Students’ soft skills at CCNB

In today’s work market, interpersonal and soft skills have been identified as essential keys to success. Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick is therefore helping future workers to build resilience by developing their soft skills, in tandem with technical knowledge and skills, to support and guide their training and career paths. The relevance of this approach has been confirmed by a recent survey of New Brunswick employers, who view interpersonal skills as fundamental assets for the future workforce, and even more so in the context of COVID-19.

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Future Skills Centre is investing $230,007 in this 2-year project, from which graduates can make a concrete contribution to the province’s economic recovery. Coming from all regions, rural and urban New Brunswick, as well as from other provinces and countries, these graduates represent the economic and social future of the province and its communities. It is essential to support not only their technical training, but also the development of their soft skills, all of which are sought by employers. To meet employers’ expectations, these individuals will need to be able to communicate their strengths while demonstrating adequate interpersonal skills in their future employment – an element which needs to be an integral part of college training. This project includes stages of assessment of student needs, development of relevant concepts, various collaborations with the college’s resources and design of adult learning activities directly offered to students during their college education.

Evaluation Strategy

This project is evaluated using tools and approaches aligned with its goals, context, and stage of development. The evaluation focuses on generating the right evidence at the right moment to move the intervention forward. Read more about our evaluation strategy.

Featured Projects

Project

Shaping the future of work in Canada: Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic

The research explored the extent of economic and job quality inequities between those who had access to remote work options during the pandemic and those who did not, as well as the widening disparity in job satisfaction between the two groups.
Two people wearing safety helmets and vests holding clipboards and taking notes in a paper-products warehouse
State of Skills

Quality of Work

Improving quality of work, through better wages and benefits, social environments, security, safety, and inclusion, alongside skills and professional development is one part of a larger strategy to address these labour shortages.
Research

Digital Skills for a Future-Ready Worldexternal link icon

We know that digital skills are essential for a strong post-pandemic recovery. But we don’t have a clear picture of the exact digital skills that Canadian employers are looking for. We need to understand these gaps so we can respond with the right tools and training.
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