Universal Journal of Educational Research 8(12): 7109-7117, 2020 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2020.081278 Basic Soft Skills as an Integral Component of Student Competitiveness: Case of Higher Education in Ukraine Sergii D. Rudyshyn 1,* , Tetiana V. Kononenko 2 , Marina V. Khrolenko 3 , Vitalii S. Konenko 1 , Stanislav P. Merdov 4 1 Department of Theory and Methods of Teaching Natural Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Physical and Chemical Education, Olexander Dovzhenko Hlukhiv National Pedagogical University, Hlukhiv, 41401, Ukraine 2 Department of Social-Humanities, Donetsk Law Institute MIA of Ukraine, Kryvyi Rih, 50065, Ukraine 3 Faculty of Natural and Physical and Chemical Education, Olexander Dovzhenko Hlukhiv National Pedagogical University, Hlukhiv, 41401, Ukraine 4 Department of Combat and Special Physical Training, Donetsk Law Institute MIA of Ukraine, Kryvyi Rih, 50065, Ukraine Received August 5, 2020; Revised October 2, 2020; Accepted November 1, 2020 Cite This Paper in the following Citation Styles (a): [1] Sergii D. Rudyshyn, Tetiana V. Kononenko, Marina V. Khrolenko, Vitalii S. Konenko, Stanislav P. Merdov , "Basic Soft Skills as an Integral Component of Student Competitiveness: Case of Higher Education in Ukraine," Universal Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 8, No. 12, pp. 7109 - 7117, 2020. DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2020.081278. (b): Sergii D. Rudyshyn, Tetiana V. Kononenko, Marina V. Khrolenko, Vitalii S. Konenko, Stanislav P. Merdov (2020). Basic Soft Skills as an Integral Component of Student Competitiveness: Case of Higher Education in Ukraine. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(12), 7109 - 7117. DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2020.081278. Copyright©2020 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License Abstract This study intends to identify the most necessary comprehensive skills that will increase students’ ability to find a suitable job after graduation, as well as to identify the importance of soft skills in the students’ competitiveness in the labour market. The author selected several general scientific methods for the study, including an attempt to adopt the grouping and modelling method to the theoretical representation of the relationship between soft skills and students’ competitiveness. Grouping skills based on the existing classifications allowed distinguishing seven basic groups (communication skills; critical thinking and problem-solving skills; teamwork; lifelong learning and information management skills; entrepreneurial skills; ethics, morality and professionalism; leadership skills), and also dividing them according to priority and importance in achieving a higher level of competitiveness. Modelling and identification of the relationship between competitiveness and soft skills took into account the objectives of this study. Along with the main results of the study, the author made a conclusion about the importance of parenting and high school in training soft skills in students, and their practical application in future professional activity. The article identified several promising areas of research, which will allow us to focus on in-depth study of the issue and its comprehensive scientific substantiation. The results of the study have several limitations that correlate with the previously identified areas of future research. They include only the theoretical substantiation of the hypotheses and the limitations of possible methods due to the lack of developed indicators for measuring soft skills and student competitiveness. Keywords “Soft Skills”, “Hard Skills”, Professional Adaptability, Student Competitiveness, Functional Skills, Personal Skills, Student Professional Development Program 1. Introduction Preparing students for a successful career is an important part of the work of every teacher and institution in general. In today’s world, most educational and professional development programs do not, however, cover the skills that employers look for in job applicants. In particular, we are talking about such qualities as emergent leadership, adaptability, tolerance, and responsibility. All this is called soft skills today, and the Ukrainian version of “skills” is