{"id":319,"date":"2018-10-26T16:11:42","date_gmt":"2018-10-26T16:11:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-esc-educationalplanning\/?post_type=chapter&p=319"},"modified":"2021-09-23T14:28:26","modified_gmt":"2021-09-23T14:28:26","slug":"21st-century-workforce-skills","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-esc-educationalplanning\/chapter\/21st-century-workforce-skills\/","title":{"raw":"Workforce Knowledge & Skills","rendered":"Workforce Knowledge & Skills"},"content":{"raw":"

General Workforce Skills<\/h2>\r\nThe authors of Robot-Ready: Human + Skills for the Future of Work<\/em><\/a>\u00a0assert that workers in the future will need what they call \"Human + Skills,\" or skills that differentiate us from intelligent machines and\u00a0make us \"more human. The skills that will give us security in this robot future are the very capabilities that define us as human beings.\"\r\n\r\nThey explain that\r\n
These are skills that enable learners to transfer their knowledge from domain to domain in the face of job obsolescence and to learn new skills in demand. Human skills are in high demand across many industries and include skills such as leadership, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, communication, emotional intelligence, judgment, ethics, and cognitive flexibility.<\/blockquote>\r\nA focus solely on human skills, however, is not enough; \"It is the integration of human and technical skills that will provide the best preparation for the future of work.\"\r\n\r\nIndeed, most of the current literature on the future of work underscores this growing need for human skills such as flexibility, mental agility, ethics, resilience, systems thinking, communication, and critical thinking. Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun has devoted an entire book to the concept of \u201chumanics\u201d:\r\n
a new model of learning that enables learners to understand the highly technological world around them and that simultaneously allows them to transcend it by nurturing the mental and intellectual qualities that are unique to humans\u2014namely their capacity for creativity and mental flexibility.<\/blockquote>\r\n\"decorative\r\nOther studies come to similar conclusions. The article \"The 10 Critical Job Skills of the Future\" offers these ten general workforce skills[footnote]Hendrick, Dave. \"The 10 Critical Job Skills Of The Future, According to McKinsey's Global Chief Learning Officer.\" The Darden Report, 21 September 2017. https:\/\/news.darden.virginia.edu\/2017\/09\/21\/10-critical-job-skills-of-the-future\/[\/footnote]:\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Complex problem solving<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Critical thinking<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Creativity<\/li>\r\n \t
  4. People management<\/li>\r\n \t
  5. Coordinating with others<\/li>\r\n \t
  6. Emotional intelligence<\/li>\r\n \t
  7. Judgment and decision making<\/li>\r\n \t
  8. Service orientation<\/li>\r\n \t
  9. Negotiation<\/li>\r\n \t
  10. Cognitive flexibility<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nAlso take a look at the infographic\u00a0The 10 Most Important Work Skills in 2020<\/a>, which highlights these skills and the reasoning behind them.\r\n\r\nThese are just a few of many sources you can find if you research current workforce skills.\u00a0 Although\u00a0current sources differ slightly in their lists of important workforce skills, they all emphasize\u00a0abstract, cross-functional, and cross-disciplinary skills, citing the rapidly\u00a0changing nature of work, the rise in automation with intelligent machine replacing human workers, and a longer human worklife resulting in many job changes, as reasons to focus on skills such as these.\r\n\r\nIn addition to emphasizing transferable skills, Robot-Ready <\/em>also emphasizes a \"both-and\" approach, stating that human skills still need to be complemented with specific professional knowledge, be it knowledge of web design, marketing statistics, case management, or other field-specific knowledge:\r\n
    Journalism and writing careers exemplify\u00a0this.... Our analysis shows that liberal arts graduates gravitate toward fields like social media marketing and content management, journalism, digital marketing, media production, and technical writing. For any of these fields, a strong job candidate would need to demonstrate several more technical skills in information technology (IT), business, or design in addition to the core skills of writing and communication.\r\n\r\nAs an example, journalism is becoming almost an IT field with an increased need for skills and analytics capabilities like search engine optimization, JavaScript, CSS, HTML,\u00a0 and Google analytics.\u00a0At the same time, writing and journalism profiles underscore the need for strong business and marketing skills, including brand work, content development, market research, and advertising.\r\n\r\nAll of these fields demand IT skills, business skills (such as finance and marketing), and design skills. For those going into technical writing, candidates are now expected to be able to communicate software specifications fluently. They also need software development and project management skills (e.g. Scrum) while having some grasp of project planning, process improvement, and program management. In social media and digital marketing, liberal arts graduates use strong digital analytics skills as well as web design and web development skills. (pgs. 20-22)<\/blockquote>\r\nAs you plan your degree, consider\u00a0current research on general workforce skills.\u00a0 You might want to further assess your own skills in these areas and plan how to incorporate studies that support these competencies in your degree.\r\n

    Specific Skills<\/h2>\r\nSpecific knowledge and skills are needed for particular professions.\u00a0 For example, accountants and psychologists both need to understand statistics, since the professions use statistical information regularly.\u00a0 Healthcare professionals in certain fields may need to understand health informatics, while professionals in the field of workforce\u00a0training need to understand learning theories.\r\n
    \"decorative<\/div>\r\nInvestigating specific knowledge and skills\u00a0may be an important part of educational planning for you, if you\u2019re designing a professionally-focused degree.\u00a0 There are multiple questions to consider, as you plan your degree\u00a0for entry into or advancement in a particular profession:\r\n