Thursday, 9 May 2024

Skill Development: Hard skills and Soft skills

 

Skill meaning

Skill is the sum of some qualities required to complete any task successfully. It is also called skill sets.

Definition

1.       Skill is the ability to use time, energy, or both to accomplish a task within a given time frame. Wikipedia

2.      Skill is the ability to use knowledge effectively and perform efficiently.- Merriam-Webster Dictionary 

3.      The ability to do something that comes from training, experience, or practice.- Learner’s Dictionary 

4.      The learned ability to bring about pre- determined results with maximum certainty; Often with the minimum outlay of time energy or both” B Knapp, 1963

5.      Understood as a special form of capability, with the connotation of a rather specific capability useful in a specialized situation or related to the use of a specialized asset (Sanchez et al., 1996).

6.      An ability and capacity acquired through deliberate, systematic, and sustained effort to smoothly and adaptively carryout complex activities or job functions involving ideas (cognitive skills), things (technical skills), and/or people (interpersonal skills).no auther found.

Skills:

  • Proficiency, facility, or dexterity that is acquired or developed through training or experience.
  • The ability, coming from one’s knowledge, practice, aptitude, etc., to do something well
  • An ability and capacity acquired through deliberate, systematic, and sustained effort to smoothly and adaptively carry out complex activities or job functions involving ideas (cognitive skills), things (technical skills), and/or people (interpersonal skills).
  • A skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results
  • A learned ability to bring about the result you want, with maximum certainty and efficiency
  • Proficiency, facility, or dexterity that is acquired or developed through training or experience.
  • So, a Skill is something Learned in order to be able to carry out one or more job functions.

Skill is usually understood as an ability to do something well, either manually, mentally, or both. In contrast to terms that denote only potential for acquiring some ability (such as natural ability, talent, aptitude, or capacity), the term skill usually means actual competence that has been acquired by training, schooling, or practice.

The term skill is used mainly to refer to a level of individual performance, in the sense of accuracy and speed in performing particular tasks,

Different types of skills and their examples

The unique knowledge and intelligence required to do a job well are called Skills. Job skills prepare for specific careers. Life skills prepare for daily work.

There are different types of skills that help to succeed in every aspect of your life, like school, office, and even sports or hobbies. Every career has specific, necessary, or desired knowledge, skills, and abilities essential for success at work.

SKILLS CAN BE INITIALLY DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS.

1.       General skills:  For example, some general skills are required in the workplace, including time management, teamwork, and leadership, self-motivation.

2.      Special Skills: Again special skills may be required for a particular job. For example, in the case of a graphic designer job, you must have computer graphics skills.

SOME HAVE DIVIDED THE SKILLS INTO THREE PARTS.

1.       Transferable skills: Transferable skills are talents and abilities that can be used in various jobs and careers. These can be achieved through a job, school, internship, hobby, and volunteer experience. Such as time management and language skills. Ability and qualifications are the basements of transferable skills. The Verbs can express it. Examples – Organize, propagate, analyze, write, etc.

2.      Personal traits or attitudes Skills: The basis of such skills is the personal qualities or attitudes required to perform the task. Such skills are developed from childhood through experience at different levels of life. Adjectives can express such skills: examples – patient, skilled, self-reliant, etc.

3.      Knowledge-based skills: It is the knowledge of specific topics, methods, and information required to perform certain tasks. Knowledge-based skills are acquired through education, training, and work experience. A noun can express these skills—for example- personnel administration, contract management, accounting, etc.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE DIVIDED THE SKILL INTO TWO PARTS – HARD SKILLS AND SOFT SKILLS.

1.       Hard Skill: Hard Skill is also called technical Skill. Hard skills are basic knowledge and qualifications related to a particular profession or work, requiring an employee to perform his duties efficiently. Hard skills help to identify how suitable a job seeker is for that job —for example, a graphics designer’s ability to design using the necessary tools.

2.      Soft Skill: Soft skills are a person’s personal qualities, which may help his job, career, or work; for example, a graphics designer’s creativity. Through this Skill, he will be able to enhance the design by making it suitable for everyone.

APART FROM THIS, SKILLS CAN BE DIVIDED INTO SEVERAL MORE PARTS. E.G.

1.       Functional Skills: In these skills, the actions are taken to perform a task. They are transferable to different work. They are based on ability and aptitude. They denote the functions like to organize, to promote, to analyze etc.

2.      Personal Traits Skills: It contributes personal traits or attitudes such as patience, diplomacy, result-orientation and independence to perform work. It is developed in childhood and through life experience.

3.      Knowledge Based Skills: These skills can be acquired through education, training and on the job experience. They help to perform a particular task. The person should have the knowledge of specific subjects, procedures etc.

4.      Labour Skills: Skilled workers are active, energetic and economically productive. They are of great demand in abroad due to their caliber, potential and skills.

5.      Life Skills: An ability and capacity acquired through deliberate, systematic, and sustained effort to smoothly and adaptively carryout complex activities involving ideas (cognitive skills), things (technical skills), and/or people (interpersonal skills).

6.      People Skills:It is the ability to communicate effectively with people in a friendly way, especially in business. It includes both social and psychological skills. People skills means to understand ourselves and to moderate our responses, to talk effectively and empathize accurately and to build relationships of trust, respect and productive interactions.

7.      Social Skills: It is any sort of skill which facilitates interaction and communication with others. In social skills, social rules and relations are created, communicated and changed in verbal and non-verbal ways.

