The six core skills for learning, work, and society (2024)

The British Council have defined six core skills that support learning, citizenship and employment. Here they are in more detail.

The British Council’s Connecting Classrooms programme aims to support young people to develop the knowledge, skills and values needed for life and work in a global economy.

The Core skills

As part of this, the British Council have defined six core skills that support learning, citizenship and employment:

  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Communication and collaboration
  • Creativity and imagination
  • Student leadership
  • Citizenship
  • Digital literacy

Let’s take a look at each of them in more detail.

Critical thinking and problem solving

Promoting self-directed thinking that produces new and innovative ideas and solves problems; reflecting critically on learning experiences and processes and making effective decisions.

Communication and collaboration

Fostering effective communication (orally, and in writing); actively listening to others in diverse and multilingual environments and understanding verbal and non-verbal communication; developing the ability to work in diverse international teams, including learning from and contributing to the learning of others, assuming shared responsibility, co-operating, learning, delegating and compromising to produce new and innovative ideas and solutions.

Creativity and imagination

Promoting economic and social entrepreneurialism; imagining and pursuing novel ideas; judging values; developing innovation and curiosity.

Student leadership

Recognising the importance of honesty and empathy; recognising others’ needs and safety; fostering perseverance, resilience and self-confidence; exploring leadership, self-regulation and responsibility; personal health and well-being; career and life skills; learning to learn and lifelong learning.

Citizenship

Developing active, globally aware citizens who have the skills, knowledge and motivation to address issues of human and environmental sustainability and work towards a fairer world in a spirit of mutual respect and open dialogue; developing an understanding of what it means to be a citizen of their own country and their own country’s values.

Digital literacy

Developing the skills to discover, acquire and communicate knowledge and information in a globalised economy; using technology to reinforce, extend and deepen learning through international collaboration.

If you’d like to learn more about the core skills required for learning, work and society, take the British Council online course today.

© British Council

The six core skills for learning, work, and society (2024)

FAQs

The six core skills for learning, work, and society? ›

They include critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, digital literacy and lifelong learning. CBC's core competencies foster holistic development by emphasising skills that are essential not only in academics but also in life.

What are the six core competencies of the curriculum? ›

They include critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, digital literacy and lifelong learning. CBC's core competencies foster holistic development by emphasising skills that are essential not only in academics but also in life.

What is the core skill of learning? ›

The ACSF is a 5 x 5 framework: Five core skills (learning, reading, writing, oral communication, numeracy) Five levels of performance for each core skill.

What are core work skills? ›

Core work skills The ability to learn and adapt; read, write and compute competently; listen and communicate effectively; think creatively; solve problems independently; manage oneself at work; interact with co-workers; work in teams or groups; handle basic technology, lead effectively as well as follow supervision.

How many core skills are there? ›

There are ten core skills that are broadly divided into three general categories i.e. Thinking skills, Social skills, and Emotional skills. Thinking Skills: ​Creative thinking: Creative thinking helps us respond adaptively and flexibly in our everyday life situations.

What do the 6 learning skills mean? ›

The six learning skills and work habits are responsibility, organization, independent work, collaboration, initiative, and self-regulation.

What are the six competencies of deeper learning? ›

Defines the six Deeper Learning competencies: master core academic content, think critically and solve complex problems, communicate effectively, work collaboratively, learn how to learn, develop academic mindsets.

How do you identify core skills? ›

They include both hard skills (those that can be learned through training or education) and soft skills (those that come from personality traits). Examples of core competencies include people & communication skills, behaviour traits, thinking style, job-specific skills, leadership traits and company-specific traits.

How do I find my core skills? ›

To identify your skills and decide what skills to develop, you could:
  1. think about what you do in your current job.
  2. reflect on your past education and work experiences.
  3. think about the skills you've gained in daily life.
  4. talk to people who know you well outside of work, for a different perspective.

What are the core elements of learning? ›

These elements are: differentiation, adaptivity, student engagement, direct instruction, practice, formative assessment with immediate feedback and student explanation of learning.

What is another word for core skills? ›

Core Competencies Synonym: Sometimes, you might come across terms that are synonymous with core competencies, such as "key skills," "core capabilities," or "fundamental strengths." These synonyms essentially convey the same idea – the critical abilities and attributes that drive success in a particular field or role.

What are the minimum core skills? ›

Some ways of demonstrating the four minimum core skills include: Literacy – reading, writing, checking spelling, grammar, punctuation and syntax of own and learners' work. Language – speaking and listening.

What are the three core skills required? ›

Technical skills. Conceptual skills. Human or interpersonal management skills.

Are core skills soft skills? ›

Critical Core Skills. Critical core or soft skills are the building blocks of success. They are valued by employers and can have a significant impact on career success. Critical core skills are a set of observable and transferable behaviours that can be applied across sectors, functional areas and job roles.

What is core competency in curriculum? ›

The Core Competencies are sets of intellectual, personal, and social and emotional proficiencies that all students need in order to engage in deep, lifelong learning.

What are the 7 core competencies? ›

What are the seven core competencies of the Competency-Based Curriculum?
  • Communication and collaboration.
  • Critical thinking and problem solving.
  • Imagination and creativity.
  • Citizenship.
  • Learning to learn.
  • Self-efficacy.
  • Digital literacy.

What is competency 6? ›

Competency #6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities. Social workers understand that engagement is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with, and on behalf of, diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

What is curriculum competencies? ›

A competency-based curriculum is a curriculum that emphasizes what learners are expected to do rather than mainly focusing on what they are expected to know. In principle, such a curriculum is learner-centred and adaptive to the changing needs of students, teachers, and society.

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