The SCANS list - from the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills - was developed by the United States Department of Labor and Education as a guide for educators who want to help students prepare for the workforce.
The list includes five workplace competencies and a three-part foundation of skills and personal qualities needed for solid job performance. |
Workplace Skills |
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Effective workers can productively utilize: |
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Resources |
They know how to allocate time, money, materials, space, and staff. |
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Interpersonal Skills |
They can work on teams, teach others, serve customers, lead, negotiate, and work well with people from culturally diverse backgrounds. |
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Information |
They can acquire and evaluate data, organize and maintain files, interpret and communicate, and use computers to process information. |
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Systems |
They understand social, organizational, and technological systems; they can monitor and correct performance; and they can design or improve systems. |
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Technology |
They can select equipment and tools, apply technology to specific tasks, and maintain and troubleshoot equipment. |
Foundation Competencies |
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Competent workers need: |
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Basic Skills |
Reading, writing, arithmetic, and mathematics, speaking and listening. |
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Thinking Skills |
The ability to learn, reason, think creatively, make decisions, and solve problems. |
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Personal Qualities |
Individual responsibility, self-esteem, self-management, sociability, and integrity. |
"The SCANS Skills and Competencies" is adapted from What Work Requires of Schools: A SCANS Report for America 2000 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor, 1991.) |
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