The importance of soft skills in the development of entrepreneurial skills

Abstract

Soft skills have become an important issue for higher education institutions and the entrepreneurial community at large. Research on soft skills comes at a time when new types of partnerships and relationships are emerging between entrepreneurship and higher education. In this study, the top three soft skills examined were communication, leadership, critical thinking, and problem solving. According to the results of interviews with five Moroccan entrepreneurs, critical thinking and problem solving are the most important soft skills that help entrepreneurs become more competitive and productive. In addition, all respondents confirmed that college education programs should strengthen soft skills in order to improve entrepreneurial skills among college students. Therefore, trainers need to develop strategies to increase the chances of acquiring soft skills.

Keywords: communication, leadership, critical thinking and problem solving, entrepreneurial skills, soft skills

JEL classification: M13

Paper type : Empirical research