Beyond technical skills: Tec and Pearson offer soft skills programs

Tec de Monterrey and Pearson Higher Education have formed a partnership to create soft skills development programs for university students.

Creativity, teamwork, self-management, effective communication, leadership, logical thinking, and social responsibility are some of the so-called soft skills most requested in the world of work.

“Soft skills are essential for employability, but they’re also helpful in achieving greater life satisfaction because they offer greater balance and better interpersonal relationships,” explains Noemí Villarreal, Director of Digital Continuing Education at the Tec.

In fact, according to the 2019 Global Employer Research survey undertaken by Pearson and Edge Research, 86% of employers find these skills highly valuable.

As a result, both organizations signed an agreement in August 2022 that allows students to gain internationally recognized certifications related to these skills.

Soft skills certifications for the Tec community

The partnership between Pearson and Tec de Monterrey was signed through the Office of the Vice Rector for Continuing Education at Tecnológico de Monterrey, and a digital tool was put in place to assess and develop these skills.

“This partnership is important because it offers high-quality academic programs through digital learning experiences which seek to develop participants’ job and social skills,” says Villarreal.

This new digital solution from the Tec and Pearson focuses on developing 6 skills:

• Oral and written communication
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Self-managed learning
• Critical thinking
• Leadership
• Social responsibility

“Enrolled students will learn self-management strategies they can use in their personal and work lives, as well as to plan goals, manage their time efficiently, and develop effective communication.

“They will also learn to be successful leaders, develop logical thinking, make decisions based on data, and improve their social responsibility,” Villarreal explains.

“Soft skills are essential for employability, but they’re also helpful in achieving greater life satisfaction.”

Why is it necessary to strengthen soft skills?

In recent years, consultancies, universities, and organizations have published studies that endorse the impact of soft skills in the world of work.

For example, the World Economic Forum’s 2020 Future of Jobs Report found that 85% of people’s employment success is related to acquiring these skills.

The What Workers Want 2020 report produced by Hays consultancy, a British multinational world leader in specialized personnel selection, found that 6 out of 10 companies believe that soft skills are more important than technical skills.

The most highly sought-after soft skills

According to the Pearson report, the most sought-after skills are:

• Leadership: 82%
• Collaboration and teamwork: 78%
• Project management: 77%
• Decision making: 76%
• Critical thinking: 75%
• Oral and written communication: 75%
• Self-management: 75%
• Complex problem solving: 75%

Are you interested in taking one of these courses?

These are the programs offered by Tec de Monterrey and Pearson in 2023:

• Online Personal Soft Skills Development seminar, which began January 9
• Online Social Soft Skills Development seminar, which begins March 6
• Online Leadership Soft Skills Development seminar, which begins May 2
• Online Personal, Social, and Leadership Soft Skills Development certification (completing the 3 seminars is required in order to obtain the certification).

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