What does it take to prepare young people for the working world? In 1990, the Secretary of Labor appointed a commission to determine the skills young people need to succeed in the workplace. SCANS - the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills - is modeled on skills enhancement of identified competencies. Schools are being asked not only to educate and train the workforce, but also to link work-based skills and competencies to the classroom curriculum.

At City College we face two main challenges as we implement SCANS competencies throughout the college curriculum. First, faculty must be interested in the program, perceive a need for skills that can be incorporated into their curriculum, examine their teaching methodologies in order to determine how best to incorporate new job-related skills, and identify strategies for linking classroom learning with the work place. Second, students must appreciate the benefit and the value of workplace "know-how" and the connection between classroom learning and workplace skills.