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## Other Youth Topics

## Breadcrumb

            -  Youth Topics 
            -  Employment 
            -           Qualifications and Attributes Critical to Employers      

# Qualifications and Attributes Critical to Employers

### What are the key competencies and foundational skills for successful workers?

Many skills are necessary for individuals to be successful workers, including academic knowledge, technical expertise, and general, cross-cutting abilities (often called employability skills, soft skills, workforce readiness skills, or career readiness skills) that are necessary for success in all employment levels and sectors.
                      - Applied Knowledge—thoughtful integration of academic knowledge and technical skills, put to practical use in the workplace.
                      - Effective Relationships—interpersonal skills and personal qualities that enable individuals to interact effectively with clients, coworkers, and supervisors.
                      - Workplace Skills—analytical and organizational skills and understandings that employees need to successfully perform work tasks.

Two major research studies involving surveys and feedback from large numbers of employers have established that “employability skills” outrank technical skills—or those skills needed for specific occupations based on industry standards—as the most important requirement for success in the workplace.1 Despite this, a 2007 report found that many young people lack the soft skills needed to excel in the workplace.2

Soft skills are generally defined as personal qualities, not technical, that translate into good job performance such as time-management and interpersonal skills. The Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) identified five competencies and three foundational skills and personal qualities needed for successful job performance.

The five competencies follow:
                      - Managing resources : The ability to allocate time, money, materials, space, and staff
                      - Working with others : The ability to work well with other people; teamwork skills are associated with communication skills, understanding of group culture, and sensitivity to the feelings and opinions of others
                      - Managing information : The ability to acquire and evaluate data, organize and maintain files, interpret and communicate ideas and messages, and use technology to process information
                      - Understanding systems : The ability to understand social, organizational, and technological systems; monitor and correct performance; and design or improve systems
                      - Utilizing technology : The ability to select equipment and tools, apply technology to specific tasks, and maintain and troubleshoot technologies

Three foundational skills are believed to support the competencies above:
                      - Basic skills : Reading, writing, arithmetic, and computational skills are essential to effectiveness on the job. Listening and speaking skills that enable accurate interpretations of informational exchanges and mathematics skills that enable workers to solve problems on the job are highly valued and are dependent on having fundamental language and mathematics capability. The “three Rs” are building blocks to higher-level functioning on the job.
                      - Thinking skills : Most studies list critical thinking, creative thinking, reasoning, and knowing how to learn new tasks as essential soft skills. “Problem solving” is another term that expresses the ability to analyze information and arrive at logical conclusions that add value to a worker’s efforts.
                      - Personal qualities : “Personal qualities” is a catch-all phrase that reflects values and behaviors that are aligned with the culture of the workplace. A strong work ethic, professionalism, self-management, integrity, individual responsibility, networking skills, adaptability, and sociability are soft skills that fall under this heading. 3

In 2007, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) asked representatives from businesses that were recognized for their innovative and proactive efforts to recruit, hire, and promote people with disabilities to develop a list of essential skills for young workers. The skills the group identified were similar to those identified as key competencies for successful young workers in the SCANS report. They included networking, enthusiasm, professionalism, communication skills, teamwork, and problem solving.4

### How can these skills be developed?

Soft skills can be developed through on-the-job coaching, in the classroom, through youth-serving organizations, and through service-learning and volunteering.

**On-the-Job Coaching**

Employers can encourage both technical and soft skill development through on-the-job coaching. Examples of on-the-job coaching are internships, apprenticeships, work-study programs, and training experiences where soft skills are learned through experiences. Although learning soft and technical skills on the job provides employees with an authentic learning experience, it can be challenging for employers to identify qualified coaches and allocate the appropriate staff time to ensure a focus on learning and skill development.5

**Schools**

Schools can prepare youth for the workplace by teaching soft skills or creating classroom environments that mimic work environments.6 These activities can make typical high school courses more relevant to students because almost everyone will work someday. Here are some essential workplace skills that can be taught in schools:
                      - Effective oral and written communications : This includes “active” listening (i.e., listening and speaking for clarity), writing business letters and resumes, and understanding email and cell phone etiquette in the workplace.
                      - Teamwork : For students who do not learn teamwork through sports, classroom projects assigned to teams of students provide good practice.
                      - Diversity training : Schools frequently offer diversity training to students, but not in the context of the workplace. This minor adjustment can prepare youth for work in diverse workforce settings.
                      - Professionalism : Classroom teachers can teach nearly any course in a workplace simulation that also prepares students for the culture and nuances of a work environment and the expectations of their employers. This approach could include simulating how to deal with a boss, manage time, and work within a system of incentives. 7

ODEP developed a curriculum for youth-serving professionals to assist them in working with in-school and out-of-school youth between the ages of 14 and 21, both with and without disabilities, in the development of employability skills. *Soft Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success* is a curriculum focused on teaching soft or workforce readiness skills to youth, including youth with disabilities. The basic structure of the program comprises hands-on, engaging activities that focus on six key skill areas: communication, enthusiasm and attitude, teamwork, networking, problem solving and critical thinking, and professionalism. The series also includes a soft skills video series with an accompanying discussion guide (PDF, 8 pages).

