Last modified: 2019-09-19
Abstract
Students need a variety of skills both basic academic skills and technical knowledge in order to be successful in the workplace. Work ethic is comprised of a combination of hard skills (the technical skills needed to obtain a job) and soft skills (the personality traits and career attributes needed to keep the job and develop a career over time). This qualitative case-study in practice explores perceptions of soft skills as an indicator of workplace success for students in vocational college. The researcher conducted semi-structured open-ended interviews. Findings of the study included all respondents indicating a positive perception of soft skills as an indicator of workplace success. The study concludes with a series of conclusions and recommendations for vocational institutions to consider as they seek to develop a soft skills training program to integrate in the context of a vocational college environment.