1. 21 st Century Skills in the Business Field Christopher Cleasby (Business Representative) September, 14, 2010

2. Business in the 21 st Century Business in the 21 st Century is fast moving, and constantly changing. Companies have to deal with the customer’s wants & needs, while working through financial pressures. Innovation is required to think outside the box, to make timely changes to systems and processes. If this does not happen, the competition will take advantage of this weakness. Employers are looking for intelligent, adaptable employees, which have the ability to cross-train, or grasp additional functional areas. This can only be accomplished if Core- Knowledge Skills remain as the highest priority, providing for a good foundation for our students to grow. Additional emphasis on determined 21 st Century Skills must be slowly embedded into the school curriculums.

3. Business Skills Required Core Knowledge (Reading, Math, Sciences, Economics, Geography, History, etc.) Communication Skills (Written and Verbal) Adaptability / Flexibility Global Awareness / Cultural Acceptance Individual and Team Focus Initiative / Creativity / Risk Taking Critical Thinking Skills Listening Leadership Systematic Planning Self Awareness Technology Literate Continuous Learning Time Management Personal Drive Languages Work-Ethic Self-Direction

4. What is Driving these Skills Greater Competition - Increased Domestic/International Politics (Laws, Regulations, Policies, Treaties, and Wars) Economy Technological Changes Customer Behavior (Needs, Wants, and Desires) Lean/Profit-Centric Organizations Demographics (Population changes, Densities, Ages, etc.) General Environmental Changes

5. My Thoughts on Next Steps Create a realistic plan to implement into our schools Create a high-level plan that addresses focus of core skills Create Elementary, Middle, High School general requirements Provide specific requirements to the grade level Motivate the Teachers Find key faculty members at every school who will embrace this change and champion the cause We need to aggressively work towards obtaining local business financial support for our initiative Added funds will only help Brevard Schools implement changes

6. Reading Materials http://21stcenturyskillsohio.org/?p=1 http://nble.org/wp- content/uploads/2010/03/21st+Century+Workplace.pdf http://nble.org/wp- content/uploads/2010/03/21st+Century+Workplace.pdf http://www.metiri.com/21/Metiri-NCREL21stSkills.pdf http://www.metiri.com/21/21%20Century%20Skills%20Final.doc http://www.metiri.com/21st%20Century%20Skills/PDFtwentyfirst%20ce ntury%20skills.pdf http://www.metiri.com/21st%20Century%20Skills/PDFtwentyfirst%20ce ntury%20skills.pdf http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/06/21st-century-business- panel.html http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/06/21st-century-business- panel.html