ACCE – EAD Fellowship Meeting | April 4, 2017 Employability Skills: essential for success ACCE – EAD Fellowship Meeting | April 4, 2017

INTRODUCTIONS Why do you care about employability skills? What do you need to know about employability skills?

Tightening labor market Technological change Globalization CHANGING WORLD Tightening labor market Technological change Globalization Demographic change Environmental sustainability Urbanization Increasing inequality Political uncertainty Source: Pearson/Nesta

OUR CHALLENGE “Today, because of rapid economic and social change, schools have to prepare students for jobs that have not yet been created, technologies that have not yet been invented, and problems that we don’t yet know will arise.” Andreas Schleicher OECD Education Directorate

Employability skills Definition Skills that are necessary for success in the labor market at all employment levels and in all sectors. This may include, but is not limited to, skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, self-direction, communication, and collaboration. Employability skills can be acquired in a variety of ways, including military service, work experiences and community service, as well as traditional education. When integrated with technical and/or academic content, employability skills complete the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to succeed in the workplace and society. Jobs for the Future The general skills necessary for success in the labor market at all employment levels and in all industry sectors.

What’s in a name? "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet….." William Shakespeare

Source: YouthForce NOLA

EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS 4 C’s SOFT SKILLS 21st CENTURY SKILLS WORKFORCE READINESS SKILLS EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS 4 C’s SOFT SKILLS 21st CENTURY SKILLS DEEPER LEARNING

DEEPER LEARNING

WHY Employability skills matter Skills needed most in the workplace have changed. Employers and workers are at odds about worker preparedness. Fewer young people are working. Employers have demands. Learners need to build sustainable careers.

Changes in what jobs Require

PERFORMANCE Gaps

low Labor Force participation

EVIDENCE OF NEED Source: The Conference Board, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Corporate Voices for Working Families, and Society for Human Resource Management. (2006). Retrieved from: http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/FINAL_REPORT_PDF09-29-06.pdf

EMPLOYERS WANT EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS

The labor market is getting tighter “Race against the machine” published First KBI Note: Shaded areas represent recessions. Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, CBO

Employability skills—or technical skills? According to a recent survey by CareerBuilder, 77% of employers believe that soft skills—or employability skills—are just as important as hard skills. Top skills employers in listed in the survey include: Strong work ethic (73%) Dependable (73%) Positive Attitude (72%) Self motivated (66%) Team oriented (60%) Organization and ability to manage multiple priorities (57%)

Building sustainable careers Employability skills also help with: Entering or re-entering the workforce Managing workplace and daily life Pursuing further education Succeeding at complex knowledge work including technology Planning ad managing a professional career pathway.

ASSESSMENT “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it” William Thomson, Lord Kelvin "What gets measured gets done.” Tom Peters* Author of In Search of Excellence But…. “Not everything that counts can be counted. Not everything that can be counted, counts.” Albert Einstein *and many other management gurus

assessments Assessment remains challenging: Competing terminologies and frameworks makes developing assessments difficult Assessments must meet standards of quality for reliability, validity, fairness, authenticity, cost, practicality, scalability, privacy and consequence Are employability skills malleable competencies or fixed traits? Are employability skills domain-specific or transferable skills? Can assessments be developmental rather than “high-stakes”? How does the influence of private test developers effect assessment strategies? These skills can be assessed – but not always using bubble tests.

SOLUTIONS “We need a broader conversation about how we learn to work. It’s changed in fundamental ways.” Ron Painter CEO, National Association of Workforce Boards

Opportunities to strengthen these skills: solutions Opportunities to strengthen these skills: Workplace Formal and Informal training Apprenticeships/ Internships Work-based learning Formal School-Based Learning 2 and 4 year schools Career and tech-ed ABE Community-Based Learning CBOs Workforce development Self-Directed Learning On-line Professional organizations Institutional Settings Military training Mental health services

EMPLOYER INVOLVEMENT IN TALENT PIPELINE Where does the employer meet the learner? Enters the pre-employment pool? Recognizes educational opportunities? Enrolls in school or training program? Becomes interested in/aware or employment opportunities? Engages with employers? Becomes an employee?

EDUPLOYMENT FEEDBACK LOOP Curriculum Designed Student Learns Learner becomes employed Employee demonstrates skill Employer evaluates skill Feedback to curriculum designer

Big Takeaways Employability skills—by any name—are increasing in importance and less stable than originally believed Multiple names confuses the marketplace. Assessing and measuring them—in a formative way—remains a challenge Many solutions exist (training, work experience, enrichment activities, etc.) but need universal belief in integrating these skills into all offerings. Education, business, government, and community partners all need to collaborate – all have roles to play. Educational technology will play a significant role going forward

Resources Are They Really Ready to Work http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/FINAL_REPORT_PDF09-29-06.pdf Empowering Adults to Thrive at Work: Personal Success Skills for 21st Century Jobs: https://www.sri.com/blog/empowering-adults-thrive-work- personal-success-skills-21st-century-jobs The Employability Skills Framework: http://cte.ed.gov/employabilityskills National Network’s Common Employability Skills: http://www.nationalnetwork.org/wp- content/uploads/2015/05/Common_Employability_Skills-03-30-152.pdf Occupational Information Network (O*NET): https://www.onetonline.org/ Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21): http://www.p21.org/ MHA Labs: http://mhalabs.org/

VIDEO: “Building Employability Skills – for School – Jobs – Life” https://assets.adobe.com/link/667a3808-a440-47a1-6149- 76cedcd30bc1?section=activity_public

Mary V.L. Wright mwright@jff.org TEL 617.728.4446 FAX 617.728.4857 info@jff.org 88 Broad Street, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02110 (HQ) 122 C Street, NW, Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 505 14th Street, Suite 340, Oakland, CA 94612 WWW.JFF.ORG

ACQUIRING THESE SKILLS

ACQUIRING THESE SKILLS

ACQUIRING THESE SKILLS

ACQUIRING THESE SKILLS

What employers are saying Source: Manpower Group, 10th Annual Talent Shortage Survey (2015). Retrieved from: http://www.manpowergroup.us/campaigns/talent-shortage-2015/assets/pdf/2015-Talent-Shortage-Infographic.pdf