Pathsmith™ was created by America Succeeds to make durable skills teachable, measurable, and portable across every level of education and career. Validated against 82 million job postings and created with input from 800+ employers, it gives education and workforce leaders a common framework for defining what mastery looks like and building toward it with intention.
For educators and school leaders, Pathsmith™ brings Portraits of a Graduate to life, embeds durable skills into curriculum and instruction, and gives schools a shared language for development that spans PK-16. For postsecondary and workforce leaders, it powers career readiness, skills-based hiring, professional upskilling, credentialing, and assessments. Through a growing ecosystem of partners across PK-12, postsecondary, and workforce, Pathsmith™ ensures that every learner and earner can develop, demonstrate, and be recognized for the skills that matter most.
Pathsmith™ spans the full learning continuum, from early childhood through early career. The complete suite of resources is available to licensed partners and includes the PK-16 Developmental Progression, the Early Career Performance Rubric, the Durable Skills Lexicon, crosswalks connecting developmental skills to workforce expectations, and the Development and Application Guide.
For those not licensed, three resources are available publicly at no cost:
Please note: these resources are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. This means they may be copied and shared for non-commercial purposes, but they may not be modified, adapted, repackaged, or sold. Any use must include attribution to America Succeeds and, for online uses, a prominent link back to the original resource on the America Succeeds or Pathsmith™ website.
The Pathsmith™ Durable Skills wheel is a visual tool from America Succeeds that sorts 100 leading skills into ten main competencies and corresponding sub-skills.
To access the full version, start by filling out the form at the bottom of this page. Following your form submission, our team will reach out to discuss your use case and pricing tailored to your specific needs.
America Succeeds partnered with Common Group, an equity and human-centered design firm, who conducted qualitative research with educators and students around the country who represent historically divested groups. Ensuring representation throughout the data collection process allowed for a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by diverse groups, and appropriate, people-centered solutions.
In 2019, America Succeeds began testing the hypothesis that all jobs require durable skills. We grouped a hundred related keywords into 10 durable skills competencies based on 21st-century skills research and analyzed more than 82 million job postings in partnership with Lightcast. Building on this work, we developed the Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework in four phases. Phase I involved subject matter experts defining the 110 competencies across four levels. Phase II and Phase III involved gathering feedback from businesses, educators, and other stakeholders on the rubric’s relevance across varying contexts. In Phase IV, we integrated all of that feedback into two versions – the downloadable Starter Edition and the full Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework.
During the Framework development process, it became apparent that selected keyword terms’ similarity could lead to ambiguity in distinguishing between competencies and their sub-skills. We addressed this by consolidating competencies and sub-skills where ambiguity could exist. Additionally, we identified equity concerns and proactively eliminated terms to prevent any bias or inequity. As a result of these provisions, not all 110 skills are represented in the Framework.
The Framework is the world’s first employer-generated, equity-driven set of shared definitions for durable skills. Having employers contribute to the creation of the definitions allows the Framework to better reflect the needs of various industries and to support more effective durable skill development programs. This approach also empowers job seekers to identify the skills they have and those they need, therefore benefiting both employers and job seekers alike. Please download America Succeeds’ “An Update on the High Demand for Durable Skills” report to learn more.
Assessing durable skills is not one-size-fits-all. The right approach depends on the context. You may be measuring skill development in a course, evaluating candidates during hiring, supporting self-reflection, or assessing growth across an internship or work-based learning experience.
Because assessment needs vary, Pathsmith™ serves as the shared framework that assessment providers build from, rather than a single assessment product. This allows organizations to choose high-quality, Pathsmith-aligned tools designed for their specific goals while maintaining a common, employer-informed standard for durable skills.
The ultimate goal of America Succeeds’ Pathsmith™ initiative is to ensure more individuals have access to fulfilling and economically mobile pathways for the mutual benefit of learners, employers, and their communities. We would be happy to connect to share additional resources or explore partnership opportunities. Please contact us to learn more.
In 2021, America Succeeds identified the growing demand for these skills and popularized the term “durable skills” with the release of our “High Demand for Durable Skills” report. We designed a national research agenda with CompTIA and Lightcast and built a unifying brand that resonates with policymakers, employers, educators, and parents. Today, our work continues to shape the market and guide conversations about the importance of these skills. Our Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework has influenced K-12 systems and post-secondary institutions in multiple states, and has been embraced by employers in both the public and private sectors as a key driver for skills-first hiring.
