These are broad academic and workplace skills developed by the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS).

Basic Skills

  1. Reading:
    Identify relevant facts; locate information in books/manuals; find meanings of unknown words; judge accuracy of reports; use computers to find information.

  2. Writing:
    Write ideas completely and accurately in letters and reports with proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation, use computers to communicate information.

  3. Mathematics
    Use numbers, fractions, and percentages to solve problems; use tables, graphs, and charts; use computers to enter, retrieve, change, and communicate numerical information. P>
  4. Speaking:
    Speak clearly; select language, tone of voice, and gestures appropriate to an audience.

  5. Listening:
    Listen carefully to what a person says, noting tone of voice and body language; respond in a way that shows understanding of what is said.

People Skills

  1. Social:
    show understanding, friendliness, and respect for feelings of others; assert oneself when appropriate; take an interest in what people say and why they think and act as they do.

  2. Negotiation:
    Identify common goals among different parties; clearly present one's position; understand party's position; examine possible options; make reasonable compromises.

  3. Leadership:
    Communicate thoughts and feelings to justify a position; encourage or convince; make positive use of rules or values; demonstrate ability to have others believe in and trust you because of competence and honesty.

  4. Teamwork:
    Contribute to group with ideas and effort; do own share of work; encourage team members; resolve differences for the benefit of the team; responsibly challenge existing procedures, policies, or authorities.

  5. Cultural Diversity:
    Work well with people having different ethnic, social, or educational backgrounds; understand the cultural differences of different groups; help the people in these groups make cultural adjustments when necessary.

Personal Qualities

  1. Self-Esteem:
    Understand how beliefs affect how a person feels and acts; listen and identify irrational or harmful beliefs you may have; and understand how to change them when they occur.

  2. Self-Management:
    Assess one's own knowledge and skills accurately; set specific, realistic, personal goals; monitor progress toward goal.

  3. Responsibility:
    Work hard to reach goals, even if task is unpleasant; do quality work; display high standard of attendance, honesty, energy, and optimism.

Thinking Skills

  1. Creative Thinking:
    Use imagination freely, combining ideas or information in new ways; make connections between ideas that seem unrelated.

  2. Problem-Solving:
    Recognize problem; identify why it is a problem; create and implement a solution; watch to see how well solution works; revise as needed.

  3. Decision Making:
    Identify goals; generate alternatives and gather information about them; weigh pros and cons; choose best alternative; plan how to carry out choice.

  4. Visualization:
    Imagine building, object or system by looking at a blueprint or drawing.