Skills that are Key to Success in the 21st Century Workforce
Nonprofit organizations America Succeeds and CompTIA are collaborating on a new initiative to understand, evaluate and potentially assess the “durable” skills that are essential to success and achievement in the 21st Century workforce. Durable skills (aka soft skills) in leadership, character, communication, critical thinking and other areas are the traits that help make individuals highly employable and that can diversify and strengthen an organization.
- Seven of the ten most requested skills in jobs postings are durable skills.
- Employers seek these skills nearly five times more frequently than the top five technical or hard skills.
- Two-thirds of HR professionals say durables skills are becoming more important.
- Two-thirds of HR professionals believe most or all the top 10 durable skills categories can be taught.
“Durable skills are the skills that last a lifetime, the skills that you use to demonstrate what you know and the skills that employers are looking for,” said Tim Taylor, co-founder and president of America Succeeds, a national nonprofit that is committed to engaging business leaders in accelerating equity, access, and opportunity in education.
“We believe helping students better develop their innate durable skills at an early age will help them compete, contribute, and thrive in their careers,” said Todd Thibodeaux president and CEO of CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce.
The two organizations will discuss their initiative in a virtual session at the ASU + GSV Summit (2:10 p.m. PDT, Tuesday, April 5). Registration for the virtual event is free at ASU + GSV Summit.
Durable skills
Durable skills, also referred to as soft skills, human skills or 21st century skills, can be difficult to define or quantify. Generally, they fall under ten major themes or competencies.
| Leadership | Character |
| Collaboration | Communication |
| Creativity | Critical Thinking |
| Metacognition | Mindfulness |
| Growth Mindset | Fortitude |
The first step planned by America Succeeds and CompTIA is to bring employers together to define a common rubric of the durable skills that apply across industries and occupations with the goal of developing a method to assess an individual’s competency level and understanding of durable skills and identify actions that can enhance them.
Research Results
Separate research by the two organizations suggests that employers are interested in identifying job candidates with these skillsets and providing training to close the durable skills gap.
- Seven of the ten most requested skills in jobs postings are durable skills.[1]
- Employers seek these skills nearly five times more frequently than the top five technical or hard skills.[2]
- Two-thirds of HR professionals say durables skills are becoming more important and more of a focus, though half acknowledge some degree of confusion and challenges with soft skills/durable skills.[3]
- 68% of HR professionals believe most or all the top 10 durable skills categories can be taught.[4]
“Employers clearly recognize the importance and value of recruiting people with solid durable skills, especially in a tight labor market with little margin for error in hiring decisions,” Thibodeaux said. “The challenge is finding a way to accurately and fairly assess a candidate’s prowess in these areas. We’re committed to finding solutions to solve this dilemma, in a way that eliminates barriers and creates opportunities for a more inclusive group of job candidates.”
“As we begin to recover from the pandemic, it is essential that we address the inequities that have been amplified, and at the same time reimagine and restructure education systems and career pathways to work better for all,” said Taylor. “Defining and assessing durable skills allows us to focus on those solutions and see a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Organizations interested in learning more and participating in this initiative are invited to visit https://americasucceeds.org/policy-priorities/durable-skills/durable-skills-defined.
About America Succeeds
America Succeeds is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to improving equity, access, and opportunity in education. America Succeeds was founded in 2014 with a vision of building public education systems to prepare every student to succeed in the competitive global economy and contribute to their local community. For us, that means ensuring business leaders are engaged as education champions. It is our belief that businesses have the obligation, opportunity, and capacity to foster greater student achievement, build an educated workforce pipeline, and protect our future economic vitality. https://americasucceeds.org/
About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $5 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the estimated 75 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world’s economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for advancing the tech industry and its workforce. https://www.comptia.org/.
https://www.techedmagazine.com/category/news/manufacturing/