Soft skills: students and employers crave

The study investigates whether soft skills education at ITMO University aligns with employers’ needs and supports students’ employability. Soft skills (e.g., critical thinking, problem solving, communication, leadership, time management, stress tolerance) are increasingly recognized as essential by global reports (e.g., WEF 2020) and by employers. Despite rising interest, challenges persist around valid assessment of soft skills and clarity on their effectiveness for professional success. Prior international research indicates a strong link between soft skills training and employability. In Russia, soft skills training is growing but not yet widespread, creating a need to verify that such training contributes to employment outcomes. The purpose of this study is to assess market requirements for soft skills and compare them with students’ training and application, using ITMO University as a case context.

The paper references global evidence on soft skills demand (WEF 2020) and studies linking soft skills training to employability and workplace innovation across sectors and countries (e.g., Nickson et al. 2012; Majid et al. 2019; Succi & Canovi 2020; Caputo et al. 2019; Sopa et al. 2020; Ansari 2021). It highlights challenges in soft skills assessment (Gibb 2014) and reports on graduate skills gaps noted by employers (Noah & Abdul Aziz 2020). The authors note Russia’s emerging but limited adoption of soft skills training (Stepanova & Zeer 2019; Efimova 2021; Malykhin et al. 2021) and draw on qualitative research methodology literature (Creswell 2007; Saldaña 2009; Glaser & Strauss 2010) to guide study design and analysis. This background establishes the importance of aligning university soft skills training with employer expectations and supports a mixed qualitative approach to explore the soft skills-employability nexus in the Russian context.

Multi-phase, mixed qualitative design conducted mainly in 2021–2022. 1) Labor market analysis: Qualitative content analysis and big data quantitative analysis of 63,273 job postings on hh.ru in professional areas aligned with ITMO University profiles to identify the 15 most common soft skill requirements. A manual validation of 75 postings from relevant fields (IT, engineering, ecology, science, high-tech) confirmed findings. A foreign expert (Ozyegin University, Turkey) analyzed current soft skills requirements of international companies in Turkey and available international soft skills education products, corroborating global demand and confirming ITMO’s alignment with international practices. Additional manual analysis of job announcements from partner companies (e.g., Biocad, EPAM, Gazpromneft, Yandex) included interviews with company representatives to clarify meanings behind terms like “communication skills” and “teamwork.” 2) Student opinion research: Targeted primarily master’s students across ITMO departments who had taken at least one soft skills course (e.g., Career Management in Science, Emotional Intelligence, Efficient Team Management, International Research Management Essentials, Life in Science, Negotiations/Influence/Conflict Management, Personal Effectiveness and Time-Management, Personal Resources Management, Research Management). Recruitment via email lists, tutor networks, and internal media. Data collection: 23 interviews (approx. 30–40 minutes each, remote), with transcription, thematic coding and content analysis using MaxQDA in cooperation with ITMO’s Center for University Research and Monitoring (CURM). A complementary student questionnaire (EnjoySurvey) broadened coverage, including first-year undergraduates who had just completed soft skills training and often had initial employment experiences. 3) Employer opinion research: 20 interviews (primarily HR managers) from IT, HR consulting, and telecommunications companies, recruited via university networks and the ITMO Career Center. A questionnaire for employers was developed with CURM (to be deployed via EnjoySurvey). Qualitative data were thematically coded in MaxQDA. Ethical oversight followed ITMO’s Code of Ethics for sociological research; informed consent was obtained verbally.

