We beat NASA to win a top technology award because of our innovative software for learners, writes Matt Jarvis
The idea of “skill” dates back to the 13th century, when the word usually referred to physical co-ordination and denoted learnt rather than innate abilities.
The idea was radical in an era when abilities were generally considered gifts from God. In many ways the notion of teachable and learnable skills remains the liberation theology that underpins modern ideas like social mobility.
The term “soft skills” is believed to have originated in the US military in the 1970s. It has been used in various contexts to mean personal qualities such as emotional intelligence, pro-social values and resilience, cognitive skills such as problem-solving and decision-making, social and communication skills and employment-specific attributes like professionalism and leadership.
