Soft skills training in TVET: The role of perceived training quality in trainees’ development

This paper investigates the relationships between the perceived quality of soft skills training, the importance that trainees attach to these skills, and their self-perceived personal and professional development within the Moroccan vocational training system. While the literature largely supports the assumption that the valorization of soft skills fosters their acquisition, empirical evidence, particularly in TVET systems in developing countries, remains limited and is rarely tested using structural models. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, Expectancy–Value Theory, and the first level of the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model, a quantitative survey was conducted among 240 trainees, providing one of the first SEM-based tests of soft skills training mechanisms in the Moroccan TVET context. The results indicate that perceived training quality is significantly associated with self-perceived development ( β = 0.614 , p < .001 ) and with the importance attributed to soft skills ( β = 0.236 , p = .001 ). However, perceived importance is not significantly associated with development ( β = 0.065 , p = .286 ) and does not show a significant mediating effect. These results challenge the assumption that the recognition of soft skills’ usefulness is sufficient to translate into self-perceived development and highlight the central role of pedagogical quality, suggesting that greater attention to content, active methods, and trainer competence may support the effective acquisition of soft skills.