Labor market/job ads: Among 63,273 hh.ru postings analyzed, the most demanded soft skills included teamwork, business communication skills, and organizational skills (top three). A manual check of 75 postings in related fields confirmed these results. Employers’ job ad preparation was often superficial, suggesting a need for ongoing university-company dialogue to clarify real needs and co-design requirements. International review (Turkey) confirmed current global demand for soft skills and alignment of ITMO’s educational technologies with international practices. Student interviews/survey (23 interviews plus survey): - Utility of training: Students reported soft skills training was helpful and applied in personal life (14 respondents) and/or workplace (13). - Positives: teamwork tasks (5), live communication (4), informative presentations (2), instruction in English (2). - Improvement areas: course selection/format/language issues (5), modular system drawbacks (5), questions about instructor professionalism (3). - Employer-requested skills as perceived by students: communication (6), teamwork (5), leadership (4), critical thinking (3). - Workplace adaptation: reported adjustment periods of up to 1 month (3), 1–3 months (8), up to 6 months (8). Factors influencing adaptation included communication skills and work format (online/offline). Typical adaptation problems: online format difficulties (4), reluctance to seek help (4), insufficient professional knowledge (3), understanding corporate culture (3). - Support/training: Most had a supervisor or mentor during adaptation (14). Eight had additional soft skills training provided by the company (4 in communication, 3 in time management, 2 in teamwork). - Demand for further training: High readiness for additional soft skills training, including self-funded. Popular topics: public speaking (4), conflict management (4), critical thinking (3), communication (3), leadership (3). - Time/budget preferences: Most willing to devote up to 4 hours/week (11). Willingness to pay: <5000 rubles (6); 10,000–30,000 rubles (4). Preferred formats: hybrid (3) and pre-recorded online (3). Provider selection factors: instructor reputation (5), peer feedback (4), provider brand (3), transparency of program (3). Employer interviews/survey (20 interviews): - Skills of successful candidates: communication (18), critical thinking/argumentation (14), learning/information handling (13), teamwork (12), leadership (11), negotiation (8), public speaking (8), emotion management/stress tolerance (8). - Observed gaps: low communication skills (13), insufficient attention to soft skills development (6), weak time management (6), lack of emotional intelligence (4), lack of learning via engaged observation (4). - Company training practices: focus on public speaking, argumentation, storytelling, negotiation, communication, time management, emotional intelligence, conflict management, planning/management. Training budgets generally prioritize hard skills; soft skills often handled internally. Twelve companies train via internal staff or trainers; four use external providers; seven develop proprietary courses. - Provider selection criteria: brand/recommendations, prior experience with similar companies, trainer’s personal brand, transparent program structure and outcomes, industry knowledge, cost. Implications: Results support developing micro-modules integrating multiple soft skills and prioritizing a business communication course, which ITMO began piloting (microlearning format) in winter 2023.

The findings directly address the research question by showing clear employer demand for soft skills and alignment between those demands and ITMO’s curriculum direction. Job market analysis and employer interviews emphasize communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and organizational abilities—skills that students also recognize as needed and are willing to further develop. The observed gap between employer expectations and the current level of entry-level soft skills underscores the value of targeted training, mentorship during onboarding, and micro-modular course design that combines related competencies. The evidence reinforces that soft skills training enhances employability and workplace readiness and that ITMO’s approaches (including microlearning and planned business communication courses) match both local market needs and international best practices. The results are relevant for curriculum planning, partnership with employers, and potential expansion into paid educational services tailored to industry needs.

The study confirms that soft skills are in high demand in the labor market and that ITMO University’s initiatives to teach and develop these competencies are aligned with employer expectations. Analyses of extensive job postings, validation via manual review, and insights from student and employer interviews demonstrate both the importance of soft skills and persistent gaps—especially in communication—that training can address. The university’s trajectory toward micro-modular, practice-oriented formats and new offerings (e.g., business communication) is supported by the findings. Planned future work includes 1–2 focus groups with students/graduates (8–10 participants each), 3–5 additional student interviews (especially those who experienced microlearning), 1–2 employer focus groups (~5 participants each), 3–5 additional employer interviews, and development/testing of training materials with employer feedback. These steps aim to expand the portfolio of soft skills courses, promote microlearning, and better meet the needs of students and the professional community.

The paper does not present a dedicated limitations section. The study is context-specific to ITMO University and the Russian/Northwestern Federal District labor market, which may limit generalizability. Qualitative samples were modest (23 student interviews; 20 employer interviews) and employer recruitment relied partly on institutional networks, potentially introducing selection bias. Figures include some visualized survey distributions without full tabular detail, limiting precise interpretation of certain percentages.