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Wow!  Nice work!  

Your question:  Obviously the so-called “soft-skills” are essential. But what about technical skills; pinpointing these is more difficult. For example, being able to separate DNA fragments with electrophoresis seems to be a core skill when one thinks of the emergence of biotechnology as an industry in the latter part of the twentieth century. But, many of the graduates of our biotechnology program will never run an electrophoresis gel in their professional lives. Leave it in? Take it out? 

I think students should demonstrate competence of all the basic technical skills, regardless of the frequency of particular skills that are used or not used in their immediate profession.Students would be more competitive within their current company and therefore more likely to move into other positions (upwardly or laterally) that require different skill sets.So I say, "Leave It." Students should have some notion of gel electrophoresis. 
 
DD