The link between career-connected learning and durable skills development is undeniable, write Thomas O’Brien, vice president of success & engagement at the Winward Academy and Dr. T.J. Vari, senior director of product strategy for MaiaLearning, in an eSchool News essay.
There are countless opportunities in the school day for middle school students to develop essential skills that employers demand. One way is to develop non-academic skills for students. The Durable Skills Advantage Framework, designed in collaboration with industry experts, identifies the most critical skills for early-career individuals worldwide. These include communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and leadership.
Leadership and communication–two of the most sought-after durable skills–can be developed in any middle-level student regardless of college or career trajectory and will make them more marketable to future employers. Career-connected learning enables educators to equip students with the skills that employers value.
Educators and policymakers must move beyond isolated skill instruction. Durable skills must be integrated into curriculum, school programming, extracurriculars, and more. This becomes part of a career-connected framework for learning. Each unit of study in every subject can include a career connection and projects that reinforce development of skills that are part of the framework.
The ability to set short- and long-term goals is one of many durable skills that are part of any framework. Setting goals is one of the most important life skills that any school can incorporate into units, courses, and pathways. It should not be introduced for the first time in high school and postsecondary planning. When middle school students learn to set goals academically and personally, they carry that skill with them into later grades.
Career exposure in early grades can help students to set goals for the types of jobs they might want to pursue in life. In middle grades, exploring career strategies allow students to begin to think about their future goals for college, military, or trades and the level of education required for those careers.
Without career-connected learning in the early grades, students are less apt to see school as important or as a place to obtain life skills. Career-connected learning also fosters a sense of belonging, develops purpose, and creates life-long learners.
Ask the right questions before adopting a tech tool for career-oriented learning and choose the right pace for implementation. Leverage the most inclusive all-in-one platform and take it one step at a time. Adding career-connections to the middle grades is a great next step for any school or district, but ease of implementation is critical for success and sustainability.
eSchool News
