“Soft” Skills Development for Civil Servants: the Experience of the Russian Federation

The article considers the development оf “soft” skills among civil servants using as an example, the experience of the Russian Federation. The methodological basis for writing this article was the competence-based approach, which is actively used in the theory and practice of public administration. Based on this approach, methodological recommendations were developed and published to set qualification requirements for filling civil service positions, and to assess the professional service activities of civil servants. These recomendations specify groups of competencies that civil servants should possess, including “soft” skills. Regulatory documents on the civil service do not explicitly mention the concept of “soft” skills, but include them as a part of the required competencies for civil servants and are an integral part of their work. The article provides an example of how “soft” skills are developed and assessed by civil servants using the Moscow Regional Training Center as an example. Their connection with the development of digital skills is demonstrated. The authors conclude that there is a need for further improvement of “soft” skills among civil servants, and they propose building models based on the formation of a digital society.