21st+Century+Skills

Ranking of Knowledge and Skills as Reported by Employers for the Next Five Years

1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving* 77.8% 2. Information Technology Application* 77.4% 3. Teamwork and Collaboration * 74.2% 4. Creativity/Innovation* 73.6% 5. Diversity* 67.1% 6. Leadership* 66.9% 7. Oral Communications * 65.9% 8. Professional/Work Ethic* 64.4% 9. Ethics/Social Responsibility* 64.3% 10. Written Communications* 64.0% 11. Lifelong Learning and Self Direction 64.0% 12. Foreign Languages 63.3% 13. Mathematics 48.8% 14. Writing in English 45.4% 15. Reading Comprehension 41.0% 16. Science 38.7% 17. English Language 32.8% 18. Government/Economics 24.8% 19. History/Geography 17.9% 20. Humanities/Arts 09.5%

Percents calculated out of total number of respondents electing “increase” in importance over the next five years.

Source: Are They Really Ready To Work: (Employer’s Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21 st Century U.S. Workforce.)