JUne 2010

Teaching Soft Skills Through Workplace Simulations 

in Classroom Settings

Doing More With Less

soft skills, the employability skills that speak to a worker’s interpersonal skills and 

character, rose to prominence in the early 1990s as a critical component of worker 

productivity with the secretary’s Commission on achieving necessary skills (sCans). 

examples of soft skills are teamwork, problem-solving, critical thinking, and effective use 

of resources. another commonly relied-upon soft skill is effective communication—

not just around job-related tasks, but also around balancing work-life realities (e.g., 

caring for a young child, having a disability, past involvement with the justice system) 

that may affect workers in their efforts to obtain and sustain competitive employment. 

the premise that soft skills are more important than even the technical and general 

education backgrounds of workers has been confirmed by not only multiple research 

projects, but also the daily experiences of teachers, counselors, and job placement 

professionals working with youth and others who are entering the workforce for 

the first time. today, the need to coach new hires about soft skills is an accepted fact 

among employers and those who prepare individuals for the workforce. 

soft skills are behaviors that must be internalized as a 

natural aspect of a person’s repertoire of social skills and 

character attributes. embedding within new workforce 

entrants the capacity to behave appropriately requires 

opportunities to experience and practice each new skill 

until they are well within each worker’s comfort zone.

there are three common methods for creating 

opportunities for experiential learning of soft skills. one 

is interactive teaching, through which instructors facilitate 

exercises that provide opportunities for experience, 

practice, reinforcement, and reflection. a system of 

“When you do something 

repeatedly—trying to perform 

up to an explicit standard—

your mind gets the ‘feel’ of 

doing it proficiently. the ‘feel’ 

of doing is the skill.” 

—Szul, L. F. (2002). Strategies 

and resources to develop 

workplace skills. In W. J. Wilhelm, 

J. Logan, S. M. Smith, & L. F. Szul, 

Meeting the demand: Teaching 

“soft” skills (p. 34). Little Rock, 

AR: Delta Pi Epsilon. (ERIC 

Document Reproduction Service 

No. ED477252)

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spiraling teachable moments that progresses to increasingly more difficult soft-skill 

tasks reinforces the learning while building the repertoire of skills. this approach 

requires skilled instructors and a well-designed curriculum, but has the disadvantage 

that the exercises, no matter how well designed, lack the authenticity of the real 

workplace.

the second method for teaching soft skills experientially is to use a coach in a workplace 

setting. on-the-job training work experience, internships, and work-study programs 

are all examples of teaching both hard (technical) and soft skills in the workplace in 

a manner that achieves optimal authenticity. the disadvantage of this method is the 

difficulty of finding employers who will provide both opportunities and a qualified 

coach to assure that learning takes precedence over workplace productivity. 

the third method is to alter aspects of the classroom setting where general education 

or hard skills are being taught to workforce entrants so that the classroom simulates 

the workplace. this approach provides an authentic context for teaching and practicing 

soft skills that entails minimal costs and effort, affords the teacher control over the 

teaching agenda, and creates a classroom environment that benefits from the improved 

soft skills of its students. Classroom training is a common setting for teaching jobrelated skills throughout the U.s. department of labor’s vast employment and training 

system. it is also the setting for teaching high school students throughout the nation’s 

school systems. 

this approach for teaching soft skills can be universally applied to have maximum 

impact on soft-skill deficits among our youth without new legislation, additional money, 

or new players. it just requires knowing how.

“school is your job. 

the classroom is your 

workplace. i am your 

supervisor.”

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force that moves students to play their roles as employees.

the best way to achieve workplace authenticity is to model the classroom simulation 

after a real business and replicate its workplace rules and cultural nuances. the soft 

skills valued the most by employers are those that match the employers’ perception of 

a good work ethic. Work ethic or professionalism is really the workers’ ability to adapt 

to employers’ expectations for behavior, dress, responsibility, initiative, enthusiasm, 

and honesty. although workplace rules vary somewhat from place to place, having 

an authentic guide to teach workplace rules is at the heart of a good simulation. for 

the instructor, an actual business model provides a strong foundation for creating the 

context for teaching soft skills that requires minimal effort.

