A SCANS Report for America 2000

What the US Department of Labor Wants From

YOU As an Employee in America’s Work Force.

SCANS?Secretary’s

Commission onAchievingNecessary

Skills

Why SCANS? To help educators make

high school courses more relevant to the

needs of a modern work force.

The work place has changed and you need to know these

skills to help you better succeed.

BASIC SKILLS• READING• WRITING• ARITHMETIC• MATHEMATICS• LISTENING• SPEAKING

BASIC SKILLS• CREATIVE THINKING• DECISION MAKING• PROBLEM SOLVING• SEEING THINGS IN THE

MIND’S EYE• KNOWING HOW TO

LEARN• REASONING

READINGCan I locate, understand, and

interpret information from manuals, graphs, online

resources, and schedules-to perform tasks?

WRITINGHow well do I communicate

my thoughts, ideas, information, and messages in writing? Do I understand the difference between formal

register and informal register when communicating?

ARITHMETICHow well do I make

estimates in my head? Can I use whole numbers

and percentages in practical situations? Do I

have a sense of measurement for time,

space, or distance?

MATHEMATICS

Can I solve practical problems with mathematical

techniques?Do I know how to figure how

much carpet to buy? Do I know how much paint it

would take to paint a room?

LISTENING• RECEIVES

• ATTENDS

• INTERPRETS• AND RESPONDS

TO VERBAL MESSAGES

SPEAKING

How well do I present information to others? Do I speak clearly and

respond to listener feedback?

CREATIVE THINKING

• Uses imagination and combines ideas and information in new ways.

DECISION MAKING

How well do I evaluate risks and choose the best alternatives? How

often do my choices get me into trouble?

PROBLEM SOLVING• Do I recognize when a

problem exists?• Do I know how to find

the resources I need?• Can I make a plan to

solve it?• Do I evaluate

progress?• Can I revise the plan if

it doesn’t work?

Seeing Things Through the Mind’s Eye

Do I see the total picture?Do I see a building when I read a

blueprint?Can I see the system’s operation from the schematic or storyboard

design?

KNOWING HOW TO LEARN

How well do I take the foundation skills that have been provided to

me for many years and apply them to new information? What kind of

foundation do I really have?

REASONING• Do I have logical

thinking skills? Do I approach a problem with a plan? Am I able to see the next step to accomplish a goal?

BASIC SKILLS= ACADEMIC GRADES these are EASY TO

MEASURE….NOW ON TO the Most

IMPORTANT SKILLS FOR SUCCESS.

PERSONAL QUALITIES

• RESPONSIBILITY

• SELF-ESTEEM

• SOCIAL

• SELF-MANAGEMENT

• INTEGRITY

• HONESTY

RESPONSIBILITY• DO I EXERT A HIGH LEVEL OF EFFORT

TO ACHIEVE A GOAL? Do I have a Good Work Ethic?

• WHAT ABOUT MY ENTHUSIASM?• AM I PUNCTUAL IN ARRIVAL,

ATTENDANCE, and for DEADLINES?• ARE MY STANDARDS HIGH?• DO I HAVE MATERIALS FOR CLASS?• DO I PERSIST EVEN IF I THINK THE

WORK IS HARD?

SELF-ESTEEM

• DO I BELIEVE IN MYSELF?

• WILL I LET OTHERS SEE MY SKILLS OR DO I HIDE WITH POOR BEHAVIOR?

• DO I REALIZE I INFLUENCE OTHERS?

• WILL I TRY TO DO THE RIGHT THING WHEN OTHERS DON’T?

SOCIALHOW DO I TREAT OTHERS?

DO I TRY TO HELP OR BELITTLE?

AM I ABLE TO RESPECT OTHERS?

SELF-MANAGEMENTDO I SET GOALS AND

COMPLETE WORK?DO I EXHIBIT SELF-CONTROL?

DO I PLAN WITH & UTILIZE TIMELINES?

DO I RESPOND TO FEEDBACK WITHOUT GETTING

DEFENSIVE?

INTEGRITY/HONESTY• CAN I BE TRUSTED?• IF ASKED TO GET A

TASK DONE AND LEFT UNSUPERVISED, DO I WORK or GOOF OFF?

• DO I TELL THE TRUTH EVEN IF IT MIGHT BE UNCOMFORTABLE FOR ME?

You will be responsible for giving yourself a portion of your own SCANS grade in this class.

To be successful adults in the work place you will learn to

develop the SCANS skills that every employer wants.