Curated news, resources, and upcoming events in the K-12 sector - in this edition we look at adult education on K-12 campuses, insights into career outcomes, and life-ready signals
In each edition you'll find curated summaries of news, resources and upcoming events in K-12. New editions are sent out regularly - scan the summaries or read the story in full. Want to discuss skills in your school? We invite you to reach out.
Enjoy till next time!
Adult Education On K-12 Campuses Is So Much More Than You Might Guess
by Phillip Villamor | EdSource
Adult education programs on K-12 campuses, like Huntington Beach Adult School, offer English as a second language (ESL), citizenship, basic education, and career technical education (CTE) for adults. These programs support not just adult learners but also K-12 students by aiding immigrant parents. Despite budget challenges and cuts, California continues to invest in adult education, recognizing its vital role in creating financially stable families and communities. The programs, often overlooked, provide critical wraparound services that benefit both adults and their children.
Exploring Early Career Outcomes: Insights from the 2023 Alumni Survey
By Aubrey Nelson, Elena Sanina, & Eric Chan | Medium
The 2023 Alumni Survey explores early career outcomes for graduates from 2016-2018. Bachelor’s degree holders often secured strong jobs and felt financially stable but faced debt while 40% of them were in jobs not requiring their degree. Professional certificates emerged as a viable alternative with comparable earnings and less debt. Respondents wished for more career exploration in high school. Those who had several career exposure opportunities earned an average of $7,000 more annually than peers without such experiences. Future research and collaboration are planned to further understand pathways to career success.
How Do We Provision Learners With Better Life-Ready Signals?
By Kristine Chompff | Edalex
Students often lack practical skills for the workforce, necessitating life-ready signals to showcase their abilities. Personal Evidence Records (PER) and digital tools like badges and skills wallets provide a comprehensive view of a student's skills and achievements, moving beyond traditional résumés to offer a more holistic picture. Connecting and interpreting skills data through specific EdTech platforms such as Credentialate enables a detailed, contextualized view of skills. These technologies support a skills-based economy and help students present their skills effectively to employers, educational institutions, and others.
Webinar Recording: How Community Colleges Can Address Skills Gaps
By League for Innovation in the Community College, WGU & Edalex
The recording of our insightful webinar, "How Community Colleges Can Address Skills Gaps, Make Invisible Data Visible, and Increase Learner Agency," is now available on demand. Held on July 31, this webinar explored how technology can help community colleges address the global skills gap crisis. Our expert panelists shared a roadmap to skills visibility and recognition, highlighting innovative solutions for future workplace skills alignment, boosting employability for learners, and enhancing their learner agency.
