Resources: Desired Skills & Knowledge

Overview

Adult basic education programs focus on a range of gaps associated with knowledge and skills needed to be life, career, or college ready, such as basic life skills, financial literacy, health literacy, and career exploration. In addition to the College and Career Readiness Standards we will explore in Module 2, we have assembled a roster of resources to help us identify specific career-readiness skills an adult should possess (i.e. the desired state) in order to achieve his / her future goals. Please skim and bookmark the following resources for future reference.

O*Net

The O*NET website houses the nation's primary source of occupational information. Links to an external site.According to the website, "Central to the project is the O*NET database, containing information on hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors. The database is continually updated by surveying a broad range of workers from each occupation."

Employability Skills Framework

• Applied Knowledge Skills Links to an external site. include "thoughtful integration of academic knowledge and technical skills, put to practical use in the workplace":
• Applied academic skills that "enable employees to put skills based on academic disciplines and learning, such as reading, writing, mathematical strategies and procedures, and scientific principles and procedures, to practical use in the workplace."
• Critical thinking skills that "enable employees to analyze, reason, solve problems, plan, organize, and make sound decisions in their work."
• Effective Relationship Skills Links to an external site. include "interpersonal skills and personal qualities that enable individuals to interact effectively with clients, coworkers, and supervisors":
• Interpersonal skills "include the ability to collaborate as a member of a team or work independently, as appropriate; communicate effectively; maintain a positive attitude; and contribute to the overarching goals of the workplace."
• Personal qualities "contribute to effective relationships include responsibility, self-discipline, flexibility, integrity, and initiative. Other essential qualities are a sense of professionalism and self-worth; willingness to learn; and acceptance of responsibility for one's own professional growth."
• Workplace Skills Links to an external site. include "the analytical and organizational skills that employees need to successfully perform work tasks ... including managing time and other resources; understanding, evaluating, and using a variety of information; communicating effectively with others in multiple formats (speaking, writing, listening); understanding relationships among the components of a system; and applying information technology appropriately and effectively."