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Critical Core Skills
Discover the essential transferable soft skills and competencies critical for employability and career mobility.
What is this?
Critical Core Skills (CCS) includes 16 competencies grouped into three essential areas for today’s workplace:
- Thinking Critically:
Cognitive skills are the root of technical skill development and progression. It is needed to think broadly and creatively to see connections and opportunities during change. - Interacting with Others:
Learning from others is an effective way to acquire new skills, exchange ideas and build a shared understanding of a problem or situation. - Staying Relevant:
Managing oneself effectively and paying close attention to trends that impact work and living, to provide the strategies, direction and motivation for technical skill development.

Who is it for?
- Individuals:
Equip yourself with CCS to remain employable and acquire technical skills required to perform in job roles and adapt to changes and seize career development opportunities. - Employers:
Build technical and CCS skills among your employees so that your organisation remains nimble and agile. Reskill and upskill your employees for business transformation. - Training Providers:
Reference CCS to develop soft skills curriculum and integrate them as part of technical skills training. Ensure relevant and current course offerings to meet individuals’ skills development needs and industries’ skills demand.
Resources and Guides to Get You Started
CCS Reference Documents
Explore detailed skill descriptions and proficiency levels needed to demonstrate competency in CCS.
CCS Proficiency Level Ruler
Understand the three CCS proficiency levels (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced) to assess skill mastery.
List of Approved Training Organisations (ATOs) for CCS Programmes
SSG has appointed 13 ATOs via the CCS Call-for-Proposal exercise, to deliver CCS-aligned modular training programmes.