We are witnessing many changes in today’s post-pandemic society, but one of the most accelerated shifts is undoubtedly in how workers in general, and especially young people, perceive and judge the relationship between personal and professional life. This issue—referred to by some with the epoch-defining term “the great resignation,” to draw parallels with “the Great Depression” of the last century—is even more amplified in the tourism sector, which today often suffers from a lack or exodus of qualified personnel. In this field, economic factors blend with social ones, encompassing lifestyle and work quality, both in terms of the quality of the “job” itself and the quality of life “within” the workplace.

One of the defining strengths of contemporary, interconnected, and globalized society is interdisciplinarity. In this era, there is a risk of focusing too much on technological and digital aspects without combining them with human ones. It is impossible to develop hard skills without a parallel and synergistic development of equally important soft skills, particularly in the post-pandemic period.

The theme of the interconnection and interdisciplinarity between hard and soft skills is at the heart of this research, emphasizing and highlighting the central role of the latter over the former. Social-emotional skills (SES) represent a crucial aspect— in terms of research on their value and role in educational pathways— that must be studied in depth and with rigor in order to provide useful insights for defining a new paradigm for the education and training of the future.

The pandemic has accelerated and made visible some social trends that were already emerging before the current crisis. In both educational settings and workplaces, new hybrid systems and practices are coming to the forefront.

The ability to self-manage, collaborate with others, be creative, interpret reality critically, take responsibility, and, more generally, soft skills related to character have made a greater difference than even the digital divide, and will be essential for the revival of our country and strategic sectors like tourism. EU policies identify a highly relevant set of competencies that should be integrated into every national curriculum, stressing the importance of socio-emotional skills while emphasizing STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) disciplines and digital teaching and learning. More recently, EU policies have developed a conceptual framework (Lifecomp4) focused on three essential skills: personal competence, social competence, and the ability to learn how to learn.

Europe therefore calls on the education systems of its member states to ensure that all students are equipped with a set of knowledge, skills, and values that allow them to make the most of the education they receive. More broadly, these skills will be necessary to ensure their success in life from a lifelong learning perspective. At the same time, the importance of formal academic credentials is diminishing. What truly matters today are the knowledge, skills, and how they are applied in both academic and professional settings, as well as in everyday life, along with the ability to enhance and adapt these skills, which can arise from such capabilities.

Moreover, there is an additional aspect: socio-emotional skills have the power to strongly influence personal choices, lifestyles, and perspectives in terms of well-being and quality of life and health.