Our practical themes
Problem-solving
Defining a problem, testing and improving responses, and understanding wider effects.
One of UnionOfSkills.com’s ten practical themes, not an official EU list. How we organise skills.
Why it matters
Problem framing clarifies what needs to change before a response is chosen. Testing and improving solutions uses what happens in practice to adjust an approach. Systems thinking explores how parts of a situation depend on one another and how a change could have wider effects.
Skills in this theme
Problem-solving
Problem framing
Understand and define a problem before trying to solve it.
Problem-solving
Testing & improving solutions
Try a possible solution, observe what happens and use the result to improve it.
Problem-solving
Systems thinking
Understand how parts of a situation depend on one another and how changes can have wider effects.
Also connected with this theme
These skills have their main home in another theme, with a further connection here.
Critical thinking
Reasoning with evidence
Use evidence to support, challenge or revise a conclusion.
Critical thinking
Reasoned decision-making
Compare options and make a choice using evidence, priorities, likely consequences and practical limits.
Creativity
Creative thinking
Generate, combine and develop ideas or possibilities.
Digital literacy
Effective use of digital tools
Select and use digital tools appropriately for a task or need.
Learning to learn
Adaptability
Adjust an approach when circumstances, requirements or information change.
Entrepreneurship
Spotting opportunities
Recognise needs, problems or possibilities where action could create value for others.
Entrepreneurship
Financial & economic literacy
Understand costs, income and resource limits, and use them to weigh choices when making decisions or developing an idea.
Entrepreneurship
Managing uncertainty & risk
Make considered choices when outcomes are uncertain and potential consequences need to be weighed.
Connected themes
Youth relevance
A stalled group project, a difficulty using a shared space or a community concern can offer different questions to explore: what is the problem, what happens when an approach is tried, and who or what else could be affected?