New! High School, College, and Career Readiness Program

(for ages 13 through adult)

What is the value of this program?

In school, students of all ages are taught the “hard skills”, math, science, reading, writing, history, etc, what they are not typically taught are the “soft skills”.  “Soft skills” is simply a term relating to a collection of personality traits, positive attributes, social graces, listening abilities, communication skills, organizational abilities, and time management skills, that lead to greater levels of success in school, in the work world, and in life.

Many of us naturally “pick-up” these “soft skills”, while some people do not and need to be taught directly how to perform these skills. This is where our program has the most value. With a foundation rooted in the latest scientific research we have created a proprietary curriculum to teach these skills that are highly sought after by educators and employers, to teens and adults.

What do parents value?

The results of numerous studies have concluded that many parents believe that their children will need to improve their “life skills” in key areas to reach their greatest potential in life.

The top 5 areas of concern fall into the following categories:

  1. Time management
  2. Communication and Interpersonal skills
  3. Problem solving
  4. Collaborate with peers
  5. Leadership skills

What do business, industry, and academic leaders value?

Young people who succeed in higher education and the workforce tend to demonstrate a maturity that is evidenced by the following observable dispositions and behaviors which have been identified by postsecondary faculty as well as business and industry leaders:

  1. Effective communication skills
  2. Critical thinking and analytical skills
  3. Good time management skills
  4. Intellectual curiosity
  5. A commitment to learning

Each Course Consists of:

  • Student workbooks
  • 12 easy to follow modules
  • Clear objectives
  • Ongoing comprehension checks
  • Hands-on activities
  • Quick reference guides
  • Weekly assignments
  • Helpful hints
  • Relevant case studies for each module
  • Application of “skills” set towards real-world situations
  • Problem solving activities for each module.

The goal of each course is the generalization of skills towards
school, home, and career settings.

Our High School, College, and Career Readiness Program
will be comprised of the following courses and more.

Anger Management Interpersonal Skills Assertiveness
Leadership Attention Management Managing Change
Body Language Basics Managing School or Workplace Anxiety
Motivation
Body Language Basics
Commitment Negotiation Skills Communication Strategies
Organizational Skills Constructive Criticism Presentation Skills
Conflict Resolution Problem Solving Skills Confidence
Public Speaking Critical Thinking Responsibility
Decision Making Self Advocacy Dependability and Reliability
Self-confidence Effective Problem Solving Teamwork and Collaboration
Flexibility Telephone Etiquette Following Directions
Time Management Goal Setting Work, school, and Life Balance
Improving Mindfulness Improving Self-Awareness And much more!

 

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

 

“Educational institutions may overlook these elements in today’s digital age, but schools must integrate both hard and soft skill sets into their curriculums, which in turn will help better prepare candidates and strengthen our country’s workforce.”

Soft skills not always taught in school include careful listening, collaboration, and question asking, says Fast Company.  Five critical soft skills identified for new grads are the ability to “manage up” to help the boss, appreciation of transparency, a collaborative attitude rather than a comparative one, respectful listening, and awareness and appreciation of generational differences in the workplace.

LORA BRAY is an information research analyst for CUNA’s economics and statistics department.

Bloomberg

Millennial Branding and American Express Release New Study on Gen Y Workplace Expectations
Managers reveal criteria for advancement and impressions of their Gen Y workers

Boston, MA – September 3, 2013 In a new study in partnership with American Express, we found that over 60 percent of managers agree that soft skills are the most important when evaluating an employee’s performance, the big challenge for millennial workers is that they have weaker soft skills than older generations, who expect face-time and teamwork from them. Millennials have spent too much time with their collective noses buried in their iPhones and Facebook pages.

Research conducted with Fortune 500 CEOs by the Stanford Research Institute International and the Carnegie Melon Foundation, found that 75% of long-term job success depends on people skills, while only 25% on technical knowledge.

A survey conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council found that although MBA’s were strong in analytical aptitude, quantitative expertise, and information-gathering ability, they were sorely lacking in other critical areas that employers find equally attractive: strategic thinking, written and oral communication, leadership, and adaptability.

Carnegie Institute of Technology Research carried out by the Carnegie Institute of Technology shows that 85 percent of your financial success is due to skills in human engineering, your personality and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead. Shockingly, only 15 percent is due to technical knowledge. Posted: 4/12/13

Robert Half, Paul McDonald of Robert Half said “The notion of soft skills being ‘nice to haves’ in the workplace is dead,” McDonald said. “These abilities are now ESSENTIAL, and can often determine advancement potential and overall career success.” Posted: 5/5/13

Manpower Group. In the Manpower Group’s 2012 Talent Shortage Survey, Nearly 20% of employers cited a lack of soft skills as a key reason they couldn’t hire needed employees. “Interpersonal skills and enthusiasm/motivation” were among the most commonly identified soft skills that employers found lacking. Posted: 9/20/12

The Graduate Management Admission Council, a nonprofit organization of graduate management schools, reported in its 2012 Corporate Recruiters Survey that among qualities recruiters look for in graduate job applicants are: Leadership – 51, Goal orientation 46%, Motivation 36%, Professionalism 36%, Innovation 35%. Posted: 06/25/12. Article Source: http://goarticles.com/article/What-Do-Statistics-Say-About-Soft-Skills/7845811/

Hard Evidence on Soft Skills

NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH  “…soft skills predict success in life, that they causally produce that success, and that programs that enhance soft skills have an important place in an effective portfolio”   James J. Heckman and Tim D. Kautz NBER Working Paper No. 18121 June 2012

“Overwhelming Majority of Companies Say Soft Skills Are Just as Important as Hard Skills,” says CareerBuilder. Seventy-seven percent of employers think personality skills “are just as important as hard skills,” and 16% find them more important.

Soft skills are indicative of employee ability to problem solve, a measure of reliability, and leadership potential. Among the top 6 soft skills sought:

  • Work ethic (73%);
  • Dependability (73%);
  • Positive attitude (72%);
  • Self-motivation (66%);
  • Team-orientation (60%); and
  • Organization skills (57%).

Eighty-five percent of managers say work ethic and attitude are “the most important considerations in choosing a candidate,” and 85% say this is also “the most important attribute for employee success.  CU Magazine Online, 2015

For an employee to effectively perform in the workplace, he or she needs to have a specific and unique set of vital technical skills. But what about non-technical skills? Skills that govern an employee’s ability to communicate, form relationships, and prioritize tasks are often overlooked in education and training. Aug 19, 2014 By Stuart Leung in Careers, Cloud

Hard Skills Not Enough For Job Success

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) projects that over 1.5 million students will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in 2014. These new potential employees come “preloaded” with the requisite technical skills that their careers require.

Yet, despite this, many find themselves unable to adequately perform in a competitive marketplace due to their lack of interpersonal skills otherwise known as soft skills.

Mark Murphy (author of Hire for Attitude), 46% of new hires fail in the first 18 months, and of those new hires, 89% fail for reasons associated with attitude.

86% of executives identify ineffective collaboration and communication as a major cause of failure in business.

According to NACE’s Job Outlook for the Class of 2014, the ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work is ranked as the third-most desirable quality in a new hire (ranking behind only the ability to make decisions and solve problems, and the ability to work in a team structure).