Do Soft Skills Affect the Employability of Graduates? Insights from the Labor Market of Bangladesh
Abstract
University education primarily emphasizes the instruction of advanced skills to learners. Students learn how to become successful in their careers but do not develop soft skills. Without soft skills, any university graduate confronts significant challenges in their professional lives. The purpose of this study was to investigate how higher education institutions (HEIs) develop soft skills to improve graduate employability. The study employed qualitative methodologies. Data were gathered from secondary sources. This study ranks several soft skills based on their usefulness in various jobs, including communication, leadership, decision-making, teamwork, and problem-solving. The study identifies a gap between the job market expectation and higher education outcomes. The findings show that students require stronger client orientation, communication, decision-making, problem-solving, and work ethic abilities. The researcher described the significance of higher education institutions in developing soft skills, as well as their own personal attempts to obtain them. Students acquired soft skills through efforts such as joining organizations and groups, adopting leadership positions, reading self-development books, viewing films, and attending soft skills workshops. University students should learn soft skills before graduating. This study analyzes the strategies used by students to gain soft skills while pursuing higher education.
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