**Youth Programs, Service-Learning, and Volunteering**

Just like schools, service-learning projects, youth-serving organizations, and volunteering opportunities can also help foster soft skill development. For example, students who participate in service-learning have been found to develop increased tolerance of diversity and appreciation of other cultures, greater self-knowledge, personal efficacy, teamwork, leadership skills, compassion, selflessness, and intrinsic rewards.8

## Resources

**Employability Skills Framework**Resources on employability skills for employers, educators, and policymakers from the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education.

**Soft Skills to Pay the Bills—Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success**The Office of Disability Employment Policy developed this curriculum focused on teaching soft or workforce readiness skills to youth, including youth with disabilities. The curriculum was created for youth development professionals as an introduction to workplace interpersonal and professional skills. The curriculum targets youth ages 14 to 21 in both in-school and out-of-school environments. The basic structure of the program consists of modular, hands-on, engaging activities that focus on six key skill areas: communication, enthusiasm and attitude, teamwork, networking, problem solving and critical thinking, and professionalism.

**The Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS)****(PDF, 48 pages)**In 1990, the Secretary of Labor appointed a commission to determine the skills that our young people need to succeed in the world of work. The commission’s fundamental purpose was to encourage a high-performance economy characterized by high-skill, high-wage employment. Although the commission completed its work in 1992, its findings and recommendations continue to be a valuable source of information for individuals and organizations involved in education and workforce development.

**Teaching the SCANS Competencies****(PDF, 120 pages)**This report compiles six articles that give education and training practitioners practical suggestions for applying SCANS in classrooms and the workplace.

**Teaching Soft Skills****(PDF, 9 pages)**The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy provides a resource focused on how schools and employment opportunities can teach soft skills, specifically for students with disabilities.

## References

1 Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills, 1992; The Conference Board Corporate, Voices for Working Families, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, & Society for Human Resource Management, 20062 America’s Promise Alliance, 20073 SCANS, 19924 U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, 20115 U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, 20106 U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, 20107 U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, 20108 Joseph, Spake, Grantham, & Stone, 2008; Milne, Gabb, & Leihy, 2008

## Other Resources on this Topic

### Agencies 

                          - AmeriCorps
                          - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
                          - Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor
                          - Office of Disability Employment Policy, Department of Labor
                          - Wage and Hour Division, Department of Labor

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                          - Supporting Young Parents
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                          - Training: Resilience Strategies for Institutions of Higher Education: Techniques for Self-Care and Compassion Fatigue Prevention
                          - U.S. Department of Education Disperses Funds to Support Parents of Children with Disabilities
                          - Virtual Training: Enhancing School Safety Using Behavioral Threat Assessment
                          - Webinar Recording: Public Health and STEM with the CDC
                          - Webinar Recording: Youth Apprenticeship and Opportunity Youth - What's Working and How Can WIOA Youth Funds be Used?
                          - Webinar Series: New Evidence for Career and Technical Education
                          - Webinar Series: Shielding Your Well-Being: Post-Traumatic Growth
                          - Youth Voices Have Moved to YE4C

### Collaboration Profiles 

                          - Navicate
                          - Program Collaboration
                          - Program Components
                          - SBIRT/YouthBuild
                          - Worcester Youth Development and Professional Leadership Symposium
                          - YouthGo.gov

### Data Sources 

                          - American FactFinder

### Feature Articles 

                          - A Hand and Paw Partnership Benefits Homeless Youth
                          - Add Us In
                          - America’s Young Adults, 2014
                          - Developing Programs for Youth in Allied Health Careers
                          - Expanding Access to Health Care Services and Work-Based Experiences for Youth with Chronic Health Conditions and Disabilities
                          - Federal Schedule A Hiring Authority Fact Sheet: Tips for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities Interested in Starting a Career with the Federal Government
                          - Inclusive Internship Programs: A How-to-Guide for Employers
                          - Just Launched! Redesigned YE4C
                          - New Toolkit on Education & Careers for Youth on YE4C
                          - Pilot Project Helps YouthBuild Address Youth Substance Abuse
                          - Share with Youth: eInternship Opportunities with IWGYP
                          - Soft Skills to Pay the Bills
                          - Supporting Summer Youth Employment Programs
                          - The CITY Project
                          - The Youth Career Café - Empowering Youth to Succeed in the Real World
                          - Training Young Adults How To Save At Work
                          - YE4C Accepting Applications for the Editorial Board
                          - Youth Speakers Share Their Hopes for the Future

