Soft Skills Formation of Future Athletes and Physical Education Teachers

The article presents the main aspects of theoretical and experimental study of the conditions for the “soft skills” formation of future athletes and physical education teachers in higher education institution. The content and features of the “soft skills” formation of a professional are revealed. The place of "soft skills" in the professional structure of the athlete and teacher personality and the role in the implementation of professional activities is determined. Complex multi-level solution of problems; critical thinking; creativity; people management; cooperation with others; emotional intelligence; judgment and decision making; customer orientation; ability to negotiate; cognitive flexibility; stress resistance; effective job search have been chosen for criteria of "soft skills" formation of university students majoring in physical culture and sports. Levels of formation of "soft skills" are ranked according to the degree of manifestation into initial, low, medium and high. With the help of these indicators, the conditions for the effective “soft skills” formation of modern students in the field of physical education and sport of higher education institutions are experimentally tested. It is recommended to supplement part of the educational components of the professional training of the educational program with topics that will contribute to the formation of "soft skills". It is important to target students to participate in soft skills training, and also to bring up the need for self-improvement as soft skills are crucial for graduates in employment and career development in the context of globalization.