any business that is willing to provide the information will serve this purpose well, 

but the selection of a business that is aligned with the students’ employment interests 

would enhance the simulation’s motivational effects. selecting an appropriate business 

model also means paying attention to feasibility issues. Can students manage the 

clothing requirements? are the workplace rules compatible with those of the school? 

is the business in good standing in the community?

a consultation with the business serving as a model should provide ideas for selecting 

the name of the simulated business, an important tangible feature of the simulation. 

the name should reflect the “business” of the class, so, for example, if the class 

is vocational in nature and focused on computer-aided design, the business name 

might be “Cad Unlimited.” if the classroom teaches non-vocational topics, such as 

preparation for a general education diploma, the business name might be “ged assist 

inc.”

Using guidance on workplace rules from the business model and with a name, the 

groundwork is laid for an “employee manual” where workplace rules are laid out. 

this manual should resemble as much as possible the real business’s employee manual 

or handbook. now the workplace simulation can be launched with a “new employee 

orientation” conducted by the new boss (teacher) of the new employees (students).

Dealing With the Boss

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in playing these roles sets the stage for students to experiment with appropriate 

responses to workplace authority with some degree of safety. the necessary give and 

take between the worker role and the authority role generates genuine conflict that 

student/workers must learn how to resolve through the use of a number of soft skills 

(e.g., communication skills and conflict resolution skills).

Workplace simulations require that teachers play the role 

of boss or supervisor. in business settings, there is usually a 

distinction between upper management bosses and frontline supervisors. Upper management bosses make the 

rules, determine salary, and make hiring and firing decisions. a front-line supervisor 

is less authoritative than upper management bosses and has greater responsibility 

for day-to-day supervision of the personnel who are directly involved in carrying out 

the work of the business. supervisors don’t make the rules, but are responsible for 

enforcing them. supervisors also are responsible for workers’ job performance and 

typically coach workers. teachers or instructors may find the role of supervisor more 

similar to their roles as teachers for those reasons. 

Personality and teaching style are also factors in determining how comfortable 

teachers will be in the role of supervisor. teachers have to exercise discipline to 

remain constantly in their role to maintain authenticity. that will be an easier task if 

the chosen role is compatible with the teacher’s values and teaching style.

Playing the role of supervisor requires some preparation. the business serving as 

the model can help by letting the teacher meet or observe one of its supervisors. 

at a minimum, the role requires that teachers meet the workplace rules for dress 

and deportment. the business model may represent a more conservative institution 

than the school does, or vice versa. assuming one of the authoritative roles also may 

require shifting focus from informal relationships with students to more business-like 

relationships with workers. the latter are more distant and less nurturing. 

the shift from informal to business-like relationships also will provide instructors with 

an opportunity to support students as they become aware of the issues that come 

up as they adapt to the workplace. for example, students/workers who have been 

involved in the court system may benefit from opportunities to practice disclosing 

their backgrounds during a simulated interview. similarly, youth with disabilities may 

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not have considered how their disability affects their need for accommodations outside 

of the classroom. 

students with disabilities in secondary settings do not have to disclose their ability to 

receive services, but disclosure is required to secure “reasonable accommodations” in 

the workplace. in some instances where a person’s disability is apparent, disclosure of 

the disability may be less of an issue than understanding how to identify and discuss the 

types of accommodations needed to succeed in the workplace. a youth with a nonapparent disability may benefit from help deciding whether he needs accommodations 

to perform the tasks and practice disclosing the need for accommodations. the 

simulation will provide opportunities for instructors to help students explore and 

understand the advantages, disadvantages, and rights associated with disclosure in a 

particular setting. additional resource materials on disability disclosure are available 

at the end of this document. 

in summary, teachers can make critical contributions to a workplace simulation by 

recognizing the small changes in their behavior that make their roles more authentic. 

