Capable program teaches students and people in the workforce 'soft skills' needed in the workplace

Although high school graduation rates are at an all-time high — nearly 85% nationally and 93% in Missouri, according to the National Center for Education Statistics — and workers are more "educated" than ever, employers say today's job applicants are lacking the basic "soft skills" they need to succeed in the workforce.

"This just keeps coming up over and over when we talk to our members," said Taylor Laws, marketing and communications specialist with the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce.

Whether it's being able to write a professional email, organize and prioritize tasks, or collaborate with co-workers, "a lot of our businesses across industries are telling us soft skills are a huge issue," Laws said.

"We decided to go to the very root of the problem and talk about what soft skills are," she said and explained the chamber created a committee two or three years ago to see what, if anything, could be done to enhance the "employment readiness" of the local workforce.

"We got together with the school districts, ABC Today, Junior Achievement and other folks in the area and sat down and asked 'what can we do?'" Laws said.

Alma Schrader Elementary School fourth-grader Amelia Fox welcomes Cape Girardeau Regional Airport manager Bruce Loy to the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee last month. Looking on is Alma Schrader principal Julia Unnerstall.Submitted

The result was Capable.

Now entering its second year, Capable is a collaborative program designed to help students — as well as those already in the workforce -- develop their soft skills based on the "four Cs" of communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking.

The program was launched in the Cape Girardeau School District at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year.

"The first year it was really just an awareness campaign," according to Laws, who coordinates the program. She said the second year will focus on discussions and active participation among students at all grade levels. "Elementary, middle school, junior high, high school and the CTC (Career Technology Center)," she said.

Each month, students and classroom teachers will be encouraged to talk about and practice various soft skills. In August, for example, the skill was assertiveness. This month, the focus will be on initiative. In the coming months, topics will include essential soft skill qualities such as empathy, integrity, resourcefulness, objectivity, curiosity and decisiveness.

"I'm really excited about this year because we're getting students more involved and getting the conversation about soft skills going even more than last year," Laws said.

One way students are becoming more involved is by having a group of them attend the chamber's First Friday Coffee gatherings and interacting with chamber members.

"That's something we're going to do every month from now on," Laws said. "It's good for the students and for our members to see what's going on."

Members of the Tiger Lilies group for girls at Cape Girardeau Central Middle School will talk about "initiative" during this week's First Friday Coffee program.

Laws said Capable has been modeled after a similar program called #NoblesvilleWORKS created by the Workforce Development Council and chamber of commerce in Noblesville, Indiana.

"We referenced it as we built Capable, but we've put our own twist on it," Laws said.

The Capable program includes week-by-week suggestions for classroom discussions and activities that can be found on the Cape Girardeau chamber's website, which Laws said can be beneficial for employers and their workers, as well.

Eventually, she said, she'd like to see the program expand to other school districts in the region.

"It's definitely in the plans to expand this," she said.

Ultimately, Laws said the program's success will depend on involvement of employers, educators, parents and students.

"Things won't change overnight, and it's not something we can do by ourselves, either, which is why we're trying to get everyone involved."

Measuring the program's success will be based in large part on feedback from area employers.

"Ideally, we'd like to see that soft skills are not the No. 1 issue employers are complaining about when it comes to their workforce issues," Laws said.

More information about Capable can be found on the chamber's website, capechamber.com.

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