The Relationship between Self-Concept and Self-Ratings of Generalizable Skills of Students in Postsecondary Career and Technical Programs

Increasingly, employers desire skills that have traditionally been the purview of high schools and postsecondary career and technical training systems: reading and writing, applied mathematics, and technical and functional skills specific to an occupational area. However, employers also want employees to possess generic skills, employability skills, essential skills, and applied general education skills. These include knowing how to learn, interpersonal skills (e.g., teamwork, leadership, customer service, negotiation), competence in applying general education (e.g., reading, writing, calculating, computing) to workplaces, effective listening and oral communication skills, information gathering and analysis, problem solving, critical/creative thinking, organizing, planning, decision-making, and personal attributes (e.g., motivation, integrity, dependability, self-management). Many of these skills were once reserved for those in management; however, they now are considered necessary for individuals at all levels ( Boyette & Conn, 1991 ; Carnevale, Gainer, & Meltzer, 1990 ; Coplin, 2003 ; Gardner, 2004 ; Lynch, 2000 ; Nedrow, 2002 ; Pearlman, 1997 ; Resnick, 1997 ; Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills [SCANS], 1991 ).