Transversal Skills development
As part of SEnDIng vocational training, we have developed training material for the upskilling of ICT professionals at transversal skills. The aim of this training material is two-fold: (a) to help prospective learners to build their transversal skills that are developed upon academic and experiential learning and (b) to prepare them for engaging within the business environment in a creative way, communicating effectively with the internal and external environment of a business and acting in a collaborative way.
The training material includes 5 modules which introduce learners to a portfolio of skills and competences required for effective communication and presentation, adaptation to changes, teamwork, goal-setting and thinking out of the box.
- Effective communication and presentation (TS-EM1). Communication, in its true sense, involves a lot of things, the ability to listen, understand, contemplate and put across the right message to the audience in a suitable way. All these aspects of the communication process play a vital role when working in the ICT sector. An ICT professional should be able to understand the needs of clients, and deliver the appropriate solutions to them. Furthermore, an ICT professional should have both technical and communication skills in order to be able to work in a globalised environment and successfully operate in the organizational settings of an ICT company.
- Change management (TS-EM2). Change management is one of the most inevitable aspects of business and life. Any business in today’s fast moving environment faces a lot of challenges. Thus change is a requirement in order to remain competitive, meet customer needs, survive and grow. Change is something that should be embraced rather than feared. Only changing organizations can lay the foundations for long term success. Thιs module discusses the factors that impose changes and benefits of change. Practices for developing resilience to change are presented, as well as procedures and practices of managing change.
- Team working (TS-EM3). Team is a group of people working together in order to achieve a common goal, and team working is linked with innovation and business performance. But work teams do not just happen, they need to be built. There are many models that provide stages of team and team working development, therefore further knowledge is needed regarding team effectiveness and team leadership. Teams in organizations are too important to let them be developed by accident. This module helps you to find out how teams are built and how they can perform well.
- Goal setting (TS-EM4). Goals are the first step when we are making plans for the future, and play a fundamental role in our choices and in the development of skills in several facets of our life from work to relationships. Understanding the importance of goals and the ways of setting achievable goals forms the pathway for success. Pablo Picasso said once that “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” This module presents methods about goal setting and how you can set your own professional goals following the principles of goal setting and using relevant tools and techniques.
- Creative thinking (TS-EM5). Creativity in general is used to refer to the act of producing new ideas, actions or approaches. Within organization contexts, it applies to the generation of novel ideas by individuals or groups that leads to innovation. Creativity is important in business since organizations need to adapt to the fast changing environment, to develop new products and improve customer services. In the past, it used to be said that creativity is talent. But new research has shown that creativity is also a skill that can be learned. Developing creativity in an organization requires a combination of elements both environmental and personal. This module presents the meaning of creativity and the characteristics of creative behavior, methods and techniques of creative thinking, the principles and methods of agile thinking in software industry as enablers of creativity and innovation and the characteristics of a creative organizational environment.
Although the initial planning was to deliver the transversal skills training through face-to-face seminars, the COVID-19 outbreak has forced us to move it to online sessions.
