WHILE tech skills feature dominantly in many of the latest “skills in demand” lists, it is equally crucial for jobseekers to embrace the unique advantages of being human.
These include being able to communicate effectively, to understand other cultures and to work as a team.According to Singapore Management University president Prof Dr Lily Kong, the skills in demand today are “undergoing a metamorphosis” compared to a few years ago when critical thinking, tech savviness, data literacy, adaptability and flexibility were talked about.
In the age of generative AI (GenAI), it is qualities such as collaborative mindsets, teamwork, communication skills, emotional intelligence (EQ) and empathy that set humans and machines apart, she said.
Given how easy it is to obtain information and to access short courses online, she said many students now come to university wanting to “learn to be more human”.
“If I were a student today, surrounded by all these technological disruptions, I’d look to my university to help me cultivate in-demand human skills.
“I’d want to develop my ability to think from first principles, to make good judgements about people or situations, and to hone my intuitive understanding of human emotions and cultural contexts by developing my interpersonal skills.
“I’d want to develop resilience so that if I fail at something, I’m not going to fall apart and have mental health challenges. I’d want to be able to pick myself up, dust off that dirt and carry on.
“I’d want to have a sense of curiosity to identify and intensify my passion for something, and to learn how to learn,” she said, adding that students can also gain these skills by going on student exchange programmes, participating in student clubs, taking part in sporting events, working with communities in need, working on group projects, experiencing life in a startup or interning at a big organisation.
These experiences, she said, would hone the skills and fill in the gaps that GenAI cannot support.
The current co-curriculum is an underappreciated resource in higher education, she added. “We (universities) have our student activities and clubs but I think we spend too little time thinking about foregrounding the learning that takes place in co-curricular activities,” she said.
Zooming in on EQ, Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) Chapter Asean+ chair and Global PRME board member Dr Priya Sharma said certain skills are required across the board in order to be interrelational.
PRME is a United Nations-supported voluntary initiative founded in 2007 that engages business and management schools to ensure they provide future leaders with the skills needed to balance economic, environmental and social goals, while drawing attention to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aligning academic institutions with the work of the UN Global Compact.
“What a responsible business leader needs is creative, emotional, societal, social and physical skills,” she said, adding that these skills can be formed during a student’s tertiary education journey.
“Students can learn how to navigate their own emotions and how to deal with conflict, which is very common in the workplace, and how to have a relationship with people around them,” Priya said, adding that in the working world, one cannot afford to be silent or non-confrontational.
Agreeing, International Leadership University rector Prof Dr Richard Dare said one’s EQ depends on the cultural and social context one is working in.
“They (western countries) tend to be about the need to be deeply in tune with your personal feelings and to share with others who you really are. This is fine in some cultures but not in the one I live in (Asia),” he said.
Asia, he explained, values respect in terms of understanding the importance of hierarchy.
Ultimately, said Prof Dare, who is a former chief executive officer of a company with over 10,000 employees, people are hired because of their hard skills but they are able to stay on and grow because of their soft skills.
Industry exposure
Chai Ping Chua, from Experian Malaysia, said it is a common misconception that higher education and industry are segregated.
The reality, said the country site leader and HR director of the global information services company, is that both are intertwined.
“There are a lot of things that we, in the industry, can do to continue the work of academics. We can continue to hone the skills taught at the tertiary level,” she said, citing leadership as an example.
“Leadership does not just happen in the workplace; it starts at home as well as in schools. If you are given that exposure to helm certain things and do certain projects, leadership has already begun,” she added.
While the hope is that students are able to transition from university to the working world seamlessly, Universiti Brunei Darussalam assistant vice-chancellor and vice-president of global affairs Dr Joyce Teo Siew Yean said this is not always the case.
Speaking to StarEdu, Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman said employers understand that interns are still students with less working experience and skills and that they are there to learn.
“Nevertheless, interns are still expected to be proactive at work and show seriousness in wanting to contribute to the organisation.
“Employers might not expect interns to have a full set of soft skills, but they do expect interns to be eager to learn and willing to work hard,” he said.
He added that employers can groom interns not only to work independently but also to get better at teamwork, analyse situations and make sound judgements.
But once the interns graduate and become jobseekers, he stressed that they are expected to have mastered a range of soft skills, including critical thinking, communication, teamwork and problem-solving.
“The absence of soft skills training can have a detrimental impact on graduates, particularly in their ability to integrate into the business environment.
“Fresh graduates who are ready for the workplace are expected to quickly integrate into the company, collaborate effectively with colleagues, and adapt to the fast-paced work environment.
“Employers would regard workplace-ready graduates as valuable assets who not only fulfil their job roles efficiently but also bring fresh ideas and innovation to the business,” he added.
*Note: The academics were speakers at the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia Universities Summit 2024 held from April 29 to May 1 at Sunway University.
Internship as training ground
Many people believe we can pick up a multitude of soft skills at university but roles on committees or boards are not that many compared to the number of student members in clubs, societies or organisations. So, I am depending on my internship to learn things such as effective communication and how to manage conflict. Most of my learning comes from observing how my supervisor handles the rest of the team.Alya Umaira Zulkifli, 22
College and university are the best places to develop soft skills. Even if we cannot make it into leadership positions in clubs or societies, we can learn teamwork, time management and even leadership when working on group projects. I am hoping I can use these skills when I go for my internship next semester. Maybe it could lead to a job offer after I graduate.Anna Wong May Lin, 22
