INVESTIGATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOFT SKILLS THROUGH BLENDED INTENSIVE PROGRAMMES

In today's global and hyperconnected world, the job market, the higher education environment, and society are becoming increasingly international and complex in orientation. New challenges and opportunities are constantly flowing in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment. There is a need for people to navigate through cultural aggregations, diverse societies and human factors. There is a need for skills that enable citizens to be prepared and well-equipped to face new challenges and opportunities. At the University of Turin, specifically at the Interdepartmental University School of Strategic Sciences and the Army Officer School in Turin, four Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) on interdisciplinary subjects are held annually, with participation from more than a hundred civilian, military, and international students. The paper tries to measure the development of soft skills during the attendance of the four BIPs held for the academic year 2024/2025, with the intent to trace how it can be useful for all learners. The data analyzed in this study consists of 185 answers collected through a questionnaire delivered at the beginning and the end of the BIPs. The results were compared and analyzed through descriptive and bivariate statistical tools. The results support the importance of implementing these programmes and highlight that they are an optimal field of experimentation for students. These international activities are safe laboratories where it is possible to nurture the soft skills that will be fundamental for the near future. Numerous growth capabilities can be developed as a base for further research activities.