Foundation Job Skills

The 17 Foundation Skills are those required of all workers in the high-performance workplace of the 21st century. They were developed from several high-level government commission reports. A corporate vice president and director at Motorola, Jim Burge, wrote this,

"At my company, Motorola, the only constant is change. Jobs that were once relatively simple now require high-performance work processes and enhanced skills. Today's job skills, identified by Professor Lawrence Jones in Job Skills for the 21st Century, reflect these changing workplace realities and help students, job applicants, and employees anticipate change."

There are four groups of Foundation Skills:

• Basic Skills
• Thinking Skills
• People Skills
• Personal Qualities

Download our free handout The Foundation Job Skills for non-commercial use. (PDF file, 2 pages)

Also read our article, Be Job and Work Skill Smart for a My Skills List download including the Foundation Skills.

Visit The Career Key Blog and its posts on Foundation Job Skills that include activities for strengthening them.

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