What are transversal competences?

Transversal competences - also called soft competences or soft skills soft skills- constitute an integrated set of skills, knowledges, attitudes and values that allow people unwrap in an effective, ethic, and adaptable manner in diverse contexts, both personal, social and professional. In contrast to technical or specific competences, they are not linked to a concrete sector, ocupation or discipline, but they are transferable and applicable to multiple situations throughout life.

This kind of competencesinclude, among others, effective communication, teamwork, critic thinking, resolution of problems, creativity, adaptability to change, time management, responsability, professional ethic, autonomy, making of decisions and the capability of lifelong learning. Their transversal character make them into a key element to face complex, uncertain and in constant transformation environments, as current laboral markets and contemporary social systems.

In the framework of HERMES ecosystem, transversal competences are concieved as a structural hub of human development, sustainable employability and lifelong learning. HERMES cover these competences from a comprehensive and sistemic focus, articulating them in competencial dimensions clearly defined, with observable descriptors, progression and linking levels with European standards. This focus allows not only their formative development, but also their assesment, validation and reknown, including their translation to innovative formats as microcredentials.

From the perspective of the laboral world, transversal competences are more and more valued by employees, organizations and institutions, since they complement technical competences and they explain, in large scale, real performance, capacity of adaptation and employment in the medium and long term. Multiple studies and European frameworks coincide in that these competences are decisive por laboral insertion, professional mobility, leadership, innovation and social cohesion.

At the same time, transversal competences go beyond strictly professional context. They are fundamental for personal development, responsible social participation, active citizenship, individual and collective wellbeing, and the building of significative vital pathways. For this, HERMES places them at the centre of an educational vision oriented no only towards employmrent, but also integral human development, alineated with the European principles of lifelong learning, inclusion, sustainability and and quality.

In sinthesis, transversal competences represent a strategic competency capital for people, organizations and society. HERMES model bids for making them visible, structurables and recognisable, contributing to cease to be an abstract concept to turn into clear learning results, assesable, transferible, with real impact in people's life and work.