The Case for Durable Skills as the Foundation of Career Success

I recently sat down virtually with John Ruzicka, Vice President of Partnerships for Learning Sandbox, to chat about durable skills—what are they, how should we think about them and how can they help to propel careers. Below is an excerpt from our exchange. 

When did you first hear about durable skills? 

John: I was introduced at a recent conference to a concept called the Durable Skills Advantage Framework, which seeks to provide a common language for how we describe and assess non-technical skills like communication, leadership, creativity and critical thinking. During the course of my career, I’ve watched the evolution of how we describe these essential competencies: first, they were “soft skills,” then “power skills” and now “durable skills.” No matter how we choose to label them, their importance to the success of one’s career remains unquestioned.  

When I hear about durable skills, I think it’s like describing a liberal arts degree. What do you think? 

John: Yes! As I thought about the idea of durable skills in the context of my own experience, I wondered if we are coming full circle back to the value of a liberal arts education. We’ve all seen the headlines: confidence in higher education has been falling steadily for years. In fact, according to a recent report from Gallup and Lumina Foundation, only 36% of adults say they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education. 

To add another layer of complexity, many knowledge workers are leveraging artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to improve their own efficiency. If these tools continue to improve our ability to research, write, crunch data and complete other tasks, workers will need wider and deeper durable skill sets to think critically, communicate clearly and collaborate effectively.  

When I explore the durable skills framework, I’m reminded of my own studies as a history major at the Naval Academy. Not only was I required to read and write volumes, but I was also asked to critically evaluate why certain events happened the way they did. Within the broader context of my leadership studies at the Academy, I was pushed to think about how I might act and make decisions in similar situations.  

The humanities teach us to understand complex ideas, craft compelling arguments and navigate the subtleties of human interaction—skills that are crucial in any professional setting.  

Kathleen: I agree, John. I received my undergraduate degree in English from Holy Cross. I often say that my undergraduate education taught me to think. To unpack, to listen, to write and read critically and to then share ideas as I refined them in conversation with others. All invaluable, durable skills. 

John: Yes. And does this mean that durable skills are just humanities skills in disguise? If so, then the growing emphasis on these skills could indeed be seen as a renewed argument in favor of the liberal arts. 

How should companies think about upskilling for durable skills where they might be lacking? 

John: Company leaders who wish to add durable skills to their own employee development programs should think about how they can integrate new programs into their existing mix. Leaders should ask how new durable skills programs fit into the overall company culture and strategy. What skills are missing for various teams or employee segments?  

It’s important to note that durable skills programs are not one-off training events. Instead, they require continuous development, practice and reinforcement. While workshops can be a great way to introduce concepts, organizations must follow up with real-world application of those skills through projects, assessments, and integration into performance frameworks and feedback mechanisms. 

I’ve seen firsthand how formal mentorship programs benefit both the mentor and mentee. Using the durable skills framework as an overlay in these ongoing, informal conversations allows mentors to guide newer employees, while also emphasizing skills that are of interest to company leadership.  

Do you think it’s realistic to get companies, universities or associations to agree on a durable skills framework? What do you see as the benefits to aligning? 

John: Creating a standardized framework for durable skills across companies, universities and associations is a challenging but worthwhile endeavor. The challenge lies in the diversity of industries, roles and educational paths that require different applications of these skills. 

If educational institutions and employers can agree on a core set of durable skills, students and employees alike would have a clearer understanding of the competencies they need to succeed. This alignment would also help bridge the gap between education and employment, as students would be better prepared for the workforce, and employers would have a more reliable measure of a candidate’s readiness. 

You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who says durable skills are not important for career success, but the way organizations and institutions approach identifying and teaching these skills varies greatly. Leveraging tools like the durable skills framework can help organizations align with education providers and perhaps together they can restore the public’s faith in higher education and reestablish the value of a humanities degree.