- A landmark first: SoftSkillingIt becomes the first non-technical, non-academic programme to achieve the prestigious employer-led standard: Work Ready Tech Industry Gold accreditation
- Why it matters: This employer-led accreditation recognises that human skills are not supplementary to technical capability. They are inseparable from it. No longer optional, these are the capabilities that determine and shape how people truly thrive at work in the age of AI
- What it means: Learners who complete SoftSkillingIt develop the confidence, clarity and professional capability to make a real impact to organisations and in response to industry demand
Techskills today announces a landmark expansion of Tech Industry Gold awarding Work Ready accreditation to SoftSkillingIt, the first non-technical and non-academic programme to achieve the employer-led standard.
Today’s announcement reflects a deliberate and significant step: recognising that demonstrable human - often known as ‘soft’ - skills: critical thinking, communication, emotional intelligence, adaptability, resilience are not a supplement to technical capability. They are inseparable from it.
As AI reshapes every industry, employers are placing greater value on the human skills that technology cannot replace. These skills are increasingly essential for effective collaboration, leadership and decision-making in fast-changing work environments.
What this means for employers
For employers, the significance is practical and long overdue. Identifying technical capability is relatively straightforward, qualifications, certifications and portfolios provide clear signals. But identifying the human capabilities that determine whether someone actually thrives in a role has always been harder to evidence at the point of hiring.
Tech Industry Gold’s accreditation process, the same rigorous, employer-led process applied to degree apprenticeships and university programmes now provides an independent, trusted signal for exactly those capabilities.
A candidate who holds a Work Ready by Tech Industry Gold credential has not simply completed a course. They have had their professional skills assessed against a standard that industry itself has set and believes in.
What this means for learners
For learners, this accreditation changes what is possible. The professional development that builds these capabilities, the coaching that sharpens critical thinking, strengthens communication and builds the confidence to lead has largely been the preserve of those already inside well-resourced organisations, or those whose employers could afford it. SoftSkillingIt makes that quality of development available to any learner, anywhere, at any stage of their career.
The evidence is clear: human skills are now a strategic priority and industry needs a way to identify them
This accreditation aligns with widespread industry consensus on the necessity of soft skills. The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 underscores a significant shift in demand toward soft skills in an AI-driven landscape highlighting that 63% of surveyed employers identify skills gaps as the predominant barrier to transformation.
LinkedIn’s Skills on the Rise list, notes that “employers are increasingly prioritising skills over degrees, job titles or linear career paths” and that “People skills matter more than ever,” highlighting the importance of communicating with clarity, particularly during periods of uncertainty, as technology becomes more embedded in everyday work.
Lorna Willis, CEO of Techskills, commented on the announcement: "We are incredibly proud to award SoftSkillingIt with Work Ready by Tech Industry Gold accredited status.
“Tech Industry Gold has always stood for a simple but powerful belief: that education and training should be directly relevant to what industry actually needs. Today, we are expanding that belief in a way that feels both significant and overdue.
“For the first time, Tech Industry Gold recognises a non-technical and non-academic programme. That is not a small decision. It reflects something we have heard consistently from employers: the candidates who stand out are not always those with the strongest technical grades. They are the ones who think clearly under pressure, communicate with confidence, collaborate effectively, adapt and lead when things change.”
Julia Streets MBE, CEO of SoftSkillingIt, Founder of Streets Consulting, and Advisory Council member of Jobs2030, added: “SoftSkillingIt was created from years of conversations advising startups, scaleups and global organisations. One challenge came up again and again: people are often technically brilliant, but haven’t always had the opportunity to build the ‘soft skills’ needed to thrive professionally.
“We have a very clear mission, to democratise access to soft skills learning and achieving Work Ready by Tech Industry Gold accredited status is a huge step forward in achieving this ambition. This means that anyone, anywhere can invest in their soft skills. Access to this learning no longer becomes the advantage of the few. Not everyone is in a position to be invited into training rooms, rooms that are not always ideal learning environments for all. This way every learner, from school leavers to senior executives, can invest in developing these skills - in business, as part of their studies, even on their own. We are immensely proud to receive this prestigious accreditation.”
