The Penn Foster Blog

Kicking off just two weeks ago, the 4th Annual Close IT Summit in Dallas, TX brought together over 500 leaders from workforce investment boards, for-purpose organizations, and employers to focus on emerging trends in workforce development. The primary topic of conversation in 2016? Competency-based education, training, and hiring.

Today's educators need to be willing to learn from the past as well as embrace the future and their students' needs. The internet gives access to insights of thousands of professionals who make their work available online. Sometimes, just a few minutes of inspiration is all that is needed to reignite your passion for teaching.

Just like every other sector and industry, the broad field of education has seen a whirlwind of adaptations, innovative advancements, and growing pains over the past few years with the advent of education technology and the modern learner. Schools are working hard to adapt to new standards set by the Department of Education, edtech companies are producing endless new ways to learn, nonprofit organizations continue to find ways to engage the at-risk learner, and employers are banding together to help address the middle skills gap. At Penn Foster, we have the unique perspective of sitting squarely between all of these players. We've witnessed myriad transformations within these spaces, as the shape of education continues to evolve to become more accessible and relevant. As we dive into Q4, we thought we'd take a look ahead and share our five projections for the top education trends for the coming year.  

Take a moment to picture a "traditional education." What does it consist of in your mind? Maybe you imagine it in terms of a timeline, with a student progressing from middle school to high school, and onto an apprenticeship or college, and then right into a career. While this is an idealized concept for receiving and education and beginning a career, there is a growing percentage of the population, particularly with youth ages 16-24, approaching education and career training in a more practical format. This new format is the stackable credentials approach.

Today's educators need to be willing to learn from the past as well as embrace the future and their students' needs. The internet gives access to insights of thousands of professionals who make their work available online. Sometimes, just a few minutes of inspiration is all that is needed to reignite your passion for teaching.

This evening marks the kickoff of the 2016 Close It Summit in Dallas, TX hosted by nonprofit Innovate+Educate, a national leader in developing strategies and implementing solutions to address the skills gap! The title of this year's conference is SHIFT Happens: No Turning Back in reference to the ever-evolving education, training, and hiring space. In particular, the 2016 summit is to be focused on the shift toward competencies and the innovative new changes happening in competency-based education.

Young people need career guidance, but too often, they struggle to find it. A CareerBuilder study found that twenty-four percent of high school seniors say they have no idea what they want to do for a career.1 Further, a YouthTruth survey discovered that only 45 percent of high school students feel positive about their college and career readiness.2 Without adequate preparation, many young people will take whatever job is available after graduation just to make ends meet, unaware they have other options. Here are four steps high school counselors can take to point their students in the right direction.

Last week I had the pleasure of attending and presenting at the 2016 NJCA Leadership Summit in Arlington, Virginia.  This annual conference brings together the Job Corps community comprised of workforce development experts, education practitioners, corporate partners, U.S. Department of Labor officials, Office of Job Corps leadership and staff, as well as members of Congress to discuss and develop strategies for enhancing Job Corps services.­

Next week the Penn Foster team will hit the road to participate in two of our favorite regional career college conferences: the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools 32nd Annual Conference in Pasadena, CA from October 5th - 7th, and the Career Colleges and Schools of Texas 2016 Annual Conference in Austin, TX from October 10th - 12th. We're excited as always for the chance to connect with leaders in the private postsecondary education space as we explore opportunities for growth and innovation in the industry.

Your neighborhood Goodwill may offer more than meets the eye. Many Goodwill centers across the nation operate One Stop Career Centers alongside their retail stores/donation centers to assist youth, adults, and families to improve their skills and education. One such Career Center in Conemaugh Valley, Pennsylvania, is now offering locals the chance to earn their high school diploma in a supportive environment. This gives community members who are struggling to find work a second chance to earn the credentials and skills needed to increase their chances for employment.