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The SCANS Report
Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills
SCANS, a report written by the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills examined the demands of the workplace and whether young people are capable of meeting these demands. The report: defines the workplace competencies and foundation skills required for effective job performance, proposes acceptable levels of proficiency, suggests effective ways to assess proficiency and develops a dissemination strategy for the nation's schools, businesses and homes.
Based on the report, the competencies and skills that employers look for in employees are:
Basic Skills
- Reading:
Identify relevant facts; locate information in books/manuals; find meanings of unknown words; judge accuracy of reports; use computers to find information.
- Writing:
Write ideas completely and accurately in letters and reports with proper grammar, spelling and punctuation; use computers to communicate information.
- Mathematics:
Use numbers, fractions and percentages to solve problems; use tables, graphs and charts; use computers to enter, retrieve, change and communicate numerical information.
- Speaking:
Speak clearly; select language, tone of voice and gestures appropriate to audience.
Personal Qualities
- 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.
- Self-management:
Assess one's own knowledge and skills accurately; set specific, realistic personal goals; monitor progress toward goal.
- 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
- Creative Thinking:
Use imagination freely, combining ideas or information in new ways; make connections between ideas that seem unrelated.
- 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.
- Decision Making:
Identify goals; generate alternatives and gather information about them; weigh pros and cons; choose best alternative; plan how to carry out choice.
- Visualization:
Imagine building, object or system by looking at a blueprint or drawing.