Essential Skills for New Economy

Essential Skills  provide people with a foundation for learning other skills, and enhance their ability to adapt to change. They are generic skills that are used in virtually all occupations and throughout daily life. They are transferable from school to work, job to job and sector to sector and they also provide the foundation for learning other skills, such as technical skills and job/workplace skills.

This list was prepared by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) and widely used in many countries of the world. The skills included are listed below:

• Reading Text: The comprehension of text consisting of sentences and paragraphs. 
• Writing: The preparation of written materials for a variety of purposes. 
• Document Use: The use of labels, lists, signs, graphs, charts, tables, forms, and other similar materials. 
• Computer Use: The use of any type of computerized technology. 
• Oral Communication: The use of speech for a variety of purposes. 

NUMERACY

• Money Math: The use of mathematical skills in making financial transactions, such as handling cash, preparing bills, and making payments. 
• Scheduling or Budgeting and Accounting: Planning for the best use of time and money, as well as monitoring of the use of time and money. 
• Measurement and Calculation: The measurement and calculation of quantities, areas, volumes, and/or distances. 
• Data Analysis: The collection and analysis of data in numerical form. 
• Numerical Estimation: The production of estimates in numerical terms. 

THINKING SKILLS

• Job Task Planning and Organizing: The planning and organization of one’s own work. 
• Decision Making: The making of any type of decision, using appropriate information. 
• Problem Solving: The identification and solving of problems. 
• Finding Information: The use of a variety of sources, including written text, people, computerized databases, and information systems. (See also Reading Text, Document Use, Computer Use, and Oral Communication above.)

Source: Ontario Skills Passport http://skills.edu.gov.on.ca/OSPWeb/jsp/en/OSPskillsandworkhabits.jsp