8.     Soft Skills:The combination of interpersonal skills, social skills, communication skills, character traits, attitudes, career attributes and emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ) among others.

9.      Hard Skills: Hard skills are any skills relating to a specific task or situation.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Skills development is generally used to refer to the productive capabilities acquired through all levels of learning and training, occurring in formal, non-formal, informal and on-the-job settings. It enables individuals to become fully and productively engaged in livelihoods, and to have the opportunity to adapt these capabilities to meet the changing demands and opportunities of economy and labor market. The acquisition of such capabilities depends on many factors, including a quality lifelong learning system and a supportive learning environment.

IN INDIA

Skill development is an important driver to address poverty reduction by improving employability, productivity and helping sustainable enterprise development and inclusive growth. India is facing a paradoxical situation, where on the one hand, youth entering the labour market have no jobs; on the other hand, industries are complaining of unavailability of appropriately skilled manpower.

IN SCHOOLS

Schools in India, at large, adopt an academic-centric model of Education. For the most part of schools, the learning process is confined only to classrooms. In fact, this process is more about gaining facts & less about learning. The very best way to address this problem is to introduce life-changing skill training in the school-based curriculum. Giving them some options at the onset of teenage gives them the chance to explore & learn more things beyond their textbooks & whatever is taught in classrooms.

Importance of Skill Development

It is important to empower students with skill-based training as the development of our economy depends upon them. Here’s why skill development in school is important:

1.       The skill development process helps students think beyond grades. It helps them tap into their capabilities, develop real-life skills, and prepare themselves to be successful in the careers of their choice.

2.      Skill-based learning improves employability and helps the youth earn more. Furthermore, it improves the economy of a country and promotes its financial growth.

3.      Skill-based learning helps students develop problem-solving strategies and effective communication techniques.

4.      Learning skill development promotes the leadership skills of students as it helps them become more altruistic. They learn to use their skills to organize and inspire their teams, which, in turn, creates in them leadership qualities.

5.      It also helps students develop creativity, critical thinking, and analytical thinking as skill-based learning focuses on the evaluation and application of facts to real-life problems.

Importance Skill Development IN SCHOOLS

1.       It builds confidence in them to participate in collaborative ventures.

2.      It helps them take responsibility for their actions.

3.      Students learn to make their own decisions and understand how their decisions can have repercussions, too.

4.      They learn to tackle issues and situations on their own.

5.      Skill development helps  students develop readiness to face challenging situations in their future.

Importance Skill Development in Higher Education

1.       Today, there is a large chunk of the unemployed population consisting of highly educated youth who fail to find employment because of a lack of skills, and skilled individuals who lack eligibility because of a lack of knowledge.

2.      And, therefore, the need to provide skill-based learning in higher education to help students receive vocational training besides academics to improve their chances of better employment and a successful career.

3.      Because of this need, vocational education is being considered as part of a structured program at the university level.

4.      This will provide multiple opportunities to students who will acquire skills related to particular professions along with general education.

5.      This will help students pursue graduation in a variety of vocations besides the mainstream subjects, such as science, arts, commerce, medicine, engineering, etc.

6.      Students will get the freedom to select the vocation of their choice and make a career in it. Moreover, thanks to the skill development programs, students will get practical experiences in vocational training that will give them better chances at employability.

Importance Skill Development in India

The government of India launched an initiative in the year 2015 called Skill India. It aimed to train 40 crore Indians in a variety of industrial jobs. Its goal: Empower the youth with schemes and training courses by the year 2022. The benefits of this initiative are:

1.       Better job opportunities, better-paying jobs, and a higher standard of living for the youth.

2.      Development in every sector of the economy and every sector experiencing equal growth.

3.      Trained individuals entering the workforce, which will lead to better and faster results and a boost to the Indian economy.

Soft skills

Soft skills are skills and abilities that are much harder to measure and a bit fuzzier to define. These are interpersonal skills that help people get along with each other and collaborate. Challenging to train explicitly, soft skills include things like character, habits, ability to work on a team, and overall understanding of and participation in our culture. According to research, employees’ level of soft skills accounts for 75% of their long-term employment success. Some time these skills are called as people skills

Examples of soft skills

  1. Creativity
  2. Persuasion
  3. Collaboration
  4. Adaptability
  5. Emotional intelligence

Some other skills

1

Communication

11

Attention to detail

2

Listening

12

Responsibility

3

Punctuality

13

Strategic thinking

4

Organization

14

Problem solving

5

Teamwork

15

Good decision making

6

Ability to “read a room”

16

Conflict resolution

7

Flexibility

17

Innovation

8

Patience

18

Social skills

9

Time management

19

Cultural awareness and sensitivity

10

Multitasking

 

 

 

Hard skills

Hard skills are much easier to quantify and measure. These are things that employees are specifically trained for, like a plumber who learns to fix a leaky faucet or a nurse learning to draw blood.Through specific instruction and trial-and-error, hard skills form the backbone of the job. Hard skills are usually trained, or gained through some type of education or experience. Hard skills are crucial since they serve as the foundation for any service or goods produced by the employee.

Examples of hard skills

Hard skills include things an employer can test for or measure, such as:

1

Proficiency in a foreign language

7

Cloud computing

2

Sales

8

Block chain

3

Affiliate marketing

9

Proficiency computer programming

4

Inventory control

10

Coding

5

Surgical proficiency

11

Book keeping

6

Business analysis

12

Cash flow management

 

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