The representatives of IT profession often suffer from lack of soft skills. The stereotype is that the IT person sits in front of their PC the whole day, is socially isolated, have friends only in the virtual worlds and is, to some extent, excluded from the society. What is very much needed nowadays is the ability for IT people to communicate with others, to express themselves, to voice out their doubts and opinions. In the collaborative environment of software development the possession and use of soft skills enhances the likelihood of an individual’s success (International Journal of Information Processing and Management/IJIPM, 2013). IT companies suffer from lack of soft skills enabled employees. Even if they are the best ones in their professional field, inability to communicate hampers the growth of the company. Although the software industry is paying attention to soft skills up to some extent, there is a need to further acknowledge the role of these skills in software development (IJIPM, 2013). On the other hand, those form the IT area who demonstrate strong communication skills are in high demand. They take managerial positions or are often employed as analysts or as consultants. This clearly shows that strong soft skills are even more important than had skills which, in comparison, can be gained more easily. Further exposure to and enhanced understanding of soft skills from the software industry can help an appreciation of this fact to flourish. Achieving such a variety of skills would enable us to bring a richness of talent and points of view to bear upon the inherent complexity of software systems (IJIPM, 2013). The objective of the SayIT project is looking for strengthening key competences in initial and continuing VET for IT professionals through reinforcing their soft skills and making them more qualified and competitive on a professional level. The two main results that the SayIT project will elaborate are: IO1 - Soft Skills curriculum for IT Professionals The first Intellectual Output will serve as a guidance for vocational institutions and relevant stakeholders in the field. Its aim will be to design the curriculum that will build upon the development of soft skills for IT professionals. The Curriculum will be a proposal of holistic approach towards upskilling IT professionals in the area of soft skills. IO2 - Soft Skills Trainer app The second Intellectual Output will be an innovative training app for IT professionals that will allow them to raise their vocational qualifications in the area of soft skills. With the use of the visual novel methodology, it will put IT professionals into simulated environment, test their reactions and provide them with relevant learning resources. SayIT project will address primarily IT professionals who are hampered in their professional development due to the lack of relevant soft skills. The project will also address relevant stakeholders who can influence the training programmes offered for the representatives of the IT sector. The expected impact of the SayIT project can be characterised as increased awareness of the importance of soft skills among IT professionals which translates directly to the impact specific for the Key Action 2 as set forth in the Erasmus+ Guide: “education systems that are better aligned to the needs of and opportunities offered by the labour market” and also “improved provision and assessment of basic and transversal skills”. IT professionals reached by SayIT project activities should ideally have better understanding and recognition of skills and qualifications related especially to the IT professions, improved access to innovative learning materials tailored to the IT professions, improved career opportunities through application of soft skills training, improved professional behaviours thanks to increased recognition of soft skills, and finally, increased satisfaction from working in a professional environment. Through the planned activities, SayIT project is expected to contribute towards the shift in perceiving the qualities that constitute a successful and valuable IT professional on the labour market.
The objective of the SayIT project is in line with VET priorities by further strengthening key competences in initial and continuing VET for IT professionals through reinforcing their soft skills and making them more qualified and competitive on a professional level. What is more, increasing the level of soft skills in individuals creates a more professional and competitive labour market. By implementing the project, the SayIT Consortium wanted to have a better understanding and recognition of skills and qualifications related to IT professions, to offer an innovative learning methodology for IT specialists in order to acquire soft skills and increase their career opportunities, but also to deliver a Curriculum for the VET sector on necessary soft skills that are crucial for IT professionals – and any professional in general – to develop and succeed within their work environment. SayIT also means promoting the use of innovative methodologies of the visual novel and reserve learning by the use of digital tools in VET teaching and learning.
The basic need addressed in the SayIT project, is the lack of soft skills of IT specialists, IT managers, and SME staff. The IT professionals are experts in IT skills and hard skills related with IT, but many of them need to develop soft skills to be more competitive and efficient at their jobs. VET trainers and VET providers also need framework for training IT specialists in soft skills. But that was until the development of the SayIT project results. SayIT focuses on important soft skills (communication, problem-solving, teamwork, organisational, interpersonal skills), thus crucial for the IT sector in order to strengthen the skills of IT professionals in their activities. Deciding what soft skills to focus on, the SayIT Consortium members contacted IT professionals to capture the collective needs of the target group and offer a tailored training program. Researched were also existing offers on Soft Skills training to collect and identify patterns applied in general (not profession specific) trainings on soft skills. Therefore, the needs of upskilling the target groups, but also staff with relevant transversal skills, resulted in the development of the Soft Skills curriculum for IT Professionals and Soft Skills Trainer app.