### Internships 

                          - AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC)
                          - Share with Youth: #ApprenticeshipWorks

### Job Opportunities 

                          - Department of Health and Human Services: Public Policy Internship
                          - Interns Graduate Project SEARCH-NIH Program, Eight Hired at NIH
                          - Registered Apprenticeship

### Programs 

                          - 2013 Youth Jobs+ Initiative
                          - Division of Youth Services
                          - FEMA Corps
                          - Job Corps
                          - John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood
                          - National Academies Board on Children, Youth, and Families
                          - Neighborhood Networks
                          - Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium
                          - Reintegration of ExOffenders Program
                          - ServiceWorks
                          - Workforce Investment Act Youth Programs
                          - YouthBuild

### Publications 

                          - “It Changed My Life Forever”: Our Job Corps Stories
                          - 21st Century Registered Apprenticeship: A Shared Vision for Increasing Opportunity, Innovation, and Competitiveness for American Workers and Employers
                          - Aftercare Services
                          - Are You A Teen Worker?
                          - Connecting At-Risk Youth to Promising Occupations
                          - Disability Employment 101
                          - Economic Costs of Youth Disadvantage and High-Return Opportunities for Change
                          - Employment and Training for Court-Involved Youth
                          - Employment and Unemployment Among Youth - Summer 2013
                          - Employment and Unemployment Among Youth – Summer 2014
                          - First Step: A Youth Practitioner’s Resource Guide to Supportive Services
                          - Helping Students Prepare for Employment
                          - High School Apprenticeship Toolkit
                          - Indian and Native American Summer Youth Employment Initiatives and the 2009 Recovery Act
                          - Interim Report for the Department of Labor Youth Offender Demonstration Project: Process Evaluation
                          - Joint Letter on Informing Career Decisions from the Departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services
                          - Joint Letter Regarding Building Partnerships With American Job Center Network
                          - Life Changes Require Health Choices, Know Your Benefit Options
                          - My Brother’s Keeper Task Force Report to the President
                          - New Employee Savings Tips – Time Is On Your Side
                          - Opportunity for All: Supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander Families
                          - Report on Young Adult Employment
                          - Report: Combatting Religious Discrimination Today
                          - Savings Fitness: A Guide to Your Money and Your Financial Future
                          - Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS)
                          - Shaping History Through STEM Careers
                          - Soft Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success
                          - Teaching Soft Skills Through Workplace Simulation in Classroom Settings
                          - Teaching the SCANS Competencies
                          - Top 10 Ways to Prepare for Retirement
                          - Training and Employment Guidance Letter on WIA Youth Program
                          - Trends Among Young Adults Over Three Decades
                          - Using TANF Funds to Support Subsidized Youth Employment: The 2010 Summer Youth Employment Initiative
                          - Virtual Workplace Flexibility Toolkit
                          - Youth Apprenticeship

### Resources 

                          - Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
                          - Healthy Transitions: A Pathway to Employment for Youth with Chronic Health Conditions and Other Disabilities
                          - Report: Adverse Childhood Experiences and Life Opportunities
                          - Report: Exploring Cross-Domain Instability in Families with Children
                          - Report: Fulfilling America’s Future: Latinas in the U.S., 2015
                          - Report: High School Students’ Views on Who Influences Their Thinking about Education and Careers
                          - Report: Participation in High School Career and Technical Education and Postsecondary Enrollment
                          - Resource: 2017 Summer Jobs Resources Pages
                          - Resource: Mental Health Needs of Youth
                          - Resource: Mythbuster! WIOA Titles I and II
                          - Resource: Native One Stop Website
                          - Resource: Next Level Now (NLN) Collaborative Community
                          - Resource: NHSC Poster
                          - Resource: Program-Level Gainful Employment Earnings Data
                          - Resource: School’s Out, But Safety Should Always Be In
                          - Resource: Supporting Success of Youth under WIOA
                          - Resource: Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP)
                          - Resource: Youth Workforce Development
                          - Share with Youth: Career Video Collection
                          - Share with Youth: Educational Opportunities for a Career in Cybersecurity
                          - Share with Youth: From Fear to a Love of Nature: One Arctic Youth Ambassador’s Journey
                          - Share with Youth: Helping Teens Find Their Right Job
                          - Share with Youth: Hitting the Open Road After High School
                          - Share with Youth: TA Series for Youth Practitioners
                          - Understanding Taxes
                          - USDA Awards $200 Million for Skills Training to Help SNAP Recipients Get Jobs

