Greetings!   

 

 

I was recently asked to speak to a group of community college faculty on Employability Skills and provide them the tools to teach those in their classrooms. We've heard these skills called many things: 21st Century Skills; Soft Skills; Essential Skills.... the list goes on.  

 

Without a framework, I was lost.  How does one provide a resource to professional educators when there are so many options out there?  From which angle do I approach this?  In November 2009 the Nebraska Department of Education convened a group of business and industry partners and educators to quantify these skills. Since, they have evolved to what are now known as the Nebraska Standards for Career Ready Practice which were adopted by the State Board of Education in 2011. They will be modified (slightly) to speak more to community college and job seeking adults, but the expectations and outcomes are the same for a high school graduate as a college graduate.

 

I shared the Standards with the participants and they agreed these skills are what students need to succeed in the workplace, but also in the classroom. To mix up the presentation, I found good video clips which emphasize the importance of a skill.  Please note, some of the content is for mature audiences and should be previewed before showing to a younger audience.  If you have an opportunity for me to speak to a group of educators or if you'd like assistance with facilitating a discussion, I would be delighted to serve in any way I can.

 

One last reminder, the Standards Writing Workshop application deadline is March 15. If you have an interest in assisting us write standards this summer for: Engineering; Information Technology and Arts, A/V & Communication; Hospitality & Tourism; or Human Services please complete the application. Dates of each writing workshop can be found here. Accepted participants will be notified by April 15 for summer planning purposes.