A new effort to evaluate the "durable" skills that lead to success and achievement in the 21^st Century workforce was launched today by nonprofit organizations America Succeeds and CompTIA. The announcement was made at the ASU+GSV Summit, an annual gathering that connects leading minds focused on transforming society and business around learning and work.

America Succeeds and CompTIA are collaborating on ways to integrate durable skills into education pathways – in the classroom for future workers and in employee training for individuals already in the workforce – to prepare them for success in their careers and communities.

"Durable skills are the skills that last a lifetime, the skills that you use to demonstrate what you know and the skills that employers are looking for," said Tim Taylor, co-founder and president of America Succeeds, a national nonprofit that is committed to engaging business leaders in accelerating equity, access, and opportunity in education.

"We believe helping students better develop their innate durable skills at an early age will help them compete, contribute, and thrive in their careers," said Todd Thibodeaux president and CEO of CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce.

The two organizations will discuss their initiative in a virtual session at the ASU + GSV Summit (2:10 p.m. PDT, Tuesday, April 5). Registration for the virtual event is free at ASU + GSV Summit.  

Durable skills, also referred to as soft skills, human skills or 21^st century skills, can be difficult to define or quantify. Generally, they fall under ten major themes or competencies.