The attitude of future ecologists to the formation of soft skills in the context of achieving sustainable development goals

Abstract

Ecological specialists have an important role to play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations. To do this, they need not only professional, field-specific (hard), skills but also universal, meta-subject soft skills. The article presents the results of a survey study of the attitude of students, future ecologists (229 respondents), to the formation of soft skills in the educational process. The data obtained are generally consistent with the well-known models of flexible skills (in particular, “4Cs”), as well as with the core competencies for sustainable development proposed by UNESCO. It seems appropriate to intensify the actions of the academic community (university and college administration, teachers, tutors, authors of textbooks, etc.) aimed not only at the development of students' environmental self-awareness, but also at the practical development of their abilities necessary for systematic, critical and creative, individual and team identification, solution and prevention of environmental problems of various scale and level in conditions of uncertainty.