| Summary |
The purpose of this study was to identify the skills community colleges teach in an office technology soft skills course and determine if the skills taught in the course are congruent with the soft skills employers require in today's entry-level office work. A qualitative content analysis of a community college office technology soft skills course was performed using 23 soft skills employers require for entry-level office work. Nine of the sixteen colleges in the South Carolina Technical College System were teaching an office technology soft skills course in 2006-2007, and they provided course content for analysis. It was found that the skills taught in the office technology soft skills course are by vast majority congruent with the soft skills employers require in today's entry-level office work. This study supports the conclusion that due to the continuing and growing importance of soft skills in the marketplace, community colleges not including a soft skills course in their office technology programs should seriously consider doing so because (a) soft skills need to receive the same emphasis in office technology programs that employers place on soft skills in the workplace, and (b) soft skills are not only needed by administrative professionals today but will continue to be needed well into the future. The fact that the Professional Development office technology soft skills course teaches so many soft skills that employers require in today's entry-level office work is its best reason for inclusion in all office technology programs. These recommendations are made: Community colleges need to include soft skills education in both office technology and business programs, as both programs train students for work in an office environment. Since the 23 soft skills utilized in this study represent more than two-thirds of the SCANS national skills needed for any kind of work, community colleges should examine their institution, program, and course objectives to make sure they include education in soft skills. |
