The NESSIE (Network for Soft Skills Innovation for Employment) is an European project, mentioned by the Greeks, designed to help the learner gain an understanding of what soft skills are and how they can develop their own to enhance their career prospects. The Project Consortium is made up of training providers, employers, employer representatives and labour market actors, providing a broad spectrum of cultural references due to the variety of people working with them.
Designed to be online, the NESSIE programme can be worked on at the learner’s own pace and accessed from anywhere they have an internet connection. The training and assessment methods are based on an innovative approach that is proven to work with disadvantaged learners to provide essential soft skills and improve employment prospects. Following the training, learners identified improvements in their job performances, improved CVs and recognized some areas where their lives (especially on a professional basis) have improved. Mentors in the project reported that they have improved their professional relationships with their trainees/mentees and gain new competences.
The applicability of the innovative tool for the development of Life Skills
Paper-based learning materials were transferred into an online learning course and translated into each partner language (from English into Dutch, German, Greek, Italian, Romanian and Swedish, taking into account the circumstances in all these countries), then uploaded to an e-learning platform. Participants, employers and trainers measure their progress made after using it effectively. The developed range of online interactive training tools assists people in the workplace and job seekers to develop their soft skills.