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

Man preparing plates in the kitchen.
Research

Rising Skills: Emerging Skills in the Food Services Trades

Commercial kitchens are becoming more automated, connected, and diverse workplaces. This briefing looks at the skill sets that food services tradespeople—in particular, the Red Seal trades of cook and baker—need to adapt, as well as how employers can find the skilled talent they need.
Group of students around a table smiling.
Project

Language learning for young newcomers

BCIT students pursuing skilled jobs receive English language training and content to support them in their studies and job search efforts.
people gathering around a table talking and reading
Research

Can social and emotional skills be taught?

In this research, we explore the challenges of teaching and learning social and emotional skills in the classroom. Based on interviews with 40 college instructors and…
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