See the Essential Skills Brochure (pdf)

Kwantlen wants the graduates of all its programs to be successful in their chosen careers, in serving their communities, and in their further academic work – in all aspects of their lives. Since 1995 Kwantlen has required that all of its programs offer students opportunities to learn and practice the Essential Skills which are necessary for their success. Through a process of consultation with faculty, students, graduates, and employers from the wider community, Kwantlen has defined twelve Essential Skills:

Creative thinking and problem solving skills
Recognizing problems and generating new ideas; devising and implementing plan of action.

Oral skills
Receiving, attending to, interpreting, and responding to verbal/non-verbal messages and other cues. Organizing ideas and communicating orally.

Writing skills
Communicating written thoughts, ideas, and information in appropriate documents.

Interpersonal skills
Working with others effectively.

Teamwork and leadership skills
Participating as a member of a team. Contributing to the group effort and success.

Personal management and entrepreneurial skills
Displaying personal ethics, adaptability, sociability, and resource management skills.

Reading and information skills
Locating, understanding, and interpreting written information in a variety of formats.

Visual literacy
Organizing and processing symbols, pictures, graphs, objects, and other information.

Mathematical skills
Performing basic computations. Approaching practical problems by choosing appropriately from a variety of mathematical techniques.

Intercultural skills
Working well with people from diverse backgrounds. Respecting individual differences.

Technological skills
Working with a variety of technologies.

Citizenship and global perspective
Explaining how social, organizational, and global issues are interrelated with individual and local concerns.

Kwantlen’s Education Council, the academic governing body, requires that each program at Kwantlen must ensure students have opportunities to learn and demonstrate Essential Skills at a level appropriate for the program in which they are enrolled: "Every student who receives a degree, diploma, certificate, or citation from a Kwantlen program will have been given opportunities to learn and demonstrate the Essential Skills at a level appropriate for that program."