Durable skills: how durable skills can impact learning

In an education landscape defined by constant change — emerging technologies, evolving educators and shifting learner needs — Arizona State University understands that durable skills serve as the glue to all types of knowledge. Why are durable skills getting attention all ofa sudden? Durable skills have always been in-demand and because technical skills for a job change rapidly, durable skills become even more important. 

America Succeeds create a framework for ten durable skills to facilitate conversations, curriculums and trainings around skills that are most in-demand by employers. They include leadership, character, collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, metacognition, mindfulness, growth mindset and fortitude. It’s no surprise that these skills fuel lifelong success.

Why durable skills matter

A recent article in District Administration demonstrates how durable skills serve as the bridge between knowledge and meaningful action. Gina Wilt, director and clinical associate professor at the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation, and Tim Taylor, co-founder and president of America Succeeds, share how durable skills can be included in school curriculum.  

Wilt, who also leads professional learning for the ASU Professional Learner Educator Hub, notes that durable skills bolster technical know-how by increasing student engagement and encouraging deeper learning. Research consistently shows that many of the most in-demand workforce competencies are durable skills, not just technical know-how. A July 2025 analysis, Durable by Design, found that eight of the top ten required skills for 76 million job postings fall into the durable skills category. These capabilities keep learners energized, connected and committed to growth throughout their lives, and the PELH offers courses for K-12 educators to apply these approaches, based on America Succeed’s durable skills framework.

Wilt says, “I’ve seen how durable skills transform the way people show up at work, in their communities and in their own growth. When we intentionally embed skills like self-awareness, empathy and adaptability into learning pathways, we’re not just preparing learners for the next opportunity, we’re expanding their capacity to thrive wherever life takes them.”

Schools in states like Washington, California and Missouri are implementing programs that build durable skills alongside content mastery. These programs demonstrate that it is possible for schools to manage curriculum requirements while also fostering durable skills that help students find success throughout every stage of life. 

Embedding durable skills in learning pathways across ASU

For ASU, durable skills are built into our charter, which measures our success by who we include and how prepared learners are to meet the demands of today’s world. The ASU Professional Educator Learning Hub extends this commitment by giving teachers the tools, community and confidence to bring durable skills to life in their classrooms. 

Designed by the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation, the hub offers flexible, research-informed professional learning that meets educators where they are. Every course is grounded in what teachers say they need most: timely, practical strategies that strengthen student engagement, well-being and academic growth.

Through the hub, educators can explore modules focused on collaboration, critical thinking, leadership and other core durable skills. By equipping educators to cultivate durable skills early and often, the Professional Educator Learning Hub strengthens a pathway that begins in K–12 and continues throughout life. It ensures students aren’t just learning content, but developing the capacity to lead, question, create and persist in a world that will continue to change around them.

By embedding durable-skills development in every offering, ASU prepares learners not just to keep up—but to lead. Every pathway connects learners to skills that matter—those that last beyond a course, career or credential.