Trade education

Wanted: A Skills Gap Solution Stevie Miller The formula for career success was supposed to be simple: go to college, get a bachelor’s degree, and find a job doing what you love that pays a decent living. As our newest generations of college graduates have discovered, the reality isn’t quite so simple. While more and more college educated employees are available, fewer employers want to hire them. Underemployment, that is, either working part time when you want to work full time, or working at a job that doesn’t utilize your education and training, is a persistent problem that has outlasted our recession-inspired unemployment. PayScale reports in a recent study [1] that 46% of American workers identify as underemployed. The problem is caused by what’s known as the skills gap. Despite a large number of people who would like to find more or better work, industries that require skilled workers–but not necessarily the kind of education you get with a bachelor’s degree–are coming up short. The skills gap is most evident in STEM fields, or industries requiring the use of technology, including healthcare, computer science, and especially manufacturing. It’s difficult to find the right employees for these fields, observes the Harvard Business Review [2], because the technology is changing so quickly that many schools don’t offer the right training. Soft skills, such as communication and teamwork, are in increasing demand by employers, but also aren’t offered in schools, particularly because they require one-on-one efforts with students. Employers, meanwhile, increasingly expect prospective employees to shoulder the burdens of training themselves, the US Department of Labor reports. [3] Yet prospective employees are reluctant to take on this training when the technology is changing so quickly that the skills required by one employer are unlikely to translate to the next job opening. Jeff Selingo, author of New York Times bestseller “There is Life After College”, notes: “The goal of universal college has actually done more harm than good because it banished anything that smacks of job training to second class status.” He further writes: “We need more than just one pathway to good jobs in the U.S. What we need is a place like Harvard–both prestigious and rigorous–that will attract students who have talents and interests to pursue skilled jobs critical for the economy that don’t necessarily require a four-year college degree.” [4] 1: http://www.payscale.com/data-packages/underemployment 2: https://hbr.org/2014/08/employers-arent-just-whining-the-skills-gap-is-real 3: http://www.careeronestop.org/businesscenter/recruitandhire/identifyyourhiringneeds/the-skills-gap.aspx 4:...

  U can B @ Clayton High School will conclude in May with ‘Career Days at Clayton High’! Career Days will begin with an Interview Competition on May 1th. This will be followed by an in-school Career Fair on May 20th. The Building Bridges for Business U can B Program, a series of career awareness classes aimed at high school and middle school students, launched its first classes at Clayton Academy in Pittsburgh’s North Side on March 2, 2016. U can B classes at Clayton were provided through support of the Verizon Foundation. Topics for middle and high school students ranged from Career Interests to STEM-related Careers to Job Readiness Classes. Students in the middle school were registered for FREE online career profiles via STEM Premier. Students in the high school at Clayton focused specifically on topics such as Work Readiness, Job Search, Interview Skills, and Networking in preparation for Career Days. May 11th Interview Day Students are currently working on resumes and cover letters as a class project. These will be completed and reviewed by Clayton teachers prior to the Interview Day. On May 11th, students will participate in a panel style interview. U can B teachers, Clayton staff, and volunteers from the community will make up three panels. Students will cycle through for individual interviews. A scoring rubric will be used by the panelists to assess students’ interview performance. Three Awards will be selected: Best Interview, Best Resume, Best Cover Letter. Certificates and prizes will be presented to the winners. Certificates of Participation are to be presented to all students who completed the U can B Program. Winners to be announced at the May 20th Career Fair. May 20th Career Fair The U can B team has organized a Career Fair which will take place at Clayton on May 20th between 10:00-12:00. The Fair will be followed by a cookout and celebration. Students, teachers, U can B staff, employers, and volunteers are invited to attend the cookout. Approximately 65 students are expected. Awards will be presented during the cookout and celebration. The Career Fair and Cookout will be a wonderful way to conclude the school year. Students have put a lot of time and effort into the U can B Program at Clayton, and the May 20th event is their reward for that hard work. In addition to the celebration, students will have the opportunity to discuss jobs and careers with representatives from several Pittsburgh-area businesses including but not limited to United States Probation & Pretrial Services of Western PA, Allegheny Health Network, IBEX Global, Career Talk on KDKA, Legal Shield, and Arias Agencies. Arias Agencies, a division of American Income Life, has agreed to participate and present certificates of completion to the students. Title sponsor of Career Talk on KDKA, Arias Agencies has been an on-going supporter and hiring partner of the...

Description of Services – U Can B Group Sessions U Can B group sessions include a variety of activities designed to engage students of all backgrounds, levels of ability, interests, and skill level. The classroom sessions offer learning experiences through a number of hands-on and lecture-based presentations. Topic areas include the following: 1.) Work Readiness & Soft Skills – U Can B teachers and guest speakers offer a plethora of content related to work readiness and soft skills. Through video, lecture and activity, students learn about Teamwork, Communication, Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, Professionalism, Interview Skills, and Workplace Culture. 2.) Networking & Job Search – U Can B students learn from teachers and local HR representatives the most up-to-date and effective job searching techniques. These include Networking, Using Social Media, Using Social Media Responsibly, How to Work a Job Fair, Job Applications, Resume Writing, and more! 3.) Career Awareness – U Can B guest speakers provide students with first-hand career awareness and exposure to careers in IT, Health Care, Film & Media, Green & Sustainable, Veterinarian & Animal Care, Trades, Government & Politics, and Entrepreneurship. 4.) Basic IT Skills – Through the use and access to O*Net Online (a DOL career exploration database), Career Talk on KDKA, and other technologies, U Can B students have an opportunity to enhance and/or improve basic IT skills. The U Can B Program supplements classroom learning with other activities designed to educate students, give students exposure to the world of work, and to generate potential employment opportunities for high school students and/or soon-to-be graduates. U Can B services are for sure unique. The program stands alone in that it currently operates in local schools and interacts daily with the local business community. U Can B services offer a unique educational experience to local high school and middle schools students while simultaneously serving as the bridge between young, local talent and employers in the public and private sectors who are seeking the next generation of Pittsburgh’s talented...

