The Secretary of Labor's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) issued a report in 1991 called "What Work Requires of Schools." The report listed a common set of skills that employers find necessary for a person to be ready to go to work. Employers need workers who can productively use: Resources: allocate time, money, materials, space, and staff Interpersonal Skills: work on teams, teach others, serve customers, lead, negotiate, and work well with people from different cultural backgrounds Information: acquire and evaluate data, organize and maintain files, interpret and communicate, and use computers to process information Systems: understand social, organizational, and technological systems, monitor and correct performance, and design and improve systems Technology: select equipment and tools, apply technology to specific tasks, and maintain and troubleshoot technologies Employers need workers who have the following skills and personal qualities: Basic Skills: reading, writing, arithmetic and mathematics, speaking and listening Thinking Skills: thinking creatively, making decisions, solving problems, knowing how to learn, and reasoning Personal Qualities: individual responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, self-management, and integrity |
