Essential Life Skills for a 21st Century Workforce

Communication, teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, giving and receiving feedback, self-discipline every year, skills like these become more sought after by employers and colleges. These skills are included in Minnesota's Career and College Readiness framework, and they fall into five areas:

☝️ Click to explore the competencies!

These valuable skills are sometimes referred to as "21st Century Skills," "Social Emotional Learning," etc. Schools have endless opportunities across the school day to help students develop these skills. As one teacher put it, "Learning life skills isn't part of my students' day, it IS their day!" Explore (below) to learn more.

A Supportive Climate

Building strong relationships and helping all students and staff to feel valued and respected

Establishing clear behavior expectations and spotlighting when students meet them

Helping students to learn from mistakes, restore their relationships, and move on

Maximizing Academics

Building collaboration skills through group work, peer feedback, and similar academic routines

Fostering perseverance and the attitude that we can learn and grow by overcoming obstacles

Building organization skills, time management, and related skills needed to set and reach goals

Freestanding Activities

Meaningful conversations about the why and how of essential workplace and life skills

Keeping a cool head in a stressful situation, preventing bullying, digital citizenship, and more

Teachers use evidence-based curriculums to frame these conversations