We also hear from the employers who participate in our industry roundtables that many job applicants are lacking in soft skills. How does one acquire these non-cognitive skills?
Led by the work of Nobel laureate James Heckman, many economists and other social science researchers have come to a consensus that the foundation is laid very early in life, and that it can be difficult for children who fall behind to catch up. Skill gaps are evident as early as age 5 and tend to persist into adulthood.