Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) framework, is a series of narrative statements that, along with résumés, determines who the best applicants are when several candidates qualify for a job. The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) necessary for the successful performance of a position are contained on each job vacancy announcement.^[1] They are:

• Knowledge – the subjects, topics, and items of information that an employee should know at the time he or she is hired or moved into the job.
• Skills – technical or manual proficiencies which are usually learned or acquired through training.
• Abilities – the present demonstrable capacity to apply several knowledge and skills simultaneously in order to complete a task or perform an observable behaviour.^[1]

A similar model, the KASE (Knowledge, Attributes, Skills and Experience) framework is used by the careers advisory service at King's College London.^[2]