Young jobseekers are facing an increasingly complex catalogue of expected competencies including besides technical skills, interpersonal and social skills. However, most of young people are not thought during their education how to develop and present those soft skills, which can cause difficulties when looking for work.
To give the topic of soft skills an international exchange platform YouMatch and Socieux+ organized a virtual conference together with and for private and public service providers and international experts from 25 African and Middle Eastern as well as European countries. More than 90 participants joined the conference actively through discussions and polls on the event platform. The event was inspired by the work of a French speaking Community of Practice (CoP) of the YouMatch network, working on the topic of career guidance and life skills. Composed of public and private sector practitioners from eight African countries, it functions as a platform for exchange around the topic of soft skills within the YouMatchnetwork. Members of the CoP enriched the event through reports on their actual work with young jobseekers.
During the first conference day speakers helped to shape the concept of soft skills that needs to be adapted for each working sector or region. After consulting with different employers, the French employment agency "Pôle emploi" identified 14 soft skills mostly required, which include responsiveness, autonomy, or communication skills.
The speakers at the conference agreed that soft skills are of utmost importance in modern working life but do not receive the necessary attention in the training of young people. At the same time, it is a complex topic. In fact, as Ms. Perocheau from "Pôle Emploi" pointed out, "soft skills are expressed in a working environment, not in themselves". Therefore, it is essential to develop creative approaches in order to address young people who are far from the employment sector. This can be achieved for example through sports activities.
The second half-day of the conference focused on practical examples of soft skills training as well as on the gender topic. It was emphasized that it is essential to include a gender dimension into soft skills training offers. As women are still facing more barriers to employment, it is crucial to pay special attention to their needs. According to the experiences of Ms. Belinga Bibi, consultant at the FNE in Cameroon and member of the CoP on career guidance and life skills, it is very important to raise awareness of women's social skills and to promote their self-esteem regarding these skills.
For further information on the content of the conference please click on the link below: https://youmatch-softskills.de/
