Patkai Christian College hosts workshop on soft skills, featuring YouthNet’s Lika Chophy guiding students on career growth.
Share
DIMAPUR — The Department of Education, Patkai Christian College (Autonomous), Chümoukedima–Seithekema, organised a workshop on “Soft skills: the key to professional and personal growth” at the college conference hall on Monday.
The session aimed to equip students with essential interpersonal and professional skills needed for career development, the college stated in an update.
Lika Chophy, programme coordinator at YouthNet, attended the programme as the resource person.
During the workshop, Chophy spoke on career development and shared insights from her personal academic and professional journey.
Recounting her decision to pursue English studies, she emphasised that the first step in exploring career opportunities is self-assessment, where individuals evaluate their interests, abilities, and values.
According to her, career choices play a crucial role in shaping how people spend most of their “awake hours,” influencing both personal satisfaction and long-term financial stability.
Read more local news: Nagaland: Mega job fair with 6,456 vacancies draws only 326 registrations so far
SBI Foundation updates Kiphire administration on Sanjeevani Clinic on Wheels progress
She noted that many individuals often choose careers under the influence of external factors such as television, the internet, friends, parents, and life experiences.
Sharing her professional background, she mentioned that she has been working with YouthNet for the past three years, where she actively engages with youth development and career guidance initiatives.
Highlighting the importance of soft skills in professional success, Chophy remarked that employers frequently prioritise attitude over aptitude.
She explained that soft skills encompass abilities such as communication, time management, problem-solving, and teamwork, all of which are vital for workplace effectiveness and personal growth.
Speaking on communication skills, she pointed out that communication can be both verbal involving words and language and non-verbal, which includes body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.
She observed that while only about 10 percent of conflicts arise from differences in opinion, a significant 90 percent often result from the wrong tone of voice.
Chophy also introduced the seven Cs of communication: clarity, conciseness, concreteness, correctness, consideration, completeness, and courtesy.
She emphasised the need to understand the purpose of communication, whether it is to inform, clarify, promote ideas, build relationships, or evaluate services.
The session further addressed the importance of time management, with Chophy encouraging students to use their time wisely and remain conscious of the hours spent on social media.
She noted that poor time management can negatively affect productivity and academic performance.
In addition, she stressed the significance of problem-solving skills, teamwork, and the dignity of labour, urging students not to look down on any form of work and to approach every task with dedication and respect.
In her concluding remarks, Chophy encouraged students to continuously improve their abilities by investing in self-development, practising regularly, seeking mentors, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, remaining open to feedback, and maintaining a lifelong commitment to learning and exploration.
The workshop concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session, during which students actively engaged with the resource person and sought guidance on various aspects of career planning and skill development.
The event was chaired by Neilevono Vupru, who also delivered the invocation.