Developing soft skills through apprenticeships - DESSA

Developing soft skills through apprenticeships - DESSA

DESSA project aims to develop an apprenticeship scheme for the acquisition of soft skills by...

 

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While hard skills demonstrate the experience and understanding of a specific ability, soft skills show off the ability to co-work with others and grow within an organization. Building relationships, solving problems, possessing interpersonal, intellectual and practical competences are all included in the list of soft skills. Nowadays, many employers recognize the importance of soft skills in the working environment, thus it’s crucial for job seekers to put soft skills at the front of job applications. Work-based learning and apprenticeship are the main two methods to motivate students and enable the students to develop the soft skills needed for their future professional life. These two methods provide the switch from transmission models of teaching –learning about- to experiential learning -learning for- and offer the chance to include integrate hands-on experiences with theory.

The aim of DESSA project is to create an apprenticeship model for the acquisition of soft skills by...
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DESSA DESSA project aims to develop an apprenticeship scheme for the acquisition of soft skills by students in upper secondary and higher vocational education and training… dessaproject.eu/

The research deals with disengaged and motivated learners of 16-19 years old that improve their attitude and learning behaviours through the use of gamification. The study addresses the current issues with attendance, motivation and work-based success of the students on the course. Though students were attending, they were not achieving the long-term goals. The applied gamification tool is based on the award of badges for achievements in attendance in the classroom and workplace, completion of assessments, teamwork and completion of administration tasks.
www.ewc.wales/site/index.php/en/statistics-and-res…

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The following report stresses the importance of apprenticeship, especially concerning the development of soft skills for management. It is one of the most popular categories among the different types of apprenticeships because sometimes the traditional learning approach does not guarantee the proper acquisition, in particular taking responsibility, managing other people and collaborating well with a team.
www.qa.com/media/13940/qa-the-social-mobility-impa…

The article aims to point out the growing educational implications of eSports. There is evidence that the wise use of this category of game can influence positively the acquisition of soft skills during secondary school. This type of approach can guarantee a good preparation related to the university life and labour market. Students may not find satisfaction in the traditional learning methods, thus this increasing phenomenon combine the leisure and the duty for students. The study shows concrete benefits for those that tried eSports, enhancing independent problem-solving, developing soft skills and critical thinking.
www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/9/2/105/htm

eSports in K-12 and Post-Secondary Schools eSports is a rising modality of sports entertainment in the United States and has growing implications for education. Providing competitive eSports teams in schools satisfies… www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/9/2/105/htm

The following article deals with gamification applied to the business sector, having positive effects on training, marketing and recruitment. The focus is centred on the benefits that can experience companies, to motivate employees, in improving engagement and attitude. eLearners record a higher number of customers and better performances, according to this investigation. In particular, soft skills are addressed through video role play and interaction. However, one of the main obstacles is related to costs.
www.learnovatecentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/0…

Games based education or gamified learning methods, namely gamification, ensure an efficient approach to the learners’ needs, boosting their motivation and attention. In the recent years, different models have been applied to users, such as animation, feedback, quiz or formula. Moreover, the research includes a free play-mode, where students compete against each other and/or time. Every exercise comprise different categories of skills that are gained through this experience of wise use of games.
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The inquiry focuses on the apprenticeship, approached according to the personal traits of students of secondary education. In order to maximize the performance, the study takes into account five variables: conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness, agreeableness, and extraversion. This method ensures long-term benefits, concerning both the school-based and work-based education in Switzerland. The expected outcomes bring about a positive impact on labor market and educational achievements, through the acknowledgement of soft skills.
poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php

The Impact of Apprenticeship Training on Personality Traits: An Instrumental Variable Approach 34 Pages Posted: 6 Feb 2014 Date Written: January 30, 2014 This paper analyzes how apprenticeship training, i.e., work-based secondary education, affects personality traits compared… poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=959114027008108116106100082065065023001092026034079086085025031118067084006116102096020058018036060032020102021014073118092109024048022093036092114080066124001112107067043038105092064005099083074030124069094071090103123097019110107113086107096008069095&EXT=pdf

My soft skills after three months of internship

In this particular situation of a mostly remote internship I have developed and nurtured a different set of soft skills from the one I imagined at the beginning or even when I applied for this opportunity. For example, interactions with the rest of the team were less likely to become small talks, which in a way helped me going straight to the point with my messages: before the internship, I would go around something for too long maybe. Then I learned to manage time, and not let time manage me: working from home may lead to you never really stop working, while I believe it is very important (and I have experienced this firsthand) to take more breaks than what I would normally allow me to take. Another aspect that I believe it has been very important for this internship has been proactiveness: behind the screen of Teams' chatrooms, it is very easy to get lost or to simply remain passive, while on the other hand it's very important to...
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The PACT YOJTH project is an example of how the soft skills can be developed.
The joint proposal sets a target of 1 million young Europeans, to have the opportunity to take part in tailored quality mobility schemes by 2020.
pact4youth.hu/assets/p4y_privacy.pdf

For an apprenticeship period to be effective, the apprentice requires that the training provided is adequate. For example, the trainer needs to be familiar with local legislation governing work-based learning and apprenticeships. I will consider as an example the Malta WBL & Apprenticeship Act (enacted in 2017). The law provides a list of rights and obligations of sponsors hosting apprentices and includes parameters governing the whole apprenticeship period.
epale.ec.europa.eu/en/blog/apprenticeship-experien…

There is broad consensus in Europe that apprenticeships can be an efficient way of addressing labour market imbalances. Thus, the European Commission’s communication, Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes (2012) identified quality apprenticeships and other forms of work-based learning as a strategic priority. The European Commission also manages the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA).
www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/proje…

Apprenticeships in work-based learning There is broad consensus in Europe that apprenticeships can be an efficient way of addressing labour market imbalances. Thus, the European Commission's communication, Rethinking Education:… www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/projects/apprenticeships-work-based-learning

Open Badget is a project that develop the soft skills
The target group of the project is low-skilled, long-standing unemployed persons and unemployed persons with obstacles have no full awareness of the importance of soft skills and how these skills with proper validation can contribute to their job opportunities. We want to involve especially low-skilled employeesin order to evaluate their competences in the way of looking for a new opportunity in the labour market.

softskills4.eu/

DESSA RESULTS
The project will produce three core intellectual outputs that are:

IO1 Apprenticeship scheme for the development of soft skills and competences
A scheme for apprenticeship implementation oriented to the acquisition of soft skills and competences which is based on gamification and natural mentoring elements. The apprenticeship scheme includes theoretical foundation and guiding principles for the design, implementation and evaluation of apprenticeship programme for the development of soft skills and competences.

Apprentices Guide: A Guide To Develop Your Soft Skills During Your Apprenticeship!
In this training guide apprentices can find ten assignments which will give them the opportunity to develop their soft skills, gain valuable experience in a real working field environment and ultimately grow as a professional.


IO2 Trainers’ guide
A guide for trainers, in VET organisations and companies, to support the design, implementation, management, evaluation and validation of...
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