Explore KSACs by Pathway
In late 2025, the Partnership pulled together members of industry from across tech to share how the in-demand skillsets for entry-level roles in their fields have changed in the last two years. The Knowledge, Skills & Abilities and Credentials (KSACs) below reflect their feedback on entry-level expectations, especially in a tech workplace increasingly shaped by AI.
5. Algorithms and Design
| Label | KSAC Description | Bloom's Taxonomy Level | |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | Explain the importance of algorithms in the problem-solving process. | knowledge | 2 |
| b | Explain how a problem may be solved by multiple algorithms, each with different properties. | knowledge | 2 |
| c | Create algorithms for solving simple problems. | skill | 3 |
| d | Use a programming language to implement, test, and debug algorithms for solving simple problems. | skill | 3 |
| e | Implement, test, and debug simple recursive functions and procedures. | skill | 3 |
| f | Determine whether a recursive or iterative solution is most appropriate for a problem. | skill | 3 |
| g | Implement a divide-and-conquer algorithm for solving a problem. | skill | 3 |
| h | Apply the techniques of decomposition to break a program into smaller pieces. | skill | 3 |
| i | Implement a coherent abstract data type, with loose coupling between components and behaviors. | skill | 3 |
| j | Evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses among multiple designs or implementations for a problem. | skill | 4 |
Credentials
- N/A