Soft skills are the everyday interpersonal skills that employees need to succeed on the job. Soft skills such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and adaptability enable one to express ideas, plan, organize, understand directions, and get along with others. Soft skills are far more important than pure academic and technical skills training for success in today’s society, especially for special needs students who may struggle in the area of social and emotional development. According to the National Soft Skills Association, 85% of job success comes from having well-developed soft and people skills, and only 15% of job success comes from technical skills and knowledge (hard skills).

These are the soft skills employers are looking for :

We are working with students every day in school to teach these essential soft skills. Depending on your child’s ability, community-based work experience at offices, retail stores, restaurants, or libraries may be an option for developing and practicing soft skills.
Social events are also tremendously helpful to develop interpersonal skills. Since soft skills are such important drivers of success in school and in adult life, every little bit of practice helps.