Introduction. In the modern digital economy, special attention should be paid to the
position and role of a teacher in the contemporary educational space, taking into consideration the modern multicultural context and the subject-subject educational paradigm. Naturally, high-quality performance requires not only professional competencies
but also supra-professional skills, referred to as soft skills.
Aim. To determine soft skills necessary for a modern VET teacher as well as methods and
means of forming and improving soft skills among teachers at present time.
Methods. A qualitative and quantitative content analysis of theoretical sources was carried out during the research. Classification and comparison methods were used to develop the concept of soft skills necessary for a modern VET teacher.
Results. The main supra-professional skills necessary for a VET teacher were identified:
communication skills, leadership skills, planning skills, the ability to show empathy, patience, and sympathy. The scientific problem of developing a methodological apparatus
that allows contemporary VET teachers to form these soft skills was raised.
Scientific novelty. The definition of supra-professional skills is identified and highlighted among the variety of other possible terms: interpersonal skills, flexible skills, transprofessional skills, etc., denoting the English term soft skills. A suggestion has been made
to form supra-professional skills not only among future teachers, but also among those
who are already engaged in teaching.
Practical significance. The conclusions regarding the necessity of developing
supra-professional skills among future teachers, and those who are already engaged
in teaching, may be of interest to developers of further educational programmes for VET
teachers.
Astapenko, E. V., & Shmurygina, O. V. (2022). Soft skills for VET teachers. Vocational Education and Labour Market, 10(3), 21–34. https://doi.org/10.52944/PORT.2022.50.3.001