Most Americans agree that the workplace is changing and that the skills necessary for
success in the 21st century workplace are different from those needed in the 20th century.
In his book A Whole New Mind, author Daniel H. Pink writes that we are "moving from the
Information Age to the Conceptual Age" [Pink, 2005, p. 33]. He argues that the workplace is
According to this study "As society changes, the skills needed to negotiate the complexities
of life also change. In the early 1900s, a person who had acquired simple reading, writing,
and calculating skills was considered literate. Only in recent years has the public education
system expected all students to build on those basics, developing a broad range of
literacies. To achieve success in the 21st century, students also need to attain proficiency
in science, technology, and culture, as well as gain a thorough understanding of
information in all its forms" (enGauge, 2003, p.15).