In a brand-new poll from education experts, parents cited emotional intelligence as the most important soft skill – ranking it above problem-solving, adaptability, leadership, and in last place, teamwork.
Dukes Plus, a leading education consultancy firm.
Dukes Plus provides innovative and life-changing career experiences that help students discover and work towards their career goals. While hard skills have historically been prioritised as a path to success, soft skills are becoming more important.
Research from last year found that the need for human skills was even greater than the demand for digital skills. Additionally, in a separate study, more than two-thirds of employers said soft skills were even more important than educational qualifications in hiring.
To help young people develop interpersonal abilities, Dukes Plus has created a Soft Skills Quiz, which allows students to reflect on and assess their strengths across six key soft skills areas.
The consultancy has also surveyed parents, who play a critical role in teaching interpersonal qualities, on which soft skills they believed would have the biggest impact on their children’s future.
Ricky Tavares, Director of Dukes Plus, said: “Soft skills can prepare children for various aspects of life, from excelling in careers to forming healthy relationships. Knowledge opens doors, but soft skills carry them through. These are the traits shaping our children’s futures.”
Almost a quarter of parents said emotional intelligence (EQ) was the most impactful soft skill. A high EQ enhances the ability to identify, understand and manage your own emotions. It also helps with recognising emotions in others and responding appropriately.
Ricky Tavares added: “The conversation around mental health and its importance is much more prominent now than it was for previous generations. Many parents are now aware of the far-reaching effect of high emotional intelligence and understand it’s a solid foundation for healthy wellbeing, mature relationships, and job satisfaction.”
Teamwork and collaboration — how well a student works with others and understands group dynamics — placed last in the survey, with only 9% of parents considering these soft skills priorities.
Ricky Tavares continued: “This result is surprising as teamwork and collaboration are relevant to and helpful in various situations, including social, school and future work environments. It might be that parents are solely focused on the skills that directly influence their child’s individual performance and personal growth rather than shared achievements. However, children can learn a lot from teamwork.”
Problem-solving skills were voted as the second most valued soft skills among parents, followed by communication skills, adaptability and flexibility, and then leadership skills. The full research, with advice on helping children develop each soft skill, is available to read here.