Training and Certification for Soft Skills: Finance Soft Skills Standardization and Mastery Program

Training and Certification for Soft Skills: Finance Soft Skills Standardization and Mastery Program. Lois J. Brown, 2024: Strategic Research Project, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: training, soft skills, performance, financial industry, finance This strategic research project was designed to evaluate the target organization's current state of training and certification for soft skills within the finance industry and specifically within the target organization. This strategic research project includes a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis of 40 internal and external factors as well as a Quantitative Strategic Plan Matrix, also of internal and external factors. Using these analyses alongside extensive and current scholarly literature, the goal was to design an action plan to help the organization and others further develop soft skills using a competency-based framework. The author identified deficiencies in typical training programs and developed a comprehensive structure to build soft skill training effectiveness in the finance industry. The results of the project were used to highlight weaknesses, threats, and opportunities to improve current training practices including the idea of introducing a competency-based framework and a standardized assessment component. Additionally, it is recommended that a pilot program for using a soft skills competency framework including training modules and a certification system be introduced. It is hoped that this comprehensive framework will be useful beyond the target organization and be adopted in principle throughout the industry.