New online learning programme launched to help international schools and universities to address gaps in the teaching of soft skills
EtonX, a subsidiary of Eton College, has launched a new online learning programme that helps international schools and universities address gaps in the teaching of vitally-important soft skills.
The EtonX Future Skills Programme targets an underlying lack of formal soft skills teaching for teenagers and young adults by providing live online courses, devised by Eton College teachers in conjunction with EtonX’s digital content experts, that can be delivered to schools and students around the world through a custom-built virtual classroom.
The aim: to make the student’s transition from education to employment smoother and more successful.
A succession of international reports and surveys have shown that secondary schools and universities are struggling to give young people the rounded skills and character attributes they need to thrive in today’s fast-changing workplace. The McKinsey Global Institute reported last year that 60% of employers surveyed believed that graduates were not adequately prepared for work. Worries about the resilience of new employees are also widespread in business, according to the CBI, which represents UK employers.
EtonX’s first six courses cover essential soft skills that are often overlooked in traditional, exam-focused academic curricula: Making An Impact, which focuses on the skills of active listening, influencing and assertiveness; Public Speaking; Verbal Communication; Writing Skills; Interview Skills; and CV Writing.
Soft skills are not just beneficial to a young person’s career prospects, however. The World Economic Forum has also identified a link to academic attainment, finding students with social and emotional learning skills outperform in academic results by as much as 11 percentage points on average.
The revenue generated by the courses will enable Eton College, which wholly owns EtonX, to expand its provision of means-tested bursaries for students. The College is already making rapid progress towards its target of a “needs blind” admissions policy, with approximately 20% of students now receiving assistance from its bursary programme and 79 students paying no fees at all.
Catherine Whitaker, CEO and head of learning at EtonX, explained: “Our Future Skills Programme helps teenagers to navigate a rapidly-changing world. Students can start the process of gaining vital soft skills that often are not taught in a formal way at their school or can take many years to acquire through experience in later life.
“We are proud to be innovating in live online learning, capturing some of the key social and entrepreneurial skills of a world-class Eton College education in the form of exciting online courses that young people anywhere can now access and benefit from.”
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