21st-century-skills
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- NewsThe PIE News23 Jul 2026
Our obsession with ‘work-readiness’ may be making young people less prepared for work
Despite increased efforts to prepare young people for work through expanded vocational pathways and employer involvement, employers continue to report that graduates are unprepared. The rapid evolution of careers, with many future jobs not yet existing, undermines the effectiveness of a narrow focus on work-readiness.
Original abstract
Every graduation season, a familiar scene plays out in schools and universities across the world. Headteachers, university leaders and employer partners stand in front of young people and offer the same reassurance: that the education they have just completed has made them ‘work-ready’. It’s a comforting phrase. Parents want to hear it. Schools want to deliver it. Universities point to it as evidence of value. And the intention behind it is absolutely the right one. When young people leave education, they should be equipped to contribute, support themselves and build meaningful careers. No sensible educator would argue otherwise. But there is a question that has been bothering me for some time. If we are spending more time than ever preparing young people for work, why do so many employers still tell us that young people are not prepared for work? Something doesn’t quite add up. Over the past two decades, schools, universities and employers have worked harder than ever to close the gap between education and employment. Vocational pathways have expanded. Employers have become more involved in education. Skills frameworks have been developed, refined and redeveloped. By almost any measure, this should be the most work-ready generation in history. If we are spending more time than ever preparing young people for work, why do so many employers still tell us that young people are not prepared for work? And yet we continue to hear concerns about the gap between what young people know and what they can actually do. At the same time, the careers they are preparing for are changing faster than ever. Twenty years ago, very few schools were preparing students to become app developers, social media strategists or sustainability officers. Today, those are established professions. The same will be true of many of tomorrow’s careers that we simply cannot see yet. That’s the challenge. The future of work is evolving faster than our ability to predict it. The World Economic Forum’s
- PaperJournal of Learning Analytics30 Mar 2026
Advancing 21st-Century Professional Competencies with Learning Analytics in the Age of Generative AI
Abhinava Barthakur, Olga Viberg, René F. Kizilcec, Ryan S. Baker et al.
This special issue presents five studies exploring how learning analytics and generative AI can bridge the gap between institutional goals for 21st-century professional competencies and actual assessment practices. The studies cover benchmarking LLMs for curricular alignment, designing Socratic chatbots for self-regulated learning, psychometric modeling of competencies, and governance of curriculum analytics. The authors advocate for dynamic, longitudinal assessments over static metrics to better capture learner capability.
Original abstract
The rise of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and accelerated globalization have necessitated a fundamental recalibration of higher education to prioritize domain-agnostic, 21st-century professional competencies. While institutional commitment to these skills is high, their systematic integration into the curriculum and evaluation remains fragmented, highlighting a critical gap between traditional academic success metrics and demonstrated workforce readiness. This special issue presents five complementary studies that investigate how the intersection of learning analytics (LA) and GenAI can bridge the gap between institutional rhetoric and demonstrated professional readiness. The contributions collectively advance a research agenda across four dimensions: 1) benchmarking large language models (LLMs) for curricular-competency alignment using reasoning-based prompting, 2) the iterative design of Socratic-style GenAI chatbots to scaffold self-regulated learning, 3) the application of psychometric modelling and Latent Profile Analysis to quantify 21st-century professional competencies, and 4) institutional governance and adoption of curriculum analytics. Collectively, these studies advocate for an epistemological shift toward process-sensitive assessments that move beyond static, episodic indicators toward dynamic, longitudinal representations of learner capability. We conclude by outlining the sociotechnical infrastructure, including robust governance and interdisciplinary collaboration, required to responsibly transition these AI-driven innovations from research prototypes to sustainable enterprise infrastructure, ensuring that analytics serve the evolving needs of students, educators, and professional bodies.
- PaperJournal of Learning Analytics15 Mar 2026
Assessing 21st Century Competencies
Mónica Hernández-Campos, Isabel Hilliger, Francisco-José García-Peñalvo
Curriculum analytics tools effectively support assessing learning outcomes aligned with 21st-century competencies by providing actionable insights for faculty, leading to more authentic and reflective teaching practices, as shown in a two-case study in higher education.
Original abstract
The growing emphasis on competency-based education (CBE) has heightened the need for clearly defined metrics and robust assessment frameworks to evaluate 21st-century competencies. Curriculum analytics (CA) provides a promising avenue for assessing learning outcomes (LOs) and informing continuous improvement in higher education. However, challenges persist in differentiating academic performance from actual LO development and in translating assessment data into meaningful program-level actions. This study examines how CA tools support the direct assessment of LOs and contribute to continuous improvement processes in higher education. Using a two-case study design, we analyzed CA implementation in two universities through interviews, cognitive walkthroughs, and institutional document analysis. Data triangulation identified 18 themes, nine of which reached full consensus among the three researchers. Findings indicate that CA tools effectively support the assessment of LOs aligned with 21st-century competencies by generating actionable insights that guide faculty toward more authentic and reflective teaching practices. The study contributes to the LA field by providing empirical evidence of how CA tools can bridge assessment and pedagogical improvement, offering both theoretical and practical implications for researchers and practitioners.
- PaperETS Research Report Series30 Jan 2026
Keep Calm and Carry On: A Conceptual Framework for Perseverance
Kevin Williams, Guangming Ling, Jose Sotelo, Wyman Brantley et al.
Proposes a novel conceptual framework for perseverance consisting of two subskills: emotional resilience and effortful persistence. Developed as part of a critical skills taxonomy for youth education (pre-K–12), the framework clarifies ambiguities in prior definitions and distinguishes perseverance from overlapping constructs. Implications for measurement and malleability are discussed, with relevance to academic and life outcomes.
Original abstract
Perseverance is a highly valued durable skill—a set of constructs also referred to as socioemotional skills, noncognitive constructs, transferrable skills, and 21st century skills, among other terms—as it describes one’s ability to manage challenges and obstacles in academic, workplace, and other life areas. As part of a new critical skills taxonomy designed to include academic and employability skills beyond traditional academic content knowledge, our novel conceptual framework of perseverance addresses the ambiguities of previous perseverance definitions. Specifically, our perseverance definition includes two subskills: emotional resilience and effortful persistence. We approach conceptualization with an eye towards relevance for youth settings (e.g., pre-kindergarten–Grade 12). We also compare this conceptual framework to previous definitions and distinguish it from overlapping constructs. We then describe each subskill’s relevance to outcomes across various settings. Additional implications of our conceptual framework, including measurement considerations and malleability, are discussed. Suggested citation: Williams, K. M., Ling, G., Sotelo, J., Brantley, W., Wang, Y., & Kinsey, D. (2026). Keep calm and carry on: A conceptual framework for perseverance (Research Report No. RR-26-01). ETS. https://doi.org/10.64634/5qd2rx29