What are the critical skills for employability?
For these workers the general preparation for work was basic knowledge:
- Technical skills
- Scientific skill
- Reading
- Writing
- Arithmetic
What are the crucial skills needed in this workplace? Applied skills…
Global literacy | Digital Literacy
Culturally sensitive | Languages
Creativity | Innovation
Flexibility | Agility | Nimbleness
People skills | Team members
Connectedness
The report: Are they really ready to Work? Employers’ Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century US Workforce (2006)
These are the most important skills cited by employers:
- Professionalism/Work Ethic
- Oral and written communication
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Critical thinking/problem solving
Employers were asked:
Of the High School students that you recently hired, what were their deficiencies?
| Written Communication | 81% | |
| Leadership | 73% | |
| Work Ethic | 70% | |
| Critical Thinking & Problem Solving | 70% | |
| Self-Direction | 58% | |
What applied skills and basic knowledge are most important for those you will hire with a four year diploma?
| Oral Communication | 95.4% |
| Collaboration | 94.4% |
| Professional/Work Ethic | 93.8% |
| Written Communication | 93.1% |
| Critical Thinking & Problem Solving | 93.1% |
Now we are in a both/and world… “75% of employers say K-12 schools should be responsible for the necessary basic knowledge and applied skills.”