Create Business-Like purposefulness

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Resources on Disclosure

• http://www.ncwd-youth.info/topic/disability-disclosure 

• advising youth with disabilities on disclosure: tips for service Providers (attached)

(available online at http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/advising.htm)

as a professional who provides services such as occupational skills training and job 

readiness training, you need to know how to help young people decide if they should 

share information about their disabilities. disclosure is, by law, a personal decision 

that individuals with disabilities must make for themselves. as a person who works 

with youth, you may be in a position to assist youth with apparent and non-apparent 

disabilities to decide if, when, and how to disclose their disabilities. Understanding 

disclosure is especially important as youth transition from the K-12 education system 

to employment or postsecondary education systems. in this transition, they are leaving 

a system where they are entitled to receive services, and entering another where they 

may be eligible for reasonable accommodations if they make their needs known, and 

they are covered by the law. 

in a disability context, “disclosure” means that people with disabilities share personal 

information about their disability for the specific purpose of receiving accommodations. 

there is no standardized form or set of requirements regarding what people must 

share about their disabilities. thus, youth need to decide what, if anything, they want 

to reveal. disclosure of a disability can also mean different things depending upon 

the type of disability. youth with non-apparent disabilities must make the decision 

whether to disclose they have a disability. these youths should decide to whom they 

choose to disclose to and how much information to provide. generally, youth with 

non-apparent disabilities find it most beneficial to disclose information only if they 

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need accommodations. 

to receive accommodations at work or in postsecondary school, information about 

disability must be shared with the relevant authorities. an accommodation is an 

adjustment to an environment, which makes it possible for people with disabilities to 

participate equally. While youth with disabilities may be familiar with accommodations, 

as they may have used them in grade school, they may not be familiar with the art of 

disclosure. Unlike in grades K-12, it is a youth’s responsibility to personally disclose 

his or her disability to someone who has the authority to provide accommodations. 

Knowledge of the specific accommodations that youth will need in a given situation 

can help frame what disability information needs to be disclosed. if the youth does 

not require accommodations, it is generally not necessary to disclose the disability. 

here are ways you can assist young people with determining whether disclosure is 

appropriate: 

1. discuss the appropriateness of disclosing their disability in some situations and not 

in others (e.g. social, school, or work settings, or community activities); 

2. evaluate the pros and cons with youth who are considering disclosure; and 

3. encourage youth to practice effective communication of their disability, needs, 

skills, and abilities, with people whom they respect and trust, and who know their 

strengths well. 

People who interact with youth with apparent disabilities may be aware of some 

aspects of the condition without being informed. nonetheless, the young people must 

know how and what to say about their disability, and to whom. all youth should learn 

the skill of emphasizing their abilities and strengths; this especially applies to youth 

discussing their disability. 

as you advise people with disabilities, remind them that it is not necessary to share 

everything about their disability and its effects. it is most important to provide 

information about: 

1. how their disability impacts the capacity to learn and perform effectively; and 

2. what environmental adjustments, supports, and services they will need in order to 

access, participate, and excel in their job, studies, community activities, etc. 

Providing national leadershiP on disability emPloyment

office of disability employment Policy, U.s. department of labor 1-866-odeP-dol (633-7365) tty: 1-887-889-5627 www.dol.gov/odep

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advantages of Disclosure Disadvantages of Disclosure

• 

• 

• 

• 

youth will be able to receive 

reasonable accommodations to 

pursue work, school, or community 

activities more effectively. 

it allows other professionals 

(educators, employment service 

providers, etc.) to assist the young 

people with learning new skills. 

it provides legal protection against 

discrimination (as specified in the 

americans with disabilities act and 

the rehabilitation act). 

it can improve a youth’s self-image by 

developing self-advocacy skills. 

• it can lead to the experience of 

exclusion or being treated differently 

than others. 

• it can lead to being viewed as needy, 

not self-sufficient, or unable to 

perform on par with peers. 

• it can cause people to overlook youth 

with disabilities for a job, team, group, 

or organization. 

• it can be difficult and embarrassing. 

note: it may be helpful to make 

the youth aware that if he or she 

experiences discrimination because 

of the disclosure, he or she may have 

a right to file a complaint under the 

americans with disabilities act or the 

rehabilitation act. 

Resources 

Providing national leadershiP on disability emPloyment

office of disability employment Policy, U.s. department of labor 1-866-odeP-dol (633-7365) tty: 1-887-889-5627 www.dol.gov/odep

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