Soft skills for VET teachers

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.