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Hard and Soft Skills in Preparing GIS Professionals: Comparing Perceptions of Employers and Educators
Author(s) -
Wikle Thomas A.,
Fagin Todd D.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
transactions in gis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.721
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1467-9671
pISSN - 1361-1682
DOI - 10.1111/tgis.12126
Subject(s) - soft skills , internship , adaptability , perception , skills management , entry level , consistency (knowledge bases) , knowledge management , medical education , psychology , graduation (instrument) , computer science , engineering , pedagogy , medicine , management , neuroscience , artificial intelligence , economics , mechanical engineering
Organizations that hire GIS professionals look for entry‐level employees with specialized technical skills but also other competencies such as effective communication and a capacity to think critically and creatively. Indeed, the success of GIS projects and initiatives often depends on individuals who possess a combination of specialized GIS skills and more general competencies that influence their ability to collaborate and manage resources. This article presents findings from a survey of GIS employers and educators concerning the importance of hard and soft skills among entry‐level GIS professionals. A key finding is the high level of consistency in ratings assigned by employers and educators concerning hard skills such as data editing and GIS analysis and soft skills including problem solving and adaptability. However, the groups were less similar in ratings assigned to data capture skills, project management, and written/verbal skills. GIS qualifications were also compared, revealing a greater emphasis on internships among educators and higher ratings assigned to academic GIS certificates among employers.