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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, MARCH 29, 2023 and ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, MARCH 30, 2023 – Torree Pederson, President, and Linda Rallo, Vice President of Aligned, convened business and education leaders across the state in a two-day event to discuss Durable Skills. Leaders and human resource professionals came together to support the development of a rubric for the skills required across the workforce, such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and leadership.
This event was developed and facilitated by America Succeeds, a national nonprofit education advocacy organization, to unite a diverse group of employers to lend their voices to the rubric’s development. The rubric, part of a larger framework currently in development, intends to assist employers, educators, and young people in aligning around what competencies a job candidate should have relative to these types of in-demand skills with the goal that students enter the workforce prepared and employers have access to the talent they need.
During each one-day workshop, Aligned brought together subject matter experts from area high schools, recruiting firms, businesses, the military, and leadership from America Succeeds, CompTIA, and Common Group.
“We are in alignment with America Succeeds in our belief that there is an important set of durable ‘soft skills’ - like critical thinking, communication, collaboration, fortitude, growth mindset, and leadership - that are highly valuable to any business,” said Torree Pederson, President and CEO of Aligned. “We are excited to support this initiative because better preparing our students with these skills will better our future workforce, both for our business and greater community.”
As a result of the symposium, America Succeeds, in partnership with CompTIA will compile the information and feedback from participants into a Durable Skills rubric, scheduled for release in Summer 2023. Ultimately, the rubric can be incorporated into the rest of the framework, including trainings, assessments, credentials, and other solutions to support learners. Economic mobility, workplace inclusion, and a more diverse workforce are just a few benefits expected from this framework.
“We are thrilled to partner with Aligned and other key stakeholders in Missouri to develop a rubric to support learning outcomes and workforce development across the state,” stated Tim Taylor, co-founder and president of America Succeeds. “Aligned provides a valuable voice from the community to help us transform the school-to-work pipeline and supports our work to ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed in the competitive global economy.”
If you missed the opportunity to participate in the Aligned event, you can add feedback to the Durable Skills online survey here, or you can join one of our upcoming virtual events on April 6 or April 10. You can register for each event by clicking the links.
Click here for a Word document of this release.
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