Soft Skills Training Program Based on Serious Games

In the 21st century, to be successful at the workplace and to get their first job, potential employees must have both soft skills (know how to be) and hard skills (know how to do). The proposed Soft Skills Training Program (SSTP) combines multiple serious games to train future employees in four key soft skills that are most demanded by companies: intrapersonal, interpersonal, personal social responsibility, and organizational sustainability. These four MacroSoftSkills are subdivided into eight MesoSoftSkills and 21 MicroSoftSkills to establish a complete multilevel structure. The development of soft skills is measured before and after the training using five appraisal questionnaires and tests. The pilot project, aimed at young university and vocational training students, lasted 9 weeks and proved to be effective since the proposed aggregate indicators of soft skills development increased in value, with the results being different across soft skill, gender, and educational center. The contents and length of some of the training sessions should, however, be adjusted to further develop and improve the program.

Automated summary

The Soft Skills Training Program aims to train future employees in four key soft skills by combining serious games, with a multilevel structure divided into macro, meso, and micro levels. The pilot project, targeting university and vocational training students and lasting 9 weeks, proved to be effective and showed differences in outcomes across different soft skills, genders, and educational centers.