The Entrepreneur AfricaGov. Ambode: Soft skills are crucial to productivity and enterprise growth
A charge has gone out to civil servants in Lagos State, to ensure the development of soft skills as indispensable tools in the state’s civil service.
The charge was given by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the opening of a two-day training session tagged, ‘Building Values and Sound Human Relations Skills in Lagos State Civil Service’, organised for civil servants by the Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions and facilitated by Messrs. Geum Microphyllum Project in Lagos.
According to the governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Akintola Benson Oke, for a long time candidates had been excluded from employment or dismissed from their jobs due to their non-possession of soft skills deemed relevant to the job or employment.
This, he said, had always been the outcome of the non-possession of soft skills because it was considered impossible to learn soft skills.
“Clearly, the possession and practise of vital interpersonal values and human relations skills is an art that is not taught in Universities and other formal schools. This is therefore an attempt to help our middle level officers learn and appreciate this art.
“The people-oriented government of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has mandated the Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions to embark on a continuous training of the officers of the Lagos State Civil Service, in order to ensure the delivery of top quality service to government.
“The Lagos State Civil Service is desirable of having officers with two skills set: ‘hard skills’ and ‘soft skills’.
As we all know, hard skills are the specific, teachable abilities that can be defined and measured, such as typing, writing, doing maths, reading and the ability to use software applications and programmes.
“By contrast, soft skills are less tangible, harder to quantify, challenging to teach and, sometimes, difficult to describe.”
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