The power of transportable skills: Assessing the demand and value of the skills of the future

All workers will need to adapt and learn new skills over their careers, but some skills stand the test of time. Because workers can use these skills to navigate transitions across virtually any industry, these ‘transportable skills’ learned in K-12 programs have lifelong value. This report examines workforce demand for five such skills taught to millions of students each year in Project Lead The Way (PLTW) PreK-12 programs: collaboration, problem-solving, critical and creative thinking, communication, and ethical reasoning and mindset. This research demonstrates the importance of providing students with insights about their transportable skills and abilities so they can hone and communicate them in the future.