7 • Institute for Work & Health (IWH)
The 9 essential skills
Reading refers to the skills
needed to understand and
apply information found in
sentences and paragraphs.
Document use refers to the
skills needed to find, enter and
use letters, numbers, symbols
and images in electronic and
paper formats.
Reading text Document use
Numeracy refers to the skills
needed to make sense of and
apply mathematical concepts
and information.
Numeracy
Writing refers to the skills
needed to compose
handwritten or typed text to
communicate information and
ideas.
Oral communication refers to
the skills needed to exchange
thoughts and information with
other people.
Writing Oral communication
Working with others refers to
the skills needed to interact
with other people (one or more).
Working with others
Continuous learning refers
to the skills needed to
continually develop and
improve one's skills and
knowledge in order to work
effectively and adapt to
changes.
Thinking refers to the skills
needed to solve problems,
make decisions, think
critically, plan, remember
details, and find information.
Continuous learning
Thinking skills
Digital technology refers
to the skills needed to
understand and use
digital systems, tools and
applications, and to process
digital information.
Digital technology
