That's the question the Career Readiness Partner Council addressed in a just-released document. This group of leaders from national education and workforce organizations sought to clear up the confusion between those who believe career readiness means “learning skills for career specific entry-level jobs,” and those who define career readiness as a broader understanding of workplace skills.” What they concluded is that career readiness actually blends the two:

“A career-ready person effectively navigates pathways that connect education and employment to achieve a fulfilling, financially-secure and successful career. A career is more than just a job. Career readiness has no defined endpoint. To be career ready in our ever-changing global economy requires adaptability and a commitment to lifelong learning, along with mastery of key knowledge, skills and dispositions that vary from one career to another and change over time as a person progresses along a developmental continuum. Knowledge, skills and dispositions that are interdependent and mutually reinforcing.”