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

1. Reading:
   Identify relevant facts; locate information in books/manuals; find meanings of unknown words; judge accuracy of reports; use computers to find information.
2. Writing:
   Write ideas completely and accurately in letters and reports with proper grammar, spelling and punctuation; use computers to communicate information.
3. Mathematics:
   Use numbers, fractions and percentages to solve problems; use tables, graphs and charts; use computers to enter, retrieve, change and communicate numerical information.
4. Speaking:
   Speak clearly; select language, tone of voice and gestures appropriate to audience.

Personal Qualities

1. 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.
2. Self-management:
   Assess one's own knowledge and skills accurately; set specific, realistic personal goals; monitor progress toward goal.
3. 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

1. Creative Thinking:
   Use imagination freely, combining ideas or information in new ways; make connections between ideas that seem unrelated.
2. 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.
3. Decision Making:
   Identify goals; generate alternatives and gather information about them; weigh pros and cons; choose best alternative; plan how to carry out choice.
4. Visualization:
   Imagine building, object or system by looking at a blueprint or drawing.