On Tuesday, October 14, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) hosted a presentation titled “What Does It Mean To Be Work Ready: A Talent Supply Chain Perspective,” which included remarks from Steven Robbins, Director of Research Innovations in ETS’s Research & Development division and Martin Scaglione, the President and CEO of Hope Street Group.
The presentation centered around private-sector perspectives on the need for greater technical and employability training to bridge the growing skills gap, as well as strategies and frameworks to ensure that future efforts are effective. One strategy Robbins emphasized included the need to more effectively convey to learners the skills that they already have and areas for growth, so that they can communicate their competencies to employers through an evidence-based model throughout their career. Robbins suggested that the development of valid assessments that could identify a student’s competencies in “critical work readiness dimensions” would help inform employers of their candidate’s qualifications, and could successfully be implemented through a stackable framework model.
Scaglione went on to describe his experiences in the private sector with identifying candidates with CTE skills, including technical prowess and employability skills such as teamwork and resilience. He emphasized the need for greater clarity among both students and future employers in regard to the skills employees have, both in obtaining employment and in growing throughout their career.
Promoting education that prepares students for career success is central to ACTE’s mission and goals, and we applaud leaders from the business and education policy community who share in those efforts.
Comments