Episode: 179

Episode Title: Bridging the Gap with Soft Skills

File Name: bridging-the-gap-with-soft-skills

In a remote workplace, soft skills are more important than ever. But the pandemic has revealed a gap between the soft skills employers need and what the workforce can actually deliver. Stay tuned for more, coming up next on the Syndicate.

Ep 179 show:

Welcome to The Perna Syndicate! Last year’s overnight transition to remote work revealed an unsuspected weaknesses in our current workforce. Suddenly, so-called “soft” skills like adaptability, communication, leadership, conflict resolution, service orientation, and many others came to the forefront as not just “nice to have,” but “must have” in a virtual world. 

This week we’ve been talking about the threefold nature of America’s post-pandemic skills gap. Academic learning loss is one aspect, and technical competency is another. But I would argue that the skills gap is really going to be closed when we start taking soft skills—or as I call them, professional skills—seriously. 

Academic knowledge, technical competencies, and solid professional skills have only increased in value as we face a post-pandemic skills gap. The good news is, the younger generations don’t have to wait to build these crucial workplace skills. They can start right now, right where they’re at. 

Academic achievement, technical competency, and professional skills can be developed when young people are encouraged to start treating their education like it’s their employment. Because someday, it will be. 

We can set them up now for success in a post-pandemic world—and meet the skills gap head on. 

Thanks for listening! The Perna Syndicate is all about you—shifting the paradigm in education and workforce development. Join me at MarkCPerna.com for more on this topic. We’ll see you back here tomorrow at the Syndicate!