"Back to School & Building Durable Skills" issue (August)
A newsletter (for adults) about career readiness (for kids)
Dear Readers,
Workers need them. Employers want them, but three out of four say they can’t find enough new college graduates who have them. Schools sometimes struggle to teach them. What are they? Durable skills, of course. This skills cluster, deeply connected to social emotional learning (SEL), is defined by America Succeeds as “the competencies used to share knowledge, including critical thinking and collaboration, as well as character traits like fortitude and leadership.” These were long thought to be skills that people either had or didn’t have. Thankfully, we know better now. At ASA, we’ve just published a new resource for employers that details best practices for reimagining work-based learning to include a focus on durable, social emotional skills that are in-demand in workplaces everywhere. (Read the report.) Encouragingly, many employers are, in fact, making a shift away from degree-based hiring, and towards skills-based hiring. In doing so, they’re opening up a world of opportunity for millions of young Americans.
States like Ohio, for example, are working to make it easier for workers without four-year degrees to land federal jobs. (Read the story.) Career and technical schools, like this one in Illinois, are launching to ensure that more young people have a path to prosperity, whether or not they pursue a four-year degree. (Read the story.) In D.C., the pathway from sitting in a classroom to teaching in one has just become easier and more affordable, thanks to a groundbreaking teaching apprenticeship program that just launched. (Read the story.) Indiana is looking to Switzerland—long known to be a world-leader in the apprenticeships space—as it explores the creation of thousands of student apprenticeships in healthcare, manufacturing, IT, and beyond. (Read the story.) And, one highly determined teen from Charlotte had a truly life-changing summer interning at NASA through the STEM Enhancement in Earth Science Summer Intern Program. (Read George’s story.)
I wish all administrators, educators, and parents a hearty welcome back to what promises to be another fantastic school year! You continue to inspire us at ASA to do more and better for American youth. I’ll leave you with words from the young NASA intern in the story above, because he captured our collective mission perfectly: “I hope my peers see my story and take into consideration that once you find your interest, with enough passion and determination, everything is possible.” Now, let’s get to work helping more kids find their passions.
Sincerely,
Jean
P.S. - If you’d like to reach me directly, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at press@asa.org
ADDITIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS & RESEARCH
Our Interview With "TIME's 2024 Kid of the Year," Inventor of a Cancer-fighting Soap (NPR, August 16, 2024)
The State of Career Exploration in Middle School (Education Commission of the States, July 25, 2024)
‘Stepping Into Real Life’: Baldwin County Utility Internship Inspires Students to Get Serious About Working (Gulf Coast Media, August 19, 2024)
When Was the Golden Age of American K-12 Education? And How Can We Tell? (The74, July 2, 2024)
Youth Market Day Encourages Farming and Entrepreneurship Among Youth (Patch.com, August 1, 2024)
New Internships Program Gives High School Students a Hands-on Education in Art (UC Santa Cruz News Center, August 14, 2024)
‘TGIF Time-saver’: 3 Predictions for the 2024-2025 School Year (District Administration, August 8, 2024)
State Accountability Systems Must Look Beyond College & Career Readiness (The74, June 24, 2024)
OPINION: As Federal Pandemic Funds End, K-12 Systems Must Look for Bold Changes (The Hechinger Report, August 19, 2024)
EVENTS
Finally, below is a list of upcoming events and recaps of recent panel presentations and podcasts that elevate critical conversations in the youth career readiness space.
REGISTER TO ATTEND
New Pathways to Real-World Learning Experiences (Kansas City, September 17-19 – Learn more)
Culture Shifting Summit 2024 (New York, October 24-25 – Learn more)
SOCAP 2024 (San Francisco, October 28-30 – Learn more)
AMLE 2024 (Nashville, November 6-9 – Learn more)
EVENT RECAPS
Intermediaries: The Behind-the-Scenes Magic Makers of Tech Work-based Learning (Read the recap)
Believing in the Potential of a Career Readiness Utopia (Read the recap)