Students at King’s Ely International have been working with a communications agency on an innovative way to understand the soft skills potential employers seek in addition to academic qualifications.
Emerald Frog Marketing involved nine eager Year 11 Drama students at King’s Ely to help demonstrate key soft skills as part of the presentation: teamwork, communication skills, problem-solving, time management, self-motivation and decision-making. Working with the company over a number of weeks, the students developed their own acted scenarios, scripts and props to portray a team at a company launching a new product, showcasing good and bad examples of the soft skills for their fellow students to identify and discuss.
Jo Evans, Director at Emerald Frog Marketing, said: “The presentation was hugely enjoyable and the students could see for themselves how soft skills are applicable to everyday life in the workplace. We are keen to help ensure that young people are ready for the world of work and that they understand developing personal skills whilst at school is just as important as gaining qualifications. King’s Ely certainly demonstrates that it cares about the future employability of their students through inviting a local business like us to talk at the school.”
Head of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) at King’s Ely International, Melanie Franklin, said: “The students really understood the importance of soft skills in gaining employment – skills which are sometimes overshadowed by the importance of qualifications.”