society, then all of society should be structured in such a way to reflect this.

If we fail to see soft skills in this light it’s highly likely that we will continue to miss the mark and roll out well-qualified graduates each year who continue to lack these vital skills needed for career growth and enhancement. Some ways in which school administrators, parents, and society at large can begin to address this gnawing challenge are proposed below:

• Infuse career education at all levels of schooling — We have seen the rise of well- planned, well-executed career days, fairs, and expos, but we will need to dig a little deeper to help students make the connections between school and work.

• Agree on a set of soft skills — There are too many to name and count; however, there are a few basic ones. For instance, soft skills for primary school children might simply be teamwork and problem solving whilst for high school students it could be planning, organising, effective communication, and so forth.

•Parental involvement — Not only is home the first school, but it is also the longest school, and so parents are as equally, if not more, responsible for assisting society and education systems to bridge the school-to-work gap. Chores at every age and stage of one’s development are essential for honing life and soft skills. Communication with our parents and extended family members sets the stage, writes the psychology of our brains for how we receive, perceive, and contextualise information across all phases of our life. And if you think learning is difficult, try unlearning something — it takes mammoth effort.

Understanding the role of the Church and extra-curricular activities

Churches are an excellent place for the development and honing of soft skills. Not only do they usually have robust youth programmes and activities, but they also often operate on an equitable basis on which everyone is provided with an opportunity to carry out routine activities, especially around child and youth months.

I think back fondly to my days of memory verse recital, Youth Month activities, Pathfinder Club, vacation
Bible school, etc, and over time I could clearly see the level of positive exposure that I and my peers were afforded.

It appeared simplistic at the time, but it assisted in the development of key skills. Only a resilient person could attend choir practice every summer evening or work tirelessly on a sign language production.

A missing piece of the soft skill puzzle is resilience, which is completely lacking in today’s youth, given the ease of access to information, opportunities, and a powerful thing called dopamine that is all too accessible in our world of 30-second reels. A quick laugh is just a scroll away, work is at a click of a finger, and delayed gratification is just sheer torture.

We must do that which is necessary to prepare young people for the changing times so that they might have a fair chance at attaining personal and professional success on their career paths.

Veronia Jackson is a career development officer. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or van18jackson@gmail.com.