Workplace Requirements and the Instruction of Soft Skills in Higher Education: A Case Study of Management Techniques Students

Abstract

To meet the demands of the 21st century, integrating soft skills into educational settings is deemed essential. However, employers often assert that many recent graduates lack the skills needed to adapt to workplace requirements. With this concern in mind, the present paper seeks to evaluate the disparities between the skill sets desired by employers and those provided to students. A quantitative research approach was utilized to accomplish this objective, employing a questionnaire to collect data from 412 Moroccan university students specializing in Management Techniques (MT) at the School of Technology in Meknes. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 25, and the research hypotheses were examined using the One-Sample Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. According to the results of the hypotheses, students exhibit a high level of soft skills, and the instructional methods utilized in university education appear to align closely with workplace expectations and recruiter needs. However, the study suggests that outcomes may vary across different faculties, indicating the necessity for further investigation in this area.