Softer skills development 'crucial'

Communication and leadership skills are lacking in most people and should be prioritised, it has been claimed.

In news that may interest people looking to win sales jobs, Martin Sloman, the learning and development advisor for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, has highlighted the importance of softer skills to career success.

Mr Sloman acknowledged that graduates often lack negotiation skills, but maintained that "everybody does", adding that IT skills and influencing skills were identified in a recently report by Felstead and Green as two increasingly important clusters of skills.

The 2008 Grad Stats study found that 70 per cent of respondents who had recently left university were worried about rising living costs, with 68 per cent adding that their degree was worth the financial costs.

According to Mr Sloman, the workplace is changing and requiring employees to use more initiative, with "routine processing work" becoming less common.

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Filed: 27-08-2008