http://dspace.bits-pilani.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/1708 Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:00:23 GMT 2026-04-15T09:00:23Z http://dspace.bits-pilani.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/1776 Title: PORTABILITY OF TECHNICAL SKILLS ACROSS OCCUPATIONS Authors: MUKUNI, JOSEPH SILOKA Description: In the literature, much has been reported about skill shortages in the labor market and many solutions have been suggested but most of them do not appear to work well for developing countries. This study investigated the place of portable technical skills as an option for addressing skill shortages, particularly in developing countries. The objective of the study was to determine whether different occupations have portable technical skills, which graduates of workforce development programs can carry with them as they transfer from one occupation to another. Although in the literature the importance of portable skills has been recognized, research has tended to focus on the portability of soft skills such as communication and problem-solving. This study is unique in that in addition to soft skills, it explores the existence and usefulness of portable technical skills such as maintenance of equipment and use of hand tools.The study methodology comprised analysis of documents followed by focus group discussions with instructors and employers. The researcher examined competency lists drawn from three different occupational clusters, taking three occupations in each cluster. Analysis of correlation between pairs of occupations in each cluster revealed the existence of portable technical skills within occupational clusters. For example, within the Mechanical Engineering cluster, there were 504 technical skills that Fitting and Machining had in common. Furthermore, the study discovered 152 technical skills that were portable across all the occupations in the sample.According to an instructorsâ focus group, one of the pedagogical implications of the findings of this study was that training institutions could promote inter-disciplinary collaboration through joint preparation of syllabi and team-teaching.An employersâ focus group confirmed that portable technical skills have long been used effectively and efficiently in the Informal Micro-Enterprise sector and training providers should, therefore, promote the teaching of portable technical skills with special emphases on entrepreneurship development to make students more flexible in their career development.In addition to policy recommendations for the promotion of portable technical skills, the study recommends that further studies should be done to determine the full extent of portable technical skills across a wider range of occupations. Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://dspace.bits-pilani.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/1776 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dspace.bits-pilani.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/1775 Title: Soft Skills Perceived by Students and Employers as Relevant Employability Skills Authors: Williams, Ann-Marie Claudia Description: Local employers believe the lack of prerequisite soft skills is inhibiting the graduates from a local community college from securing employment. The rationale of this phenomenological study was to investigate the perceptions of students and employers related to the soft skills needed to be successful in future employment. The theoretical framework was based on Mezirow's transformational and Daloz's mentorship theories. Individual face-to-face, semistructured interviews were used to gather data from 12 business and computer students and 7 employers (N=19) who were selected using purposeful random sampling. The typewritten transcripts of participants' responses were imported in MAXQDA 11, then were open coded and analyzed for emergent themes. According to emergent findings among these 19 participants, for entry-level jobs, communication was the most important and the most lacking soft skill. The recommendations informed the creation of a mandatory 3-day professional development training program, which was developed to help students enhance their soft skills before entering their future careers. This study directly affects positive social change by enhancing the quality of soft skills for future employees who enter the local work force. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT http://dspace.bits-pilani.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/1775 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dspace.bits-pilani.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/1774 Title: Software development engineer in Microsoft: a subjective view of soft skills required Authors: Orsted, Martin Description: This paper is a position statement. There are important requirements on software development engineers that go beyond the normal academic qualifications and technical skills, and which quite often receive a lower priority in education and training. Some of the soft skills that are listed in the job descriptions for software development engineers at Microsoft are: change management; self-development; composure and stress management; problem-solving skills; drive for results; communication skills; and interpersonal skills. This paper focuses on the first four of these. The exact description of the soft skills needed changes depending on the level of the position. Sat, 01 Jan 2000 00:00:00 GMT http://dspace.bits-pilani.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/1774 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dspace.bits-pilani.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/1773 Title: Soften up: the importance of soft skills for job success Authors: Lazarus, Arthur Description: Review the many soft skills — from professionalism to manners and self-awareness — that shape leaders and allow them to shine. Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://dspace.bits-pilani.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/1773 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z