Learning and Education

U can B teaching Students – As students graduate and enter an increasingly competitive job market, academic success alone is not enough to ensure a successful career. Employers are searching for the “soft skills”–those traits that are so vital to interpersonal relationships, cooperation with coworkers, and customer satisfaction. These skills include things like communication, problem solving, time management, leadership, working on a team, a strong work ethic, maintaining a professional appearance, and more. “The guest speakers from the U. Can. B Program are a lot of fun! They give us more options for career choices, as well as present real life experiences to the topic.” “I enjoy listening to the speakers and asking questions. They are interesting and informative.” Frequently, students are lacking in this vital preparation for the responsibilities and realities of the work world. This handicaps them in their future job searches by reducing their employability, and impacting their ability to function well in an office environment or retain a job. By providing opportunities for students to practice these important personal interactions, problem solving processes, communication cycles, and other key skills, educators can help lay a foundation for future success in the work world. “The guest speakers are nice and they do not make me feel like I cannot own my own business in the future. Everyone is not meant to go to college, and I now feel confident that I can do something else to make a living when I am an adult.” “The guest speakers make sure the students understand what they are presenting.” “I look forward to the next workshop. Can someone present more often ?” Big Ideas U can B teaches related to Career Readiness ● Interpersonal skills are just as important as subject area knowledge to creating and maintaining a successful career. ● Continuing to learn and grow in your personal life can lead to both a successful career and greater satisfaction in your life. ● Leadership, communication, problem solving, and time management are vital for any career....

Americans have always taken pride in having the best-educated workforce in the world, but now that is no longer true. In Tough Choices, Tough Times, the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce reports that over the past 30 years one country after another has surpassed the United States in the percentage of its population entering the workforce with the equivalent of a high school diploma, and many more countries are on the verge of doing so. Thirty years ago, the U.S. could lay claim to having 30 percent of the world’s population of college students. Today that proportion has fallen substantially, to 14 percent, and continues to decline. American students place anywhere from the middle of the pack to the bottom in all three continuing comparative studies of achievement in mathematics, science, and general literacy among advanced industrial nations. Students from low-income families are six times more likely not to finish high school than those from high-income families. Dropouts face severe obstacles to employment, livable wages, and civic participation; instead, many drift into crime. This situation means a loss of opportunities for the individuals, substantial cost to the govern¬ment and taxpayers, and a decline in productivity for businesses. Even those students who do graduate may not be well prepared. According to the National Reading Panel, American companies lose nearly $40 billion annually due to il¬literacy. A survey by the National Occupational Information Coordinating Com¬mittee and the National Career Development Association found that a majority of students report feeling unprepared in skills, knowledge, and attitudes upon entering the...

U can B taught at East Liberty, Erie, Wexford, Allentown, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg. Each Thursday from 3 to 4 p.m. over a 15-week period that began Jan. 15, participants gathered at seven PA Cyber support centers and satellite offices across the state for live, interactive online sessions on specific topics including entrepreneurship, website and graphic design, government and politics, jobs in the “green” sector, film, and trade careers. The live online sessions in this series originated from PA Cyber’s office in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty business district. They were streamed using Google software to offices at Greensburg, Erie, Wexford, Allentown, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg. Hissam and Brian Boothby, a facilitator in the gifted-talented program, are simultaneously streamed the sessions to other PA Cyber students at home on their laptops, using the same Collaborate meeting software students use to attend their regular PA Cyber virtual classes. In the second session, for example, Tom Kubilius of Bally Designs of Pittsburgh explained what entrepreneurship is, what entrepreneurs have in common, choices to be made in starting a business, creating a business plan, what a small business looks like, and why having a passion for what you do is important.   Jill Valentine, Director of Admissions and Marketing, 724.888-7814,...

U can B a healthcare employee with Adagio Health and Jefferson Hospital.  Great information for students and all the students who wanted to volunteer over the summer were able to get volunteer positions. The U can B solution The U can B Curriculum is tailored to meet your school’s needs, and allows each curriculum component to be expanded or contracted to fit within a specific number of weeks based on the strengths and weaknesses of the class. Classes included in the U can B curriculum include: • Entrepreneurship • Trades and Careers in the Trades • Website design and SEO • Film and TV • Green and Sustainable • Politics • Healthcare • and More! The U can B program provides a unique interactive classroom environment that utilizes “Google Live Stream Technology” in a partnership with Google. The program further engages the students with our proprietary Coffee With Film series, which showcases industry leaders and politicians with a variety of insight in those careers. The program is further augmented with In person speakers and experts that share real world experiences and advice in career development and planning. Finally, U can B’s Student Goal Tracker Software with Smart Technology connects each student with matched company profiles, internship opportunities and unique access to industry...

  What is an entrepreneur? What choices do I have for my future career? How do I go about starting my own business? Is there anyone out there that can talk to me and guide me in the right direction? These are all great questions that have been asked by many middle and high school students. Now they have a way to figure out the answers. “U Can B” is a customizable 8, 15, or 24 week career/leadership program designed and operated by Building Bridges for Business, a Pittsburgh based non-profit. The program has been educating 7th through 12th graders for the past two years and is now available statewide in partnership with the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. Using the “Coffee With” film series on CBS/KDKA, in-person lectures and “Power Trips” with individuals in leadership positions, students are able to connect with vital business resources. They are learning that thinking outside the box is a good thing. According to a February 3, 2015, article at Forbes.com, “young people are gravitating to entrepreneurship. The most active early-stage entrepreneurs around the world are 25 to 35 years old”. This innovative program is a starting point for many of these young people by educating and empowering them to follow their passion. “U Can B” challenging the students to think about what choices are available to them and what it will take for them to succeed. For additional information on the “U Can B” program or to find out how you can add the “U Can B” program to your school, please contact...

State’s ‘U Can B’ program expands through Cyber Charter School The “U Can B” program is available for the first time to middle and high school students statewide through a partnership with the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, according to a recent announcement from the school. The program puts middle and high school students in direct contact with Pittsburgh business, community and government leaders. It is operated by Building Bridges for Business, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that launched in 2010. “The ‘U Can B’ program was previously available to school districts in and around Pittsburgh, but this is the first time they’ve offered it through an online school and the first time for it to be available statewide,” Pennsylvania Cyber’s Gifted and Talented Program Director Mike Hissam said. The organization uses methods including one-on-one conversations with experts; its “Coffee With” film series on CBS/KDKA; in-person lectures and “Power Trip” meetings with visits to Google offices; the Energy Innovation Center; and trips to CBS/KDKA studios and Pittsburgh City Hall. Participating Pennsylvania Cyber students have been chosen to participate through the school’s regional offices, from the gifted-talented and related STAR programs, the DECA business club, the School of Engineering and the National Honor Society chapter. The “U Can B” program meets every Thursday from 3-4 p.m. over a 15-week period that began Jan. 15. Sessions also are streamed to Pennsylvania Cyber students participating at home. Hissam added that participation in the program will remain open through the semester to all Pennsylvania Cyber students in grades nine through 12 and to all seventh- and eighth-grade students taking high school...