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Future-proofing our students so that they will have the skills to negotiate and thrive in increasingly complex global workplaces is a challenge for all educators. These crucial capabilities are often referred to as 21st-century skills, general capabilities, graduate attributes, or transversal skills. For students to thrive they need to become expert learners. They need to acquire a body of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that enable them to adapt and contribute in an ever-changing environment. These capabilities can be learned, taught and assessed. Becoming an expert learner allows a person to master what they need to know in any circumstance. Some of the capabilities required to be a good learner are now included in various Australian and international curriculum statements. Education institutions - schools in particular - typically regard development of such capabilities as being at the heart of their teaching. However, consensus remains elusive about their definition and their significance. Debates ensue about whether or not it is feasible to formally teach these capabilities, as well as how, or indeed whether or not, these should be assessed and then reported on to students, parents and other stakeholders. In this paper, we present evidence and discussion in support of an argument that capabilities for learning, or learning capabilities, should be taught, assessed and recognised. We also examine how to assess, report and credential the degree to which young people have developed these capabilities.

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