St. Joseph Vaz College, Cortalim  organised  a successful short-term certificate course titled “Skills Boost: Empowering College Students with Soft and Hard Skills” from June 5th to 17th, 2023. The course spanned over a period of 12 days, with a total duration of 30 hours. The course focused on soft skills taught by college counsellor Ms. Aroma Diniz and hard skills sessions led by librarian Mrs. Manali Acharya. There were 8 enthusiastic students in total who enrolled for the offline course. Students also received insights into basic financial literacy from resource person Mr. Vincent Fonseca, Financial Consultant . The course emphasized key attributes for professional success, such as effective communication, public speaking, and emotional intelligence. Students were encouraged to think critically, express ideas confidently, and collaborate with peers.

The course also focused on developing hard skills, specifically technical and computer competencies. Participants had the opportunity to acquire practical knowledge through practical assignments , and a basic overview of important research skills needed for their final year projects. Dr. Maria Fonseca, Principal of St. Joseph Vaz College, expressed her satisfaction with the outcomes, stating, “We believe in empowering our students beyond academics and preparing them for the challenges of the real world. The Skills Boost course provided a valuable platform for students to enhance their soft and hard skills, enabling them to thrive in their future careers. We are proud of their commitment and enthusiasm throughout the program.”

Certificates of completion were awarded to the participants of the course, namely Lilee Naik, Swapna Naik, Neha Panday, Ashish Gupta, Flossy Lucas, Prajwal Sawant, Lavina Fernandes, and Rohit Lamani, marking the conclusion of the certificate course. St. Joseph Vaz College plans to continue organizing such value-added short-term courses in the future to cater to students’ evolving needs and facilitate their professional growth.