Strengthening durable skills in the classroom and workforce
As AI-driven technologies and automation become more prevalent, employers seek professionals whose skills can help society adapt and advance in a changing world. These in-demand skills — such as creativity, collaboration and problem-solving — align with the types of attributes that educators have found conducive to students’ academic and career success.
An analysis by America Succeeds and Lightcast, previously Emsi Burning Glass, found that 7 of the 10 most requested skills in job postings are focused on what are called durable skills. As more K–12 educators and school systems explore ways to integrate these skills into their curricula, the ASU Professional Educator Learning Hub has launched a new professional learning specialization, Teaching Durable Skills, based on a framework developed by America Succeeds, a non-profit education advocacy organization that engages business leaders in modernizing education systems to drive equity and opportunity.
The course was developed through a collaboration between Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and America Succeeds. In this Q&A, MLFTC instructor Sarah Carranza and America Succeeds President and Co-Founder Tim Taylor explain what durable skills are and why it’s important for educators and education systems to integrate these approaches.
Learn more at MLFTC's Jan. 17, 2025 webinar on embedding durable skills in K–12 education. Register now.
What are durable skills?
Taylor (America Succeeds): We started defining durable skills by listening to what employers say about the qualities needed for workforce and career advancement. Durable skills are a combination of how you use what you know — skills like critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity, for example — as well as character skills like fortitude, growth mindset and leadership. We believe that students who acquire or sharpen these skills are in a better position to succeed academically and professionally.
How does this affect how and what students learn in school?
Taylor: Durable skills aren't about replacing academic learning. The acquisition of knowledge in fields such as social studies, math and reading are essential foundations to the advancement of our society. However, employers are increasingly interested in ensuring that students are better prepared in skills such as creativity, adaptability and critical thinking that can translate to different workforce and career roles. It’s also becoming even more critical to prepare youths to thrive and contribute to a world where AI is becoming more prevalent. As workforce roles and tasks evolve, there will be an even greater need to develop these kinds of durable human skills that can help manage and coordinate these transformations. Schools and educators we have worked with find that approaches such as service-learning and project-based learning provide opportunities to develop these kinds of skills.
What research supports the integration of durable skills in education?
Carranza (MLFTC): It’s important to view durable skills as complementary to academic learning, with both immediate and longer-term benefits. Research specific to durable skills may be still evolving; however, we do see promising related research that indicates a connection with the development of these kinds of skills contributing to improved student grades, test scores and attendance. Of note, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and ETS recently announced they are developing assessment and analytics tools that can be applied to measuring a range of skills considered to be essential to succeeding in K–12, postsecondary education and beyond, which includes durable skills. Doing so will provide further foundation for research and help teachers and schools assess student development of these skills.
What are districts and states doing to integrate durable skills?
Taylor: A growing number of schools and districts are integrating career readiness and life skills into their curricula. In 2015, the Cajon Valley Union School District launched a K–8 initiative (World of Work) that helps students explore career interests while identifying how skills such as organization, research and interpersonal communication connect to various professions. The district is in the process of working with partners to evaluate these skills, aiming to create digital transcripts that document both academic achievements and real-world competencies gained through schoolwork, jobs, clubs and volunteering. States are also in various stages of integrating durable skills. For example, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has made a point of noting that durable skills are essential to every occupation in the state. They recently updated their Portrait of a Graduate that emphasizes student academic success along with student’s ability to adapt, to collaborate, communicate, think critically, show empathy, learn and take personal responsibility.
How was the durable skills specialization developed?
Carranza: For this specialization, MLFTC faculty and staff were tasked with creating a comprehensive professional learning resource based on America Succeeds’ durable skills framework. Our objective was to equip K–12 educators, and others, with the knowledge and strategies to teach durable skills effectively. The specialization incorporates elements of MLFTC’s many resources as a top-ranked school of education. We found, for example, that durable skills can be taught with resources developed in our college through the Center for Whole Child Education and ASU’s Principled Innovation initiative, which started at MLFTC, and we integrated these approaches in alignment with the framework.
We also developed this specialization to be applicable to a range of learning-focused groups. The anticipated audience for this specialization includes professional educators and pre-service and early career educators. It also includes community educators, who are youth-serving professionals and volunteers, such as academic tutors, mentors and reading volunteers, who provide capacity and insight in service of deepening and personalizing student learning.
How can educators integrate durable skills into the classroom?
Carranza: The course outlines America Succeed’s 10 defined durable skills and provides guidance on integrating durable skills into lessons and current pedagogical practices. Through project-based learning, for example, students will collaborate, problem-solve, and use critical thinking, creativity and metacognition to solve real-world problems. Similarly, history lessons can incorporate debates or role-playing exercises that build communication, creativity and metacognition. Math teachers can incorporate financial literacy exercises, which develop both mathematical proficiency and decision-making skills. Integrated projects and service learning can also provide opportunities for students to develop skills while engaging with community topics and issues that promote critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and leadership.
Learn more:
Take an introductory “power-up” course on durable skills, available at no cost. Intro to Durable Skills provides further insight into how educators can be prepared to support either teams or schools in the following ways:
- Integrate durable skills into grade levels and subjects.
- Train faculty to incorporate durable skills and foster cross-curricular links.
- Promote learning experiences to enhance critical thinking, teamwork and leadership.
- Assess durable skills development, offering feedback for improvement.
- Engage with community and industry to provide real-world learning experiences.
Explore the Teaching Durable Skills specialization, available at the ASU Professional Educator Learning Hub. The Teaching Durable Skills specialization consists of 5 individual courses, and can be taken as a facilitated (instructor-led) or self-paced model. Micro-credentials are also available.
- Communication and Mindfulness: available now
- Collaboration and Growth Mindset: available now
- Critical Thinking and Metacognition: available February/March 2025
- Creativity and Fortitude: available February/March 2025