Since the early 1980s, a variety of governmental, academic, non-profit, and corporate entities have conducted considerable research to identify key personal and academic skills and competencies they determined were needed for the current and next generation. The identification and implementation of 21st century skills into education and workplaces began in the United States but has spread to Canada,[12][13] the United Kingdom,[14] New Zealand,[15] and through national and international organizations such as APEC[16] and the OECD.[17]