Why Are Companies Shifting Focus from Technical to Soft Skill Training? Let's Discuss!

Most companies today emphasize Soft Skill Training Programs. This trend reversal has occurred in the past 10-12 years.

Could the experts here come up with possible reasons for the same?

Dear Nikhil S Gurjar, nice to see you after a long while. You have made two important statements. Of the two, one is in the heading itself. It reads, "What Are The Reasons For The Decline Of Technical Training Budgets In Organizations?"

The second statement is in the main body of your post. It reads, "Most companies today stress on Soft Skill Training Programs. This trend reversal has occurred in the past 10-12 years."

Rather than replying to the statements, the question arises: what is the source of your information? Did you conduct any kind of survey? If conducted, then what was the sample size and was it specific to any industry or across the spectrum of industries?

To reply to your question, let me quote from my experience that there is a discernible shift in the mindset of employers per se. Companies continue to spend the largest chunk of their training budget on technical training programs. Soft skills training programs just consume 10-20% of the training budget. Be it the IT industry or real estate industry, this is the scenario.

Other senior members, who are into training or HR and also allocate a budget for training, can reveal their experience.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Thanks, Dinesh. This is not a large sample, but I did get this feedback from about 50 organizations that we have been interacting with. The geography is Mumbai, and these are mostly in manufacturing or services (non-IT). I would wait to hear from the others as well.

Yes, it's been a long time since I got on CiteHR. Let's connect offline.

The Importance of Soft Skill Training in Organizations

There is a discernible shift towards soft skill training as the human element is gaining more attention and importance in organizations, particularly in the manufacturing sector where technology is relatively stable. However, I don't agree with the perception that technological training is being relegated to the sidelines. Most organizations are implementing a lot of automation and increasing the application of IT in manufacturing technology. These incremental changes necessitate technology upgradation training. For instance, there has been a significant change in material handling technology in the last decade. Therefore, the new machines and technology require better skills and technical knowledge. An organization must keep up with the times in its core activity, lest it becomes a dinosaur of the modern world. Thus, it must stay abreast, and technical training is needed all the more.

Thanks KK. Your perspective is similar to what I have been seeing. Just to clarify, are the technical training programs you mentioned restricted to the junior staff or the senior staff?

Further, a percentage split would help substantiate this discussion.