News Brief
In the U.S., 21st Century Skills Linked to Work Success
Gallup Wellbeing (05/30/2013) Levy, Jenna; Sidhu, PreetyA survey of 1,014 young adults ages 18 to 35 who are either employed or students reveals that those who developed 21st century skills in their last year of school are more likely to self-report higher work quality. Gallup, Microsoft Partners in Learning, and the Pearson Foundation created a 21st century skills index that measures collaboration, knowledge construction, skilled communication, global awareness, self-regulation, real-world problem-solving, and technology used in learning -- skills that prepare students for jobs in the knowledge-based, technology-driven, global economy. The survey shows that only 29 percent of respondents used what they learned to solve real-world problems during their last year of school, and the development of real-world problem-solving skills differs by education level. According to the survey, 22 percent of respondents with high school diplomas or less, 27 percent of college students or graduates, and 37 percent with postgraduate degrees applied classroom lessons to real-world problems. The recent push to implement project-based learning into school curriculum means 37 percent of respondents ages 18 to 22 applied their learning to real-world problems during the last year of school, compared to 28 percent of those in the 23-to-35 age group. The survey also shows that technology used in the workplace is not taught in the classroom, with 39 percent of respondents stating that they never used online collaboration tools during their last year of school. Given that 21st century skills play a major role in future work success and that 59 percent of respondents say most of the skills used in their jobs were learned outside of school, schools need to incorporate project-based experiential learning into the curriculum so students have a chance to develop these skills.
To read the full article, click here