We all know that a good education is important to getting a good job after graduation. Educational researchers are constantly studying attributes to ensure that we know what students need to know in order to build successful careers.
STEM is a good example of that. As technology gets more ubiquitous in our society, the need for STEM education increases exponentially. Integrated Science, Technology, Engineering and Math are critical now, and will become more and more vital as we use bigger and better technology.
But Google has discovered through research on its hiring practices that while STEM is obviously something students need, it’s not the ONLY thing.
In fact among the top eight skills that were characteristic of success at Google, seven skills were ahead of STEM skills, all “soft skills.”
Google found that employees did better as employees if they had empathy and understanding of others.
The better employees also were critical thinkers and skilled problem solvers.
Finally, successful employees were able to connect the dots across complex ideas.
Their research is consistent with the other findings that show hard skills like math and physics are obviously necessary as prerequisites to jobs in the technology sector, but they are not the ONLY skills that lead to successful employees.
Theses soft skills are broken down into the 6 C’s:
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Creativity
- Content
- Confidence
While narrow occupation-specific skills are, of course, necessary to finding a job in the technology sector, the skills needed to KEEP that job and advance are broader, and are applicable to many jobs.
Employees that work well with others, think critically, and are lifelong learners will be able to hang onto those jobs longer and be more successful during their career.
It’s no surprise that these are all skills that LEADPrep, with its project-based learning and collaborative model, specializes in teaching to our students.