### Technical Assistance 

                          - CareerOneStop Centers
                          - Homelessness Resource Center
                          - National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety
                          - National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability
                          - National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center
                          - PACER Center's Technical Assistance on Transition and the Rehabilitation Act (TATRA) Project

### Tools & Guides 

                          - Charting the Course: Supporting the Career Development of Youth with Learning Disabilities
                          - Child Labor Rules Advisor
                          - Explore Career and Educational Opportunities
                          - MySkillsMyFuture
                          - Occupational Outlook Handbook
                          - Regulations for Unpaid Internships
                          - State-based Occupational Health Surveillance Clearinghouse
                          - Ticket to Work Program
                          - Tunnels and Cliffs: A Guide for Workforce Development Practitioners and Policymakers Serving Youth with Mental Health Needs
                          - USDA Living Science
                          - Young Workers

### Training Resources 

                          - Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Youth Flash Training Series

### Videos & Podcasts 

                          - Know Your Health Benefits Rights Video
                          - Saving Matters Video
                          - Share with Youth: CareerOneStop's Video Collection
                          - Share with Youth: Health Profession Opportunity Grant Spotlight on Kelly
                          - Share with Youth: Job Corps Means — Feeling Needed
                          - Share With Youth: Job Corps Voices: Kevin and Green Career Training — Career Training and Education Program
                          - TechGirls 2013: A Network of Young Innovators
                          - Video: Job Corps Voices — Brittany and Making a Better Future — Career Training and Education Program
                          - Video: Reflections on The White House Internship Program

### Websites 

                          - Apprenticeship.gov
                          - Federal Network for Young Worker Safety and Health
                          - Help Youth Connect to Internships!
                          - Interagency Council on Homelessness
                          - Kids.gov
                          - Recovery.gov
                          - Resource: Disability and Apprenticeship
                          - Resources to Assist Apprenticeship Programs
                          - Saving Matters
                          - Student Leaders Speak About Preparing for 21st Century Careers
                          - The Campaign for Disability Employment
                          - Workforce System Strategies
                          - www.MyFuture.com
                          - Young Worker Safety and Health
                          - Youth@Work
                          - Youth@Work: Talking Safety
                          - YouthBuild AmeriCorps: A Path Out of Poverty

### Youth Topics 

                          - Employment
                          - Opportunity Youth

## Youth Briefs

How Individualized Education Program (IEP) Transition Planning Makes a Difference for Youth with Disabilities
Youth who receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) and especially young adults of transition age, should be involved in planning for life after high school as early as possible and no later than age 16. Transition services should stem from the individual youth’s needs and strengths, ensuring that planning takes into account his or her interests, preferences, and desires for the future.

Youth Transitioning to Adulthood: How Holding Early Leadership Positions Can Make a Difference
Research links early leadership with increased self-efficacy and suggests that leadership can help youth to develop decision making and interpersonal skills that support successes in the workforce and adulthood. In addition, young leaders tend to be more involved in their communities, and have lower dropout rates than their peers. Youth leaders also show considerable benefits for their communities, providing valuable insight into the needs and interests of young people

How Trained Service Professionals and Self-Advocacy Makes a Difference for Youth with Mental Health, Substance Abuse, or Co-occurring Issues
Statistics reflecting the number of youth suffering from mental health, substance abuse, and co-occurring disorders highlight the necessity for schools, families, support staff, and communities to work together to develop targeted, coordinated, and comprehensive transition plans for young people with a history of mental health needs and/or substance abuse.

Young Adults Formerly in Foster Care: Challenges and Solutions
Nearly 30,000 youth aged out of foster care in Fiscal Year 2009, which represents nine percent of the young people involved in the foster care system that year. This transition can be challenging for youth, especially youth who have grown up in the child welfare system.

Coordinating Systems to Support Transition Age Youth with Mental Health Needs
Research has demonstrated that as many as one in five children/youth have a diagnosable mental health disorder. Read about how coordination between public service agencies can improve treatment for these youth.

Civic Engagement Strategies for Transition Age Youth
Civic engagement has the potential to empower young adults, increase their self-determination, and give them the skills and self-confidence they need to enter the workforce. Read about one youth’s experience in AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC).

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