I’m part of the local skills and workforce board. My contemporaries and I meet every quarter to plan and support programs that ensure there are career pathways in our community that can employ local workers today and in the future.
The “in the future” part is the most difficult. Planning for the far-reaching future does require vision, but it also requires understanding the current hiring trends and projections. Calculating and forecasting what we will need today, next year, and five years from now is what all companies do, including my own – NetSupport. These calculations aren’t easy, nor is it guaranteed that the jobs we plan for now will be the jobs we need in five years.
Think about how difficult it is for teachers in this regard. We are all focused on learning outcomes, but education is directly tied to employability, a point I think we sometimes forget. Teachers not only have core subjects to teach, the emotional health of their students to support, parents to engage, and the administrative work associated with their jobs, but they also have to think about future jobs available to their students. At today’s pace of change, the world a high school freshman is learning in today will look dramatically different when they graduate.
Here are some ways that educators can help their students better plan for their future careers, whether their post-graduation path includes college, training, or directly entering the workforce.
Start exposing students to career options and the people who work in those careers early
The connection between career aspirations and motivation to learn is clear; students who can envision their future as adults are more invested in their schoolwork. To help that happen, give students opportunities to see and talk with working adults in interesting fields. Students need to hear about these adults’ work and the schooling and training that got them there. Career Days are popular ways to show students interesting jobs, so most schools host them at least once a year. WeAreTeachers is a great resource for tips on holding a career day in the early grades.
A Career Day is helpful, but sustained exposure to career opportunities impacts motivation even more. Students who latch onto something early in their education tend to have a more intentional path through school. See New York City Public School’s list of resources on this NYCPS Career Day page for ideas on how to help this along.
For more career awareness throughout the year, consider Pathful.com, which offers a virtual job showdown program and virtual engagement with a working professional. Nepris, part of Pathful, offers industry chats throughout the year. Also, consider Shadowworks.app, which helps streamline the job shadowing process. Work-Based Experiences is another resource, as is CareerExplorer.com.
Help students self-actualize and be confident enough to adapt to changes in their future employment opportunities
It is much easier for a child to envision their future and get excited about learning when their emotional needs are met. However, teachers can be paralyzed sometimes by needing to learn how to engage with students on this level. They might wonder where to begin and what to say, especially in difficult situations, even with training provided by the school district. Fortunately, several apps help teachers engage with their students, starting with the simple but powerful act of asking students how they feel. WellCheq offers a platform to do just that while also providing some administrative tools to notice trends or recognize students who might need a check-in or a more significant intervention. Tools like a classroom.cloud have reporting functions to recognize troubling behaviours and search patterns to help schools give students the support they need to stay on track and in school.
Pixton.com is a comic-style app that helps students express themselves, which can make it easier for students to communicate on difficult topics. For those needing a good general resource with actionable tips and materials, visit PBS for their Student Mental Health Matters resources. Having the ability to express feelings and being validated by an adult’s caring response goes a long way to building student confidence. And confident students are better able to think about their future. It’s a critical step in building resilient learners who will better adapt to whatever the job market might dish out once they graduate.
Pay attention to cyber threats and adopt sound practices to protect yourself and model good habits for your students
The threat posed by cybercrimes is real and growing. Not only do teachers have to be concerned with how their actions and their students might expose the school district, but they also need to model good habits for their students. For the specifics, most IT departments have strict guidelines about installing software, and they have email filters and strong firewalls, but teachers need to employ their own personal cyber-hygiene practices, too. Build good habits and help your students know how to use password management platforms like Dashlane.com or LastPass.com. Engage 2FA (two-factor authentication), and be sure to have malware applications installed and running. If a personal device hooks into the network, being diligent with these basic practices becomes even more important.
Monitor your students’ safety, too. Employ the classroom management software on your network to keep students limited to approved sites. It’s a good model for students to see this used early in their lives because, in their working careers, they will undoubtedly find that their employers use similar tools. NetSupport offers a cloud-based and a LAN version of their classroom management tool. Also, talk to students about career opportunities in cybersecurity, many of which can be technical degrees and certifications rather than bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies is a good place to start for teaching resources and career exploration for all grade levels.
Communicate to students that pathways to well-paying jobs start early and are no longer limited to the college or career options that used to be the norm after graduation
More U.S. businesses are lifting the four-year college degree requirement for entry-level jobs. Instead, they are looking at competency-based education and/or skill certifications as the minimum standards for applicants. If this trend sticks, this means there are more opportunities for high school graduates to find well-paying careers that don’t require a four-year college degree. In some cases, they can start at an entry-level position and be trained by the company.
Pursuing a two-year degree, like an associate’s degree, or going through an apprenticeship program or vocational training have always been viable options, but now companies are hiring people with general skills and training them to fit specific needs. We see this trend particularly in healthcare, which is supported by the articulated credit model of some colleges. In an articulated credit model, students apply their certification in a technical program towards units in a related bachelor’s degree program. For example, someone with a medical assistant certification can layer certification in phlebotomy and EKG towards a bachelor’s degree or vocational license in nursing. Companies like MedCerts offer certification programs in high school so that when a student graduates, they have a high school diploma, a certification in a medical career, and already have university credits towards a nursing degree. The healthcare company partners then continue the training for their new employees.
There’s no doubt that we do face an uncertain future, where technology changes and global challenges force everyone to adapt. We do ask a lot of our teachers to guide our students in a changing world, but they are up to the task. In fact, the teachers I meet actually embrace these challenges for the chance to have meaningful discussions with their students, teaching them to consider viewpoints, communicate their thoughts, and be critical consumers of information.
Teachers also realize that the key to a productive future lies in anchoring each student with the confidence to adapt to whatever may come their way. I’ve worked with teachers through three decades and despite war, pandemic, financial uncertainty, and technological advancements, they have always been the anchor our students need, building them up and teaching them the resilience and coping skills they need as they enter adulthood.
