Measuring Foundational Academic and Workplace Competencies Important for Work and Career Success

There are common indicators between college and workplace success. For example, research has shown that cognitive ability is the strongest predictor for both job performance and academic success.1 In addition, certain personality traits such as conscientiousness and emotional stability, as well as motivational factors such as goal setting, also predict both college and work outcomes. While there are some commonalities among academic and workplace success indicators, there are differences in how these indicators are measured. A report by the National Assessment Governing Board found that measuring reading and math for academic settings does not equate to measuring reading and math for applied workplace settings. While some overlap was found, the results of the study did not support using only academic assessments to measure career readiness.2 These findings produce further support for incorporating both foundational academic and workplace competencies into secondary and post-secondary education programs so that the targets of instruction are aligned with general job skill requirements. In summary, research shows that college and career success is multidimensional and needs to be assessed using a variety of indicators. How we measure these important indicators depends on the context (academic vs workplace) and there is value in combining these indicators to create a more holistic view of an individual’s potential for career success.