Advancing Innovation in Work and Learning | dec. 2, 2021
More than 18 months into the pandemic, the employment headlines can seem like an algebraic riddle: If U.S. employers are seeking workers to fill 10.9 million jobs, how can 8.4 million workers be unemployed?
“For all of us in the room who’ve been chipping away at this problem, the problem has magnified,” said Van Ton-Quinlivan, CEO of Futuro Health, who spoke during a panel discussion at the 2021 CAEL Annual Conference in San Diego.
Among the ideas panelists shared for building better partnerships to improve the education-workforce system:
Seek novel ways for employers to contribute. Among other ways, employers can bring value by providing technology and tools needed for the instruction and offering internships, apprenticeships, or co-ops so students can learn and work at the same time.
Demonstrate to employers that community colleges and four-year colleges and universities are prepared to be agile and collaborative. Focus on addressing faulty system design over fixing a problem with money alone.
Reconsider how money is distributed — a step that can lead to better, more collaborative innovation.
Consider improving a community to be a success — even if an education-workforce partnership’s work cannot be scaled to fix a systemic problem. “Just keep doing what you’re doing,” CAEL President Earl Buford said. “Keep involving the right players. Don’t stop doing what you do, and just continue to talk to your partners about how can we do more of this?”
HOW DO STUDENTS FEEL ABOUT CAREER PREP EXPERIENCES? How do students experience the development of the skills and confidence they need to be successful in their future careers? In 2021, more than 50,000 undergraduates from over 90 colleges and universities participated in the inaugural Career and Workforce Preparation module of the National Survey of Student Engagement. Join Strada researchers and panelists at 2 p.m. Eastern Wednesday for a webinar discussion about the findings and what they mean for improving equitable career-building outcomes.
PUBLIC VIEWPOINT COMPREHENSIVE LOOK A new report, “Preventing A ‘Lost Generation:’ Understanding Education and Work in a Time of Crisis,” captures the findings of Strada’s Public Viewpoint research since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The report, commissioned by Strada and released by Inside Higher Ed, summarizes Strada’s effort to equip educators, policymakers, and employers with data to identify critical trends as they navigated the uncertain, fast-changing crisis. The 27 Public Viewpoint reports explored job-loss trends, individuals’ evolving education plans, students’ views of education and career development opportunities, and the disproportionate impact on communities of color.
PARTNERSHIP TO PROMOTE COMPLETION
Waubonsee Community College, one of the largest community colleges in Illinois, announced a five-year initiative to increase Latinx and adult learner enrollment and completion rates through a $3 million grant awarded through Title V of the federal Higher Education Act. The college has enlisted InsideTrack to provide holistic coaching and advising and CAEL to help leverage credit for prior learning as a strategy to accelerate the path to a degree.
EXPLORING CAREERS IN NEVADA
Roadtrip Nation presented its new documentary about education and career pathways in Nevada at three screening events across the Silver State. Together with State Superintendent Jhone Ebert, Roadtrippers from the film, and representatives from Tesla, the Roadtrip Nation staff shared its the new documentary, "All In," which followed three young adults as they traveled across Nevada to talk with artists, automotive innovators, miners, environmental engineers, and even the governor. The project was funded by Strada and Tesla with support from the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
GUIDE FOR RECONNECTING LEARNERS
This week Strada released a new report, "Promising Practices for Reconnecting Recent High School Graduates to Postsecondary Education," based on potential solutions shared in a virtual workshop that convened postsecondary education leaders from across the country. The report features what practitioners around the country are doing to reconnect pandemic-disrupted learners to an educational pathway, through completion, and into their careers.
THE VALUE OF STUDENT COACHING
Join InsideTrack former and current coaches for a panel discussion at 1 p.m. Eastern Wednesday, Dec. 8, as they discuss the valuable lessons they’ve learned as student coaching evolved in InsideTrack’s first 20 years. Moderated by InsideTrack co-founder and Chief Development Officer Kai Drekmeier, the discussion will include information about the transition to multichannel formats for communicating with students, how coaching applies to different students in different settings, and InsideTrack’s evidence-based methodology and commitment to continuous improvement.
Lessons Earned
In our podcast, we explore bold ideas to help individuals navigate between learning and earning throughout their lives.
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