Chapter 2_Teaching Emergency Management Competences

Skills can be defined as technical and non-technical personal abilities. They are the ability to apply knowledge and use know-how to complete tasks and solve problems. In the context of the European Qualifications Framework, skills are described as cognitive or practical.

Skills are acquired through experience. Examples in emergency, depending on the specific role of the psychological rescuers are related to: psychological first aid, psychosocial support, trauma focused interventions, emergency management or training other rescuers.

There is a distinction, however, to be made between hard skills and soft skills. Whereas a hard skill is a technical and quantifiable skill that a professional may demonstrate through their specific qualifications and professional experiences, a soft skill is a non-technical skill that is less rooted in specific vocations. An example of a hard skill, then, is the ability to provide stabilization, grounding or a trauma focused intervention; a soft skill, on the other hand, is being able to manage emergencies through coordination, oral communication, decision making, problem solving, leadership, team building and team caring .