In the "4 K" model of key competencies for the future, what are the four, and where does critical thinking sit?

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Accepted Answer

The four are Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity — the German "4 K" (Kommunikation, Kollaboration, Kritisches Denken, Kreativität), internationally the "Four C's"; critical thinking is one of the four.
These are the widely-cited 21st-century skills — the competencies argued to matter most as routine and knowledge-recall work gets automated:

Communication (Kommunikation) — conveying ideas clearly to others.
Collaboration (Kollaboration) — working effectively in teams.
Critical Thinking (Kritisches Denken) — evaluating information and reasoning soundly.
Creativity (Kreativität) — generating new ideas and approaches.

The pairing is deliberate: critical thinking (judging what's true) and creativity (imagining what's possible) are complementary, and both only have impact when you can communicate and collaborate to act on them.
Tip: In English they're the "Four C's" — same four skills, the German just starts each with K.