Soft Skills Training for Job Readiness

Resources
For Welfare Decisions

Vol. 4, No. 12 December 2000

Soft Skills Training for Job Readiness

Low-income individuals with limited exposure to the world of work may lack the "soft skills" needed to get a job, stay employed, and advance. Soft skills are the nontechnical skills, abilities, and traits that workers need to function in a specific employment environment. They include four sets of workplace competencies: problem-solving and other cognitive skills, oral communication skills, personal qualities and work ethic, and interpersonal and teamwork skills (Leigh, et al., 1999).

Surveys of employers who hire entry-level workers reveal how important it is for job candidates to have soft skills. In Job Prospects for Welfare Recipients: Employers Speak Out, researchers found that a positive attitude and reliability are the two qualities that employers identify as most important when hiring someone for entry-level work (Regenstein et al., July 1998). Problems with interpersonal and other soft skills are a major barrier to employment that employers do not believe they can address on their own (Welfare to Work Partnership, 2000).

There are different ways to provide soft skills training to individuals moving into the workforce. A job readiness curriculum that emphasizes employability skills is one approach. Soft skills training can also be incorporated into vocational training and other program activities. Agencies that provide employment-related services can structure programs to simulate the workplace. In addition, post-employment activities, such as case management, support groups, mentoring, and job coaching, provide opportunities to work on soft skills based on clients’ work-related experiences. One challenge for agencies is to assess and document soft skills. Agencies can market their soft skills training to employers and work with local employers to develop standards for job readiness. There is not a large body of research on soft skills and disadvantaged individuals, so readers interested in learning more about soft skills training are encouraged to follow up with the program contacts included in this Resource Note. Readers can also visit the Welfare Information Network (WIN) web page on job readiness, search, and placement at http://www.welfareinfo.org/job.htm.

Publications and Electronic Resources

Annie E. Casey Foundation. Stronger Links: New Ways to Connect Low-Skilled Workers to Better Jobs. Baltimore, Md.: Annie E. Casey Foundation, MD, 2000. Available at http://www.aecf.org/jobsinitiative/strongerlinks.pdf.

Conrad, Cecilia A. Soft Skills and the Minority Work Force: A Guide for Informed Discussion. Washington, D.C.: Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, 1999. Contact the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies at 202/789-3504.

Conrad, Cecilia A., and Wilhelmina A. Leigh. "Soft Skills: A Bridge or Barrier to Employment." Focus., Vol. 27, no. 1 (January 1999). Available at http://www.jointcenter.org/focus/pdffiles/jan99.pdf.

Grummon, Phyllis. "Assessing Students for Workplace Readiness." Centerfocus., No. number 15 (February 1997). Available at http://ncrve.berkeley.edu/CenterFocus/cf15.html.

Leigh, Wilhelmina A., Deitra H. Lee, and Malinda A. Lindquist. Soft Skills Training: An Annotated Guide to Selected Programs. Washington, D.C.: Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, 1999. Contact the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies at 202/789-3504.

Regenstein, Marsha, Jack A. Meyer, and Jennifer Dickemper Hicks. Job Prospects for Welfare Recipients: Employers Speak Out. Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute, July 1998. Available at http://newfederalism.urban.org/html/anf25.html.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Neighborhood Networks. How to Design and Deliver an Effective Job Readiness Training Program. Fairfax, Va.,: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, June 1999. Available at http://www.hud.gov/nnw/nnwg0003.html.

Welfare to Work Partnership. "Taking the Next Step." Member Survey., No. 1, 2000 series. Visit the Welfare to Work Partnership’s web site at http://www.welfaretowork.org/wtwpapps/WTWPHOME.nsf and click on research and statistics.

What Organizations Are Doing

The Denver Workforce Initiative (DWI) is part of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Jobs Initiative demonstration designed to help low-income individuals secure living-wages jobs. DWI has developed the innovative "Workin’ It Out" training programs for entry-level workers and supervisors that emphasize the soft skills needed for sustained employment. These programs teach cognitive and behavioral skills that provide workers and supervisors with the insights and skills to resolve work-related problems and succeed in social interactions. The "Workin’ It Out" program helps inexperienced entry-level workers understand the unspoken rules of the workplace and develop basic communication and problem-solving skills. The "Managing to Work It Out" program for supervisors imparts strategies for resolving workplace conflict and for motivating and communicating with entry-level workers. These training programs are designed for delivery at the workplace. Two other programs are part of the series. The "Learning to Work It Out" program targets individuals with multiple barriers to employment and "Beginning to Work It Out" focuses on at-risk youth. For more information, contact Carol Hedges, director, Denver Workforce Initiative, at 303/825-6246.

