Enhancing Soft Skills on an Overseas Tour

by Equity - The School Travel People

Soft skills are a fundamental part of developing students whilst in school. Overseas school tours can really enhance these and help to provide a holistic learning experience.

We hear from Tony at Equity about what they offer and how to help nurture these skills.

Soft skills are an increasingly important aspect for schools to consider. The Results for Life Report by The Prince's Trust showed that students, teachers and workers rate them just as important as good grades to achieving success in life.

Helping students to develop life and character skills is an integral part of a school trip, which is perfectly in line with the teaching of soft skills. According to the report, three of the top five skills that teachers consider the most important for students to develop at school are communication, confidence and teamwork.

Students themselves rated mathematics and literacy the most important things to learn, while soft skills such as confidence and communication are next in their list of priorities, ahead of subjects like IT and languages.

The benefits of outdoor learning has been praised in many Ofsted and School Travel Forum (STF) reports, as they have been shown to significantly improve pupils' personal, social and emotional development.

Group activities on a school trip help develop social skills and build self-confidence as well as fostering positive relationships between teachers and pupils, and amongst pupils themselves. The strong bonds forged on these trips not only provide memorable experiences but also rich opportunities for wider personal development.

The Prince's Trust Report also found that 92% of teachers think that supporting students to develop soft skills can help improve their academic performance and 91% think schools should do more to help develop soft skills.

Enhancing self-esteem inevitably leads to greater employment prospects as confident students are better equipped to meet the challenges they will face in the workplace. Teamwork, problem-solving, conflict resolution, time management and self motivation are invaluable skills needed for any work environment and these are part and parcel of an overseas school tour.

A student with soft skills will have a broad range of transferable abilities which they can diversify to many different work areas, making them adaptable and desirable employees.