10 Essential Skills
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10 Essential Skills for Achieving Career Success
Students develop many valuable abilities during college through their major, general education coursework, and experiences inside and outside the classroom. Employers consistently look for graduates who can communicate effectively, solve problems, work with others, and adapt to new challenges. The following 10 Essential Skills highlight key abilities students develop throughout their college experience and that help prepare them for career success. These skills were identified by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education in collaboration with employers to reflect the abilities graduates need to succeed in today’s workforce and in their communities.
1
Communication:
Communicate effectively: Graduates will communicate effectively by listening, weighing influencing factors, and responding accurately and professionally. They will express their thoughts coherently in writing, orally, and in formal presentations.
2
Critical & Creative Thinking:
Think critically to solve problems and create new ideas and solutions: Graduates will think critically by evaluating assumptions and assessing information to make informed conclusions. They will also think creatively by combining ideas in original ways or developing new ways of addressing issues.
3
Quantitative Reasoning:
Apply quantitative reasoning skills to analyze and solve numerical problems: Graduates will hone their ability to provide solutions guided by data and choose the best methodologies for arriving at informed conclusions.
4
Interpersonal Relations:
Interact effectively with people: Graduates will demonstrate both self-awareness and appreciation of people with different perspectives, as well as the ability to collaborate, communicate, and work respectfully with others.
5
Adaptability and Leadership:
Adapt to changing circumstances while leading and supporting others: Graduates will accept change and find effective ways to work and thrive in different settings. They will motivate others in the pursuit of a common goal and coach others in the pursuit of this goal.
6
Professionalism:
Perform professionally within their chosen field of study or occupation: Graduates will adhere to the code of ethics in their chosen profession and act with honesty and fairness. They will prioritize their tasks, manage their time, take initiative, and demonstrate accountability and reliability.
7
Civic Engagement:
Engage in civic life to improve society: Graduates will engage in political, social, and other activities to address issues that benefit society.
8
Collaboration and Teamwork:
Collaborate and work in teams: Graduates will collaborate with colleagues, become effective team members, and manage conflict.
9
Knowledge Application:
Apply academic knowledge, skills, and abilities to their chosen career: Graduates will articulate and apply the theoretical content of their academic preparation with relevant knowledge and abilities essential to their chosen careers.
10
Information Literacy:
Use information for decision making: Graduates will identify, evaluate, and responsibly use information needed for decision making.
While this list is not inclusive of all the skills that employers value, it represents the most frequently identified qualities supported by research and advocated by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), the Quality Assurance (QA) Commons, and the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), among others.
*Kentucky Graduate Profile | http://cpe.ky.gov/ourwork/kygradprofile.html