Goodwill Industries of Lane County, Oregon, provides vocational training and job placement services to economically disadvantaged and disabled individuals. Classroom activities emphasize soft skills development. Clients work on self-esteem and various soft skills, such as anger management, social interaction, and work ethic. In addition, the vocational programs stress the soft skills needed for workplace competency. For example, training for production work develops teamwork skills, while the telephone services training highlights cognitive and communication skills. Clients receive a certificate that documents their job readiness training. For more information, contact Goodwill Industries of Lane County Vocational Training at 541/345-1801; or visit http://www.goodwill.jobpwr.org/Voctrng.html.

Home Care Associates of Philadelphia is a worker-owned company offering an employer-based program that trains low-income individuals, many of whom are receiving public assistance, as certified nurse assistants and Medicare home health aides. The training program emphasizes soft skills development along with clinical skills training and workplace literacy training. Soft skills training consists of seven modules: team building, goal- setting, professionalism, pull-back, paraphrase, present options, and pass it on. The last four modules develop cognitive and communication skills for dealing with workplace situations. Pull-back helps trainees acknowledge and handle their emotions. Present options works on trainees’ ability to develop alternative strategies. Paraphrase and pass it on are communication strategies for gathering and giving information. Role-playing is used to teach and evaluate these skills. Other techniques include story telling and incorporating soft skills into vocational training. When participants have completed training and begun employment, they are paired for three months with job coaches who provide assistance and support. For more information, contact Terrell Cannon, assistant instructor, Home Care Associates, at 215/735-0677.

To help its Jobs Initiative sites meet employers’ needs for workers with soft skills, the Annie E. Casey Foundation commissioned a two-part study on soft skills by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. The research involved defining soft skills and then identifying programs that were teaching those skills. It led to the publication of two reports, which are referenced in the above Publications and Electronic Resources section of this note. Soft Skills and the Minority Work Force: A Guide for Informed Discussion contains definitions of the four sets of workplace competencies and an annotated bibliography that is based on a survey of the literature on soft skills. Soft Skills Training: An Annotated Guide to Selected Programs profiles 53 employment training programs that offer training in soft skills, as the researchers define these skills. For more information, contact Wilhelmina Leigh, senior research associate, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, at 202/789-3500.

Changes in entry-level work, such as a greater emphasis on teamwork, customer service, and decision-making, and changes in the characteristics of job applicants have led organizations to develop curricula that help disadvantaged individuals build soft skills. For example, "Tackling the Tough Skills," is a life-skills curriculum developed by the University of Missouri Outreach and Extension that seeks to help individuals make the transition from welfare to work. The curriculum addresses attitude, responsibility, communication, decision-making, problem-solving, and workforce preparation. Participants engage in group learning experiences, such as role-plays, discussions, and games. This curriculum can be adapted to different youth and adult audiences. For more information, contact Rosilee Trotta, urban youth and family specialist, University of Missouri Outreach and Extension, at 314/615-7637; or visit http://outreach.missouri.edu/tough-life-skills/. Also, visit the WIN web page on curricula related to job readiness for additional resources at http://www.welfareinfo.org/jobready_curricula.htm.

Soft skills include personal qualities that promote employment success, such as self-esteem, motivation, and a willingness to learn. Women in Action (WIA), an innovative program for women making the transition from welfare to work, provides a supportive learning environment for women to challenge themselves personally and build self-confidence through guided outdoor activities, such as hiking, kayaking, and ropes courses. The program seeks to help women confront self-defeating beliefs that can undermine their efforts to become self-sufficient. WIA currently partners with San Francisco’s Women in Community Service program to enhance job training activities with critical life skills such as self-confidence and faith in ability. The WIA program also promotes problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills through its hands-on activities. For more information, contact Karen Nemsick, director, Women in Action, at 415/412-7617. A web site will soon be available at http://www.womeninaction.org/.

The St. Louis Jobs Initiative WorkLink program is a joint effort between St. Louis Community College and Better Family Life (BFL), a community-based organization, to help disadvantaged, low-income individuals move into the workforce and become engaged members of their community. BFL recruits program participants and provides long-term follow-up to participants placed in jobs. It also provides four weeks of intensive job readiness training, initially modeled after the STRIVE program, that is a key to WorkLink’s success. This training addresses the rules of the workplace, communication skills, and other areas critical for entry-level workers. Self-respect and being respectful are emphasized. The job readiness training enforces workplace norms. Participants are expected to attend class from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every weekday, dress appropriately, and demonstrate work-ready behavior. The WorkLink program also creates a workplace environment by drawing about half of its staff from the business sector. Follow-up activities for clients placed in jobs include an alumni network that provides continuing support and opportunities to discuss workplace issues. For more information, contact Carolyn Seward, project director, Better Family Life, at 314/863-9296.

WIN Staff Contact: Nanette Relave, 202/628-5790 or nrelave@financeproject.org.

The Welfare Information Network is supported by grants from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Woods Fund of Chicago, and the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Labor.