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During this holiday season, I reflect back on 2021 and the tremendous amount of change experienced by individuals, organizations, our country, and the world. Navigating this change has tested many of us and required a flexibility and agility to respond in sometimes unexpected ways.
As a special projects consultant for The Foundation and coordinator of the region’s STEM learning ecosystem, STEM Connect-KC, I am especially grateful for the collaborative spirit necessary to continue our collective work. Innovating is my top Agility and I have relied not only on my own creativity but on the perspectives and ingenuity of organizational partners.
The constant at The Foundation has been an unwavering focus on working with partners to serve individuals as they explore careers and build new networks of resources, especially those who may find themselves at the margins. A wonderful example of this can be found in the UMKC Bridge Scholar Program, as you’ll learn more about below; we were honored this collaboration was recently featured state-wide by the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development’s Bridges to Success series.
We look forward to a new year, new partners, and new stories of career resiliency in a time of change.
Agilities + Higher Education
This year, we partnered with the University of Missouri – Kansas City Summer Bridge Scholars program. Together, this team leveraged the Agilities as a crucial part of preparing students for success, with special focus on first generation, academically underprepared, and high financial need students.
Learn more about integrating the Agilities into bridge programs and career services in post-secondary institutions.
How Young People Are Approaching Work
In our recently commissioned study of 700 youth and 300 adults,
- 68% of young people reported changing their approach to their job or career due to the pandemic.
- 80% lack a clear idea of how to prepare for a career.
- 67% report only considering 2 or fewer careers for their future even though national trends indicate they will hold 12 different jobs over the course of their time in the workforce.
The research indicates there is tremendous opportunity to help youth toward an agile, successful career path. Read more findings
Reskilling for the Future of Work
We were honored to be part of “The Reskilling Revolution: Tackling the Skills-Gap Crisis“, hosted by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Heartland Chapter and ACG Kansas City.
Moderated by our ED and COO, Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight, this forward-thinking panel shared wisdom about our rapidly-changing workforce, the responsibility to invest in reskilling and upskilling talent, and cross-sector collaboration for a dynamic and successful future of work.
Learn how to leverage your strengths & interests
With our newly-released video resources, you can get to know each Agility, how it’s used in a job, and learn how to describe your strengths and interests for scholarship applications, resumes, and more.
Shout out to the DeBruce Career Corps members who helped develop, test, and even starred in these new videos!
A Career Journey of Empowerment
In this month’s blog, we highlight the career journey of Jess Crow, a lifelong maker, epoxy and woodworking artist, and owner of Crow Creek Designs.
Get to know how her journey revealed her strengths, how her passions developed into a career, and how you can find your greatest assets to offer the world.
Career Literacy Resources for Your Network
Do you know…
- An individual looking for career direction?
- An educator equipping their students for the workforce?
- An organizational leader preparing their team for the future of our economy?
Forward them the link to the new Agilities.org for free resources to boost career literacy and workforce resiliency!
