A Q&A with Gardner Carrick, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for The Manufacturing Institute, The National Association of Manufacturers
Insights & Outlooks: What are the most important education and training priorities for the manufacturing sector today? Manufacturers across the country are facing a workforce crisis. Surveys of the members of the National Association of Manufacturers have shown finding and retaining a qualified workforce to be the top concern for nearly two years running. This…
Read MoreThe Digital Badge Revolution
For better or worse, we live in a society in which credentials are currency. A credential is a signal that the bearer has participated in and successfully completed some type of formal learning. Some credentials are broad and encompassing while others are highly specialized. In spite of the vast number of credentials awarded by an…
Read MoreBackgrounder: Evolving Models of Postsecondary Learning
Today’s students—who are more likely to be workers, parents, returning adults, veterans, and more—may have postsecondary education experiences and pathways that don’t fit traditional molds. They no longer follow a single and consistent pathway to a degree. Today’s students need access to more flexible higher learning pathways and delivery models, as well as access to…
Read MoreTo Unlock the Value of the Degree, Break It Down: How Digital Credentials Might Bend the Curve on Degree Skepticism
Less than half of Americans now believe that going to college will pay off with higher lifetime earnings. And employers, faced with seemingly endemic skills gaps, are beginning to look beyond the degree as a proxy for skills that matter in the future of work. Earlier this year, JPMorgan announced it will end the practice…
Read MoreThe New Credentials Marketplace
Princeton economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton documented the shocking increase in “deaths of despair” – the rising mortality rates for middle-aged White Americans with a high school education or less. While conversations continue about how best to prepare people for the future of work, the Case and Deaton data reminds us of the human…
Read MoreA Q&A with Geronimo Rodriguez, Chief Advocacy Officer at Ascension Texas
An attorney by training, Geronimo Rodriguez currently serves as the Chief Advocacy Officer for Ascension Texas, one of the leading non-profit and Catholic healthcare systems in the United States. Previously, he served as Counsel to the Solicitor at the U.S. Department of Labor, overseeing 140 labor and employment laws in the United States during the…
Read MoreWhat Do Businesses Want? The Same Things Individuals Do
What does human capital strategy mean? The answer seems to differ, depending on who you ask. Ask local elected officials, and the answer will likely involve their plans for K-12 schools or community colleges. Ask economic development leaders, and they might discuss their strategy to attract more jobs to their region. Ask an employer, and…
Read MoreGetting Higher Education in Sync with Workforce: A Q&A with Steve Partridge, Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development at NOVA
Serving one of the fastest growing communities of the Washington, D.C. suburbs, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) has faced the challenge of helping local communities prepare for an influx of new jobs in health care, information technology, and cybersecurity. As the vice president for workforce and economic development, Steve Partridge has been NOVA’s point man…
Read MoreHow Employers Can Foster Lifelong Learning: A Q&A with Kimo Kippen, Aloha Learning Advisors
Originally from Hawaii, Kimo Kippen rose through the ranks of the hospitality industry, beginning as a busboy to a corporate learning executive for the world’s largest hospitality companies. Because of that experience, he also understands that the backbone of every business–no matter how big or small–is its employees. For the past 20 years, Kimo has…
Read MoreEmployers are a critical piece of higher education reform
Companies are finding it difficult to fill open positions, saying they simply can’t find workers with the right qualifications. The half-life of skills continues to shrink, with many technical skills losing their usefulness after just five years. According to the Pew Research Center, more than half of all working adults now say it is necessary…
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