Hard skills are specific, narrowly professional competencies and actions required to solve direct work tasks. Such skills are always clearly regulated by the employer and the job description and are based on technical knowledge. The list of “hard” skills is different for each occupation. For a driver, for example, a “hard skill” is the ability to drive a vehicle of a certain category, but that’s not all. There is a big difference between the skill of driving, and the ability to always get from point “A” to point “B” accurately and by the shortest route without loss of time and unforeseen situations. This is the whole point of additional “hard skills” training.
To resolve everyday professional tasks an employee must act according to clear and predetermined algorithms, which will lead them to a certain result. Creating the most efficient algorithm of work and bringing it to automatism is the goal of “hard skills” training.
The advantage of “hard skills” training is that you can firmly learn and master algorithms and work mechanics in just a few weeks. Therefore, “hard skills” skills are often imparted to employees in organizations at the time of on-the-job briefings, and the way line managers and mentors present information to employees determines their future performance.
Another advantage of skill-based training is its measurable effectiveness. Measurable result of the employee’s activity and personal professional efficiency depends on how accurately, quickly and qualitatively the employee will perform his work. It is easy to measure after training to assess effectiveness: record and compare an employee’s performance before and after training.
Today in the educational environment the work on “hard skills” is paid a lot of attention. Various training strategies are used to improve the efficiency of company’s employees and to develop professional competences: business simulations, cases, tests, team games, discussions, brainstorming sessions, mobile team games, etc.
