eLene4Life: Active Learning for Soft Skills – University-Corporate Connections and Cross-Fertilisation

Abstract

According to the 2018 World Economic Forum Report “Towards a Reskilling Revolution: A Future of Jobs for All”, the rise of artificial intelligence, robotics and other digital developments is upending the primacy of human expertise in the economy. The individuals who will succeed in the economy of the future will be those who can complement the work done by mechanical or algorithmic technologies, and “work with the machines”. The 2018 European Commission Proposal on Key Competences also draws attention to these disruptions affecting European societies and economies, stating that “Skills such as creativity, critical thinking, taking initiative and problem solving play an important role in coping with complexity and change in today’s society.”In a previous Erasmus+ project, eLene4work, the development of HE students’ (digital) soft skills was experimented through the use of MOOCs and OERs. The results showed that, while autonomous learning indeed played a significant role, real impact would only come from fully integrating these into the curriculum. The project also found a mismatch between employers’ expectations and students’ perceptions of the labour market with respect to these soft skills.This paper reports specifically on the initial results of the follow-up Erasmus+ project, eLene4Life: Learning and Interacting to Foster Employability, in the form of a combined foresight analysis exploring how soft skills are and can be developed through active learning in both Higher Education and corporate training. It also highlights the potential for cross-fertilisation of these approaches in both directions and lays the ground for future actions, connections and collaborations.