Skills Needed for 21st Century Careers

What skills do you think are most important for 21st century careers?

We have been compiling a collection of "essential" 21st Century skills, from a variety of sources that represent the skill sets necessary for 21st century employment and careers. This is an evolving document, so take a look and let us know what you would add, change, or edit.

Portable Skills for the 21st Century-Student (as derived from multiple sources)

Technological Literacy: Computer competency is as basic to earning a living in the new economy as language and math skills, and needs to be a part of every educational agenda. Beyond using computers effectively, technological literacy also encompasses a thorough understanding of the evolution of technology and its implications for improving the quality of life. This knowledge is necessary to foster the responsible use of technology for generations to come. " Access, analyze, & use information from multimedia sources. " Interpret data to distinguishing good info from bad. " Information literacy- to use for research & deeper thinking " Informational technology: virtual, digital, artificial

Arithmetic & Mathematics " Applied math " Statistics " Metric system: used primarily in the rest of the world, US the only major holdout. " Financial literacy, financial planning and management " Economic literacy: s the ability to identify economic problems, alternatives, costs, and benefits; analyze the incentives at work in economic situations " International economies and currencies " Manage/interpret data

Accountability and business ethics " Integrity/Ethical Understandings " Human relationships to technology " Individual responsibility in the workplace

Integrated Science " Introduction of molecular science: life, bio, nano " Appling scientific concepts to particular concepts

Career exploration and development " Understanding of career pathways and choices " Additional training opportunities including certifications and post-secondary " Economic opportunities. Understanding of employment projections including demand, sustainability, # of openings Civic literacy- Is the knowledge of how to actively participate and initiate change in your community and the greater society. " Understanding local geography " Regionalization " Volunteerism-importance and opportunities " Rights & obligations of citizenship Communication: oral, written, verbal, virtual " Listening " Speaking " Intra/interpersonal communications " Interpersonal relations " People skills " Teamwork " Collaborate & solve problems " Customer Service Contextualized instruction- Present subject matter in context by emphasizing the relationship of course content to real-life situations. " Interdisciplinary combinations (design & tech, math & art) Thinking/Learning " Creative thinking: in the age of innovation, creativity can no longer be thought of as a quality possessed by few. Rather, it is a quality which can be learned, encouraged and nurtured. It is the ability to think in unconventional ways and see alternate possibilities. " Critical thinking: making connections between ideas & knowing how to keep on learning " Metacognition: The knowledge of one's own thinking processes and strategies, and the ability to consciously reflect and act on the knowledge of cognition to modify those processes and strategies. " Knowing how to speed learn " Lifelong learning " Decision making " Thinking through abstract problems " Reasoning Emotional intelligence (EQ): The expression emotional intelligence or EI indicates a kind of intelligence or skill that involves the ability to perceive, assess and positively influence one's own and other people's emotions

Environmental scanning- A systematic process to gather information concerning trends & issues which may impact the future condition of an organization or an individual.

Flexibility: Young people cannot afford to be rigid in attitude or action. Change is the only constant in the new economy. The most successful workers will be those who adapt to change, but also embrace it and recognize the opportunities it brings.

Globalization: There's no future in pursuing isolationism, whether in thought or action. In preparing tomorrow's workforce, a healthy interest, appreciation and respect for cultural diversity and competency in second languages are important skills for success. " Culture: art, music, literature " Sensitivity to foreign cultures " Conversant in second languages: Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic " Diversity  ethnic, generational, religious, gender Global awareness: The recognition and understanding of interrelationships among international organizations, nation-states, public and private economic entities, socio-cultural groups, and individuals across the globe " Global trade literacy " Global citizens " Population growth, migration, religion. " Natural resources: water, fuels, minerals, land

Visual literacy: The ability to interpret, use, appreciate, and create images and video using both conventional and 21st century media in ways that advance thinking, decision making, communication, and learning. " Innovation and process improvement " Multimedia authoring (richmedia)- podcasts, shooting & editing video, creating flash animation, manipulating photos, recording digital audios.

Problem solving: With information so readily available today, we can no longer depend on workplace solutions to come from upper management. Everyone must be able to research information and seek their own solutions. In new economy organizations, workers are not given orders, and aren't as strictly controlled as in the manufacturing economy. " Strategic & scenario planning Reading & writing across the curriculum " Technical reading skills for understanding documents & quantitative material " Composing

Personal " Self management " Self-esteem " Self-sufficiency " Social development " Social entrepreneurism and volunteerism " Goal setting & time management " Health & wellness " Work-based learning Entrepreneurship