Sustainable Essential Skills in Construction

What are Essential Skills?

The 9 Essential Skills are the foundational skills needed for learning other skills and for success at every job. Strong Essential Skills help workers adapt to workplace change and additional learning.

Essential Skills	Definition	Workplace examples
Reading	Reading is understanding information in the form of sentences or paragraphs.	reading instructions from an equipment manual reading flight information on a computer screen
Document Use	Document use is reading signs, labels, lists or drawings; interpreting information on graphs; and entering information on forms.	interpreting building height information from a blueprint getting price information from a product catalogue
Numeracy	Numeracy is using numbers and thinking in quantitative terms to complete tasks, such as estimating amounts, scheduling or analyzing data.	calculating the amount of change to give to a customer preparing budgets for the company
Writing	Writing is conveying ideas by writing text and writing in documents, such as filling in forms or typing on a computer.	filling out a form to request equipment repairs writing an annual report about the company’s activities for the previous year
Oral Communication	Oral Communication is using speech to give and exchange thoughts and information.	informing a customer about a company’s services making a presentation at an office meeting
Working with Others	Working with Others is working with co-workers, as a member of a team, or in a supervisory position.	coordinating tasks with co-workers to cater a banquet working as an assistant to help a supervisor complete a task
Thinking	Thinking is evaluating ideas or information to reach a rational decision.	making a diagnosis about a patient’s condition based on observations and the patient’s medical reports resolving a customer complaint
Computer Use	Computer Use is using computer applications or technical tools such as word processing, e-mails or spreadsheets.	using a spreadsheet to make budget calculations for a project completing financial transactions using electronic cash registers
Continuous Learning	Continuous Learning is ongoing learning as part of work, through on- or off-site training or from co-workers.	receiving on-the-job mentoring about a new company procedure attending a convention to learn about new products

Essential Skills

Definition

Workplace examples

Reading

Reading is understanding information in the form of sentences or paragraphs.

reading instructions from an equipment manual
reading flight information on a computer screen

Document Use

Document use is reading signs, labels, lists or drawings; interpreting information on graphs; and entering information on forms.

interpreting building height information from a blueprint
getting price information from a product catalogue

Numeracy

Numeracy is using numbers and thinking in quantitative terms to complete tasks, such as estimating amounts, scheduling or analyzing data.

calculating the amount of change to give to a customer

preparing budgets for the company

Writing

Writing is conveying ideas by writing text and writing in documents, such as filling in forms or typing on a computer.

filling out a form to request equipment repairs

writing an annual report about the company’s activities for the previous year

Oral Communication

Oral Communication is using speech to give and exchange thoughts and information.

informing a customer about a company’s services

making a presentation at an office meeting

Working with Others

Working with Others is working with co-workers, as a member of a team, or in a supervisory position.

coordinating tasks with co-workers to cater a banquet

working as an assistant to help a supervisor complete a task

Thinking

Thinking is evaluating ideas or information to reach a rational decision.

making a diagnosis about a patient’s condition based on observations and the patient’s medical reports

resolving a customer complaint

Computer Use

Computer Use is using computer applications or technical tools such as word processing, e-mails or spreadsheets.

using a spreadsheet to make budget calculations for a project

completing financial transactions using electronic cash registers

Continuous Learning

Continuous Learning is ongoing learning as part of work, through on- or off-site training or from co-workers.

receiving on-the-job mentoring about a new company procedure

attending a convention to learn about new products