Building soft skills for a tough world

Survival of the softest

At Inspiring Learning we are campaigning to make soft skills essential skills and equip people of all ages with the soft skills they need to survive and thrive in an uncertain world.

The government, education system, and society are prioritising hard skills over soft skills, despite the growing soft skills gap. Soft skills are vital for survival, no matter your age, but they are not being taken seriously and the word ‘soft’ simply doesn’t do them justice. This summer we commissioned a study, compromising 2,000 people (including 590 employers) which revealed how the soft skills gap is having a negative impact on workplaces across the UK. This includes decreased employee engagement and communication and less resilient mindsets around change. Inspiring Learning calls on parents, schools, professionals and society to finally give soft skills the recognition they deserve and completely reframe how we talk about them. Let's make soft skills 'essential skills'.

35%

Of those surveyed didn’t know what soft skills were.

27%

Of Brits surveyed get no help at all to develop soft skills.

55%

Of employers valued teamwork and communication twice as much as computer skills.

24%

Of 16-24 year olds dislike making phone calls and sometimes avoiding them entirely.

59%

Surveyed said that having a positive outlook on life was the most important skill to survival in life.

43%

Of employees confirmed that they don't go out of the office to do external training or team building.

The Soft Skills Handbook

In a world that rewards hard technical skills and competency in exams, it’s our soft skills that get overlooked. Soft skills are essential in enabling us to enjoy life and thrive. Discover our Soft Skills Handbook, your tool kit to understanding soft skills and how they are essential life skills you learn through experience.

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View the Handbook

Survival of the Softest Bootcamp

The survival of the softest bootcamp is an opportunity for groups (schools, youth organisations, graduates, apprentices or corporate teams) to put their soft skills to the test through a range of activities and team exercises. This practical workshop, tailored to group requirements will provide each individual with development and feedback in 7 key soft skill areas: recovery/ bounce-back ability, stress management, self-confidence and communication, problem-solving and collaboration, empathy, optimism and creativity. This understanding can be a valuable insight and a springboard for future learning.

The Softie Test

In partnership with Dr John Allan, Head of Learning and Impact at Inspiring Learning, we've developed The Softie Test for you to test yourself on key soft skills – testing you on everything from resilience to confidence and communication. Take the virtual test now and see how you score and share it with your friends, family, colleagues, and students!

Test your soft skills!