Minimum Competencies and Transferable Skills: What Can Be Learned from the Two Movements. Information Series No. 142.

This paper compares and contrasts minimum competency testing and transferable skills in order to identify the important questions and issues to be considered by educational planners in developing programs intended to prepare students to meet the demands of both work and life. Each of the seven sections addresses a specific question related to minimum competencies and transferable skills. Sections included are (1) Why the Current Interest in Them?; (2) Whether Competencies or Skills?; (3) What Competencies and Skills?; (4) How Many?; (5) How Measured?; (6) When Measured?; and (7) What to Do with the Incompetent? Examples of transferable skills and characteristics are appended. (LRA)