Competency is a set of related knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform work or tasks in a defined work setting. Besides having good grades, a graduate must be able to respond well, be a visionary and be a contributor in building a noble society. By exercising soft skills as part of teaching and learning, students are expected to effectively develop and apply competencies. This paper documents generally one teaching and learning approach used in design courses to train students in soft skills, the training of which is also one of the course's learning outcomes. A project management team is formed, dividing students into different segments and tasks, monitored by an advisor and assisted by a project manager who is made liable for task completeness. Students must be able to perform well in communication skills, teamwork, critical thinking skills and professional ethics, among others, the assessment of which contributes to the total course marks. A self-rated assessment by the students at the end collected as a measure for this study shows some positives improvements in their competencies as a result of the approach applied here.