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Growing up in a rural area, I experienced gaps in access to career resources and often felt like I didn’t have many opportunities to explore my future. At the time, I didn’t know what resources were available to help me. Now, as I prepare for another semester of college, I’ve been using Agilities™ tools to think more intentionally about my next steps.
These tools are helping me connect what I’m learning in college to the skills I’m developing for my future career. The Agile Work Profiler™ helps me identify my top Agilities and the Career Explorer Tools help me see which Agilities connect to different career opportunities I’m interested in and where I can continue to grow.
Having free, accessible tools can help students explore their options and plan for their futures, no matter where they live. Read on to learn how The Foundation’s latest research, How to Talk with Youth About Careers in the Age of AI, reinforces how important it is to give young people resources and confidence to turn ideas about their futures into real next steps.
New research on youth & careers in the age of AI
As the workforce continues to change, adults can help young people navigate uncertainty with confidence and clarity about their futures.
New research from The DeBruce Foundation shares insights on how parents, educators, and other adults can spark conversations about careers and help young people see new possibilities.
The research highlights how career literacy and network strength can help young people:
- Explore more career opportunities
- Navigate uncertainty around AI, changing careers, and emerging opportunities
- Connect their interests and skills to future pathways
Read How to Talk with Youth about Careers in the Age of AI to find insights to help young people prepare for the future of work.
Change the Question this November
November is National Career Development Month, a time to help people explore their strengths, interests, and career possibilities. For generations, we’ve asked young people, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” But today’s careers aren’t linear. This November, let’s Change the Question.
In the classroom: try one career literacy activity with your students by joining the Classroom Challenge.
At home: use the Thanksgiving Conversation Guide, designed to help families start conversations that invite curiosity and explore possibilities.
Read more to learn how you can help Change the Question this National Career Development Month.
Career literacy research featured in Education Week
As the job market continues to change, career literacy can help people navigate it.
The DeBruce Foundation recently shared research that examines the connection between career literacy and employment security in a rapidly changing economy. Surveying over 36,000 Americans ages 18-64, the report shares how career literacy skills prepare today’s students to enter the workforce with confidence.
The report, recently featured in Education Week, highlights why developing career literacy in schools matters, emphasizing that these skills develop over time and can help students understand their strengths and prepare to navigate an evolving workforce.
Read the full story on Education Week.
Expanding pathways on Empowering Careers
How can we help young people see more possibilities for their futures? In the latest episode of Empowering Careers, Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight talks with Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs, Executive Director and CEO of the National School Boards Association, about creating more opportunities and pathways for students.
They explore how school boards can support innovation, build strong community partnerships, and help ensure every student has access to the resources and choices they need to thrive.
Verjeana also shares insights on preparing students for multiple futures and the role confidence and strong leadership can play in helping young people see what’s possible for what comes next. Listen now.
Building clarity for job-seekers
DeBruce Career Corps members serve as a youth advisory board, where their perspectives are essential in shaping the future of careers and workforce readiness. Currently, members are exploring how job seekers can prepare for interviews using the Agilities framework, based on job descriptions.
Members examined common phrases in job postings, finding that they can have different meanings and can’t always be understood from a job description alone.
Members are now developing a guide that breaks down common job-posting language and offers questions to help career-seekers better understand it.
Know someone age 14-24 who would be a great fit for membership? Learn more.
Building Big Futures with the Agilities
Littles at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kansas City are preparing for big, bright futures.
In this month’s blog, Droo Long shares how Big Futures, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kansas City’s workforce development program, is helping Littles prepare for their careers. Through the Agilities, Littles discover their strengths, interests, and ways of working while building a foundation for exploring different career paths.
As Droo writes, “The goal isn’t to tell a Little what career they should pursue — it’s to help them see their own unlimited potential….All of those pathways start with understanding who they are, what skills they bring, and what possibilities exist for them. That is where the Agile Work Profiler provides such an important foundation.”
Read the blog to learn how Littles are using the Agilities to prepare for their big futures!
Are you looking for resources to build career pathways in your classroom, curriculum, or organization? Register now to explore our career tools!
Educators:
Access free resources and online training here
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October 6, October 13, October 27
Virtual Introduction to Agilities K-12 Resources for Educators:
October 21, November 18
In-Person Agilities Coach Training:
October 1-2 (Kansas City, MO)
November 17-18 (Fort Wayne, IN)
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