SOFT SKILLS FOR GREEN TRANSITION

Climate change is progressively changing the nature of work in various occupations and the skills required of many workers even in the STEM -elds. Education at all levels, including higher education, should face these changes, adapt to new challenges and conditions, and change its approach to teaching. Traditionally, hard skills have been considered essential, yet several studies highlight the crucial role of soft skills in rapidly changing working environments. Therefore, developing these skills as part of a holistic approach to the 'greening' of the economy is essential for educators, as their students are future workers and potential change agents in the green industry. At the same time, more knowledge about the context in which soft skills are used is of great interest. The -ndings of this research provide some interesting insights for STEM educators: soft skills are widely recognised, but some of them, such as communication, empathy, problem-solving, and metacognition are particularly useful as the green transition essentially involves changing mindsets, working in multidisciplinary environments and in5uencing employees and customers. The connection with industry stakeholders as co-designers or simply contributors to the learning experience, and collaboration between faculties, fostering transdisciplinarity, can be a leverage to develop such skills.