The Evidence Behind CAE’s Program
Why Workforce Skills Matter More Than Ever
The nature of work is changing fast. AI, automation, and emerging technologies are transforming every industry, shifting the skills employers prioritize to keep pace. While technical expertise remains important, today’s workforce demands individuals who can think critically, solve complex problems, and communicate effectively. These human-centered skills are the foundation for adaptability, innovation, and long-term career success.
AI Requires More Human Skills, Not Fewer
AI is transforming every industry, but it can’t replace human judgment. Skills like critical thinking, communication, and problem solving are essential to guide AI, interpret results, and make smart decisions. Higher education must prepare students to lead with these strengths.
Workforce Skills Must Be Taught & Practiced
Critical thinking and communication don’t develop automatically; they must be intentionally taught. When these skills are embedded throughout coursework, students learn to apply their knowledge in real-world settings and clearly demonstrate their value to employers.
Workforce Readiness Increases ROI
A degree opens doors, but workforce skills help students succeed once they’re in. Embedding these skills across disciplines boosts career readiness and strengthens the return on investment for students, families, and institutions alike.
Adaptability Is Key to Career-Long Success
Careers evolve, but the ability to think critically, adapt, and solve problems is needed no matter, in life and in work. Students who build higher-order skills are better prepared to navigate change and stand out not just at hiring, but throughout their careers.
Top Skills Employers Seek
% of managers who feel
recent college graduates lack:
- Critical Thinking 60%
- Problem Solving 60%
- Attention to Detail 56%
- Communication 46%
- Writing Proficiency 44%
- Public Speaking 39%
- Interpersonal Skills/Teamwork 36%
Career Readiness Requires More Than Content Knowledge
Oral and written communication, collaboration, and problem solving skills are in high demand by employers.
Rios et al (2020)
The core work-related skills with the greatest growth in demand across all industries include cognitive abilities (e.g., logical reasoning, cognitive flexibility, quantitative reasoning), system skills (e.g., judgment and decision making), and complex problem solving.
The Future of Jobs, The World Economic Forum (2016)
93% of survey respondents agree that a candidate’s demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is more important than their undergraduate major.
Hart Research Associates (2013)
The Skills Gap Is Real
57%
of students entering colleges and universities are not proficient in essential success skills — yet these skills are predictive of positive outcomes.
47%
of exiting students are not proficient in essential success skills — yet these skills are predictive of
positive post-higher education outcomes.
Results of OECD Study using CAE’s performance-based Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) to assess proficiency of over 120,000 participants across seven countries (U.S., United Kingdom, Mexico, Finland, Chile, and Australia) between 2016 and 2021.
When Institutions Teach and Measure Critical Thinking, It Changes Outcomes
4th-year students who had classroom instruction on critical thinking performed statistically significantly higher on CLA+. (Zahner, Dawber, Cortellini, 2023).
Analyses of CLA+ results for a cohort of 179 graduate students showed that increasing the level of curricular instruction led to a statistically significant increase in students’ CLA+ scores. As instruction increased, proportionally more students reached the top two mastery levels (Accomplished or Advanced), while fewer were at the Below Proficiency level. (Zahner, Dawber, Cortellini, 2023).
Students who perform better on CLA+ are more likely to have positive post-higher education outcomes as measured by employment, salary, and graduate school enrollment (Zahner, James, & Lehrfeld, 2022).
Students who perform better on CLA+ are more likely to have higher evaluations from their managers and advisors (Zahner, James, & Lehrfeld, 2022).
Prepare Students. Prove Outcomes. Strengthen Institutional Value.
CAE’s Critical Thinking Skills Program helps institutions embed essential workforce skills across the curriculum—and measure the results. Equip students to succeed in an AI-driven world while demonstrating the long-term value of your academic programs to employers, accreditors, and families.