Is it safe to say that education and workforce need to better align themselves? Are we ready to have a constructive conversation recognizing the two need to merge so we can progress as a community?
I am looking to merge our region in education and workforce. Where education recognizes school needs to prepare career pathways for all students as well as grow students through developing their strengths. I listen to workforce voice concerns regarding the struggle for work ready employees as well as employees. Then I listen and work within schools and hear students are confused and unaware of their regional opportunities, as well as themselves.
The fact is, the regents curriculum is only a fourth of what needs to happen in schools! There is 3/4 left of a child that needs to be developed. School is the place where the entire future workforce attends until age 16. That is huge! Here is where intervention needs to happen! If we are struggling both in education and in the workforce, it just makes sense to strategically plan together!
It starts with the Indigo Project:
www.indigoproject.org
Here students discover themselves! Who are they besides an SAT score or class rank? We have been measuring only academic performance for as long as education has been in existence. Simply because it is easy to quantify. Yet, there exists a whole child that needs to develop and grow in 21st century workforce skills. What about all the students who are not motivated by a grade, therefore cannot be quantified within in one size fits most curriculum? What would their grade be if they were motivated to learn specific to their strengths and values? I can safely assume these students spend more time being disciplined, talking, and some may even drop out.
Indigo can measure all the non-academic components of a student! Do they possess leadership, empathy, teamwork? How are these skills being developed in the classroom? Indigo brings the opportunity to measure and grow the whole student, to teach to and align their motivators, behaviors, and skills with regional workforce, designing a tailored and purposeful career pathway! This would bring relevancy and excitement to students as they attend school and learn curriculum. Maybe their pathway involves college upon graduation and maybe it doesn't! Maybe developing a skill and working within that industry will preface college? But these options and pathways need to be tailored and offered to all students. Students need to know what they CAN do, not just what they struggle with. Let's add these measurements to a report card! Or a profile card? The solution is to change what we see is not working! Indigo is the tipping point for evolved education!
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