Grit: The Skills for Success and How They are Grown

"Tomorrow’s world will require adults who have been taught to draw on a wider range of capabilities and competencies; who are curious, resilient, self-disciplined and self-motivated; who can navigate differences, overcome language and cultural barriers, and who are at ease working in a team."

'Grit: The Skills for Success and How They are Grown'  examines the core set of skills young people need to be able to cope and thrive in the 21st Century. It concludes that skills such as emotional resilience, social intelligence, enterprise and disciplne matter in terms of securing success in life and work.

The report argues that Britain's schools need to prioritise grit and self-discipline. Drawing on evidence from around the world it shows that these contribute as much to success at work and in life as IQ and academic qualifications. Too much emphasis on exams and academic qualifications has pushed these life skills to the margins. With over a million young people not in employment, education or training and tens of thousands of graduates facing unemployment, it warns that a large proportion of young people have not been adequately prepared for a much tougher economic environment.

The report cites a vast and growing body of rigorous research on the importance of grit; motivation and resilience; empathy and understanding; and the ability to communicate effectively and work collaboratively. Nobel Prize winner James Heckman has shown that these skills count for more in careers than IQ. Psychologist Professor Martin Seligman has shown that "children need to fail. ..When they encounter obstacles, if we leap in to bolster self esteem to soften the blows...we make it harder for them to achieve mastery."

Surveys of employers now rank teamwork, motivation and resilience as even more important than literacy and numeracy in the workplace. In a survey of 1,137 employers conducted by the Learning and Skills Network in 2008, while good literacy and numeracy were said to be critical, "equally important are enthusiasm, commitment and timekeeping. Lack of any one of these ‘big four' employability skills would prevent a job offer being made to around half of respondents."

The report shows that many schools cultivate these skills, and a lot is known about how they can be supported. But the emphasis of several decades of educational policy on exams, and schools response of ‘teaching to the test' has pushed these skills to the margins. The report argues "that because these skills are harder to test and measure that is no excuse for ignoring them".

A copy of this report can be accessed here.