THE ROLE OF SOFT SKILLS IN LIFE SCIENCES EDUCATION IN THE CONTEXT OF A DIGITALIZED WORKING ENVIRONMENT.

Digitalization in business environment and management processes at the same time entails the need for additional skills to prepare clients and members of society by explaining to them the nature and use of products. Therefore, senior and middle managers have to be not only knowledgeable in their profession and develop the relevant hard skills but also, due to the labour market demand, have to be aware of importance of soft skills’ training and understanding. In the process of developing study courses in life sciences field and bioeconomics, such challenges are integrated in the higher business education preceded by appropriate investigation. The aim of the current research was to explore the role of soft skills and their variability in a life sciences education in digitalized working environment. Research methods - monographic, graphic, induction and deduction methods, extrapolation method - selecting the five most characteristic soft skills required by labour market and focus group interviews. The research on the most demanded soft skills in the labour market for middle and senior executives in a digitalized work environment led the authors to the conclusion that communication skills, team working skills and cultural and diversity awareness lately have become more important. Skills such as presentation skills and decision-making skills have not changed their significance level, which can be explained by the fact that senior and middle-level managers perform management functions similarly and independently of changes in the digital working environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]