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In 1990 the Secretary of Labor formed a commission to examine the demands of the workplace and whether our young
people are capable of meeting those demands. Specifically, the commission was directed to advise the Secretary
on the level of skills required to enter employment. The commission was named the Secretary's Commission on Achieving
Necessary Skills (SCANS).
The report, called "What Work Requires of Schools", was issued in June, 1991, after 12 months of work.
What the Commission found was that more than half our young people leave school without the knowledge or foundation
required to find and hold a good job. There are two major reasons: The globalization of commerce and industry,
and the explosive growth of technology.
The Commission's research found that effective job performance is what business calls workplace know-how.
This know-how has two elements: competencies and a foundation. The SCANS report identifies five competencies and
a three-part foundation of skills and personal qualities that lie at the heart of job performance. While the Commission's
work ended with the report, it's recommendations must be implemented; as the report stated, "...defining competencies
and a foundation is not enough. Schools must teach them. Students must learn them."
The Five Competencies:
A Three Part Foundation:
Basic Skills: reads, writes, performs arithmetic and mathematical operations, listens and speaks
Thinking Skills: thinks creatively, makes decisions, solves problems, visualizes, knows how to learn, and reasons
Personal Qualities: displays responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, self-management, and integrity and honesty
For more information, you may wish to visit: SCANS 2000, The Workforce Skills
Website--http://www.scans.jhu.edu/
Other related sites of interest:
Last update:
August 31, 2000 (DN)
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