The Bell 500 gives us the opportunity to share thoughts on a wide range of educational topics from global contributors and gives you the opportunity to read 500 words to motivate your mind. It's quick, it’s focused and it’s always topical.
And, if you’re interested, here’s some further information on how the Bell 500 started…
The Bell 500 is an idea and inspiration borne out of our passion for education, determination to succeed and in homage to our founder’s late grandmother. Indeed, the Bell 500 takes its name directly from Jeanie Fairlie Hammond Bell who was a leading force in shaping his life. Born in 1919, Jean (as she liked to be known) was born into a working-class family in the mill town of Paisley in the West of Scotland. Married to Archie Bell, she soon welcomed a daughter to her family and it was not long after that when she (unusually for a married woman at that time) entered the workforce. As a strongly independent woman and a believer in learning with a passion for picking up new skills, she held various diverse positions during her long working career culminating in the job she loved most, training and working as a Chemistry Technician supporting academic staff and students at Paisley College of Technology (now the University of the West of Scotland). She remained in that role for many years until she retired from full-time employment at the age of 65. Even though she passed in 2015, at the grand age of 96 years, her determination, drive and passion for life and learning remain an inspiration to this day.
Soft Skills: linking education and employment
What are soft skills? How are soft skills different from hard skills? How are they “taught” in education settings? How do they relate to employment? These are just a few of the questions surrounding soft skills but let’s start by trying to define them. Soft skills are a combination of abilities which are related to people and social situations, rather than a person's technical abilities. In other words, they’re the intangibles or the skills that we can sometimes take for granted. Soft skills are the way we “do” things while hard skills are about “doing” particular tasks. The problem is that many people find that although soft skills can be taken for granted, not everyone has a natural inclination or ability and these skills need to be taught. Some common examples of soft skills are relationship-building, teamwork, communication, adaptability, empathy, problem-solving and leadership.