Abstract:

In the current labor context, soft skills have emerged as essential abilities that complement technical knowledge. To develop them effectively, innovative methodologies that integrate real business experiences into the educational curriculum are needed. This work proposes the development of a program that puts students in direct contact with the business world at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Villanueva University. Thanks to this methodology, students gain a practical insight into the application of soft skills in the workplace and, at the same time, are trained to improve these skills.

The main objective of the project is to enhance the primary soft skills that students will need to navigate the business environment. Through organized visits to companies of different characteristics and sectors, the following soft skills are developed: Effective communication, Teamwork, Problem-solving, Adaptability, Time management, Empathy, and Innovation. After the business immersion, students complete a team project in which they will use these skills to solve simulated work-related problems.

The success of the proposed methodology is evaluated using the following indicators, comparing students who attended the visits with those who did not: improvement in soft skills throughout the course, student satisfaction, and the grades obtained in the team project focused on problem-solving.

Finally, this educational program not only facilitates the acquisition of critical soft skills for the workforce but also strengthens the connection between education and the business sector, benefiting both students and collaborating companies.

Keywords:

Soft abilities, business environment, companies, experiential learning.