TRAINEE PROFESSIONALS' PERCEPTION OF THE ROLES OF SOFT SKILLS IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE COMPETENCE.

Abstract

One way of distinguishing a professional is the ability to display competence in the field of practice. Competence is regarded as the ability to do something successfully or efficiently. One major characteristic that may be regarded as having the potential to enhance the display of competence in the field of practice is the possession of soft skills. Soft skills, which include communication, teamwork, problem-solving, time management, stress management, and so on, could play vital roles in professional practice success. For professional bodies to ensure that individuals entering the profession can display competence, they usually run them through professional qualifying examinations. The focus of this study is to find out the level of awareness of the trainee-professional regarding the existence of soft skills, their relevance to professional practice, and at what point and through what means they can acquire them. The study adopted an analytical survey research design. A simple random sampling method was adopted to select respondents from Professional Continuing Education (PCE) centres in Lagos State. A self-developed questionnaire that was validated was used to collect data. The data collected were analysed using frequency, percentages, and mean. The hypothesis was tested statistically at a 0.05 significance level with multiple linear regression. The study's outcome would help facilitators understand skills to encourage and emphasise, especially in PCE programmes. Recommendations include the integration of soft skills into the professional preparation of trainee professionals is significant in having competent professionals.