PRESS RELEASE Aziksa, Inc. Partners with Pittsburgh based U can B to Provide Access to Life Learning Courses for High School Students Students can learn about Entrepreneurship, STEM, Trades, Politics, and More Pittsburgh, PA, May 2, 2016: Aziksa, Inc., a strategic learning platform company, inked a multi-year contract to provide a cloud based, blended learning system to U can B (Building Bridges) to expand access to courses that will allow local students to learn more about life after high school and college. The blended learning partnership will allow students to take courses online and via their mobile phones and devices at a significantly reduced cost.  This is a new blended learning partnership. “We are excited to work with U can B and the Building Bridges for Business organization,” said Aziksa President and CEO Santosh Jha. “We are committed to offering easy to use classes to young people and this partnership will allow more students to take advantage of the U can B offerings. Students can expand on their formal classroom learning by taking courses in entrepreneurship, science and technology, green and sustainable science, and a variety of trades.” The Aziksa (www.aziksa.com) cloud based, blended learning platform is designed specifically to enhance interaction between students and teachers in the online atmosphere by using the Virtual Classroom and Virtual Lab to maximize contact between the instructors and the learners. Students can sign-up online and participate in the courses from the comfort of their home and still take advantage of the many benefits of interacting with fellow learners and the instructors. Students can even access the class sessions and course with their mobile device to accommodate those on the go. “We are very pleased to be working with Aziksa. They really understand how best to deliver online learning in today’s world and I know students will benefit from the increased interaction. We looked at many blended learning options and we think Aziksa offers the best choice for our purposes,” said Linda Handley, Founder of U Can B. Entrepreneurs and businesspeople, along with the non-profit organization Building Bridges for Business, are giving local students the chance to see what life is like after high school and college. The U can B curriculum is tailored to meet your school’s needs and includes a variety of life learning courses like entrepreneurship, website design and SEO, graphic design and animation, veterinarian study and animal related careers, career preparation and networking, and green and sustainable practices and careers. 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 augmented by In person speakers and experts that share real world experiences and advice in career development and planning. For more information about U can B and the Building Bridges initiative, please visit their website at https://buildingbridgesforbusiness.org or send an email to info@BuildingBridgesforBusiness.org. Building Bridges/U can B is located at 625 Stanwix Street, #1605, in Pittsburgh, PA...

U can B – programs and efforts align with nationwide trends. 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. Building Bridges is a 501(c)3 organization that educates and empowers through: • Live and virtual business education and workshops • Coffee With Film Series on CBS/KDKA digital with a 1.4 M home reach. • U can B teaching program • Student portal with data analytics • and Building the Bridges across the business and workforce ecosystem. Our mission is to strengthen the economic vitality of the region by providing educational programming and opportunities for small business and students to connect with vital resources. The U can B program highlights – • Proven curriculum – Taught in school and after school programs. • “Coffee With…” videos and in person interactive discussions are used to educate students on their purpose, passion and career options. • Educational programming – for students to connect with vital business resources. The students that U can B reaches will use the analytics dashboard that allows schools to follow participating students, gain meaningful and measurable analytics, and keep up with them longitudinally as they progress. • Follow Students • Internal Messaging • Post OpportunitiesImpact • See How They Compare • Show Certifications • Organize Achievements • Geographic Data • Skills Breakdown • Test Score...

Pittsburgh Perry High School and local nonprofit, Building Bridges for Business, hosts Opportunity Fairs for parents, students and local employers. Building Bridges for Business, Perry High School and the Pittsburgh Public Schools will host the Opportunity Fair at Perry High School in the Northside of Pittsburgh, PA. Councilwoman Darlene Harris said, “I’d like to thank the Pittsburgh Public Schools and Building Bridges for organizing this unique event. It is important for the city’s youth to know that there are great opportunities for blue and white collar jobs on the North Side, and throughout the Pittsburgh region. I encourage both parents and students to attend.” The Perry High School – Opportunity Fair will be held in March 15, 2016 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm in the Perry High School cafeteria. Employers and recruiters will give information to potential employees. Both adults and student job seekers can attend the Opportunity Fair on March 15, 2016. Parents and students are encouraged to bring a resume and apply for positions that evening. Parents and students will be able to meet with 15+ employers including The City of Pittsburgh, Modcloth, Bidwell, Rosedale Technical College, Goodwill, Allegheny Health Network, Job Corps, The Program for Offenders, UPS, Atlas Dreams Languages, US District Court, Logix Guru, American Income Life and local Northside businesses. Building Bridges for Business is a 501©3 organization providing career education via their program U can B. U can B has 80+ weeks of curriculum meeting the Pennsylvania State Education Association teaching standards. The U can B program also uses their Coffee With Show videos and in person speakers to engage students. Entrepreneurs and businesspeople, along with the non-profit organization Building Bridges for Business, are giving local students the chance to see what life is like after high school and college. Building Bridges for Business will host several other Opportunity Fair events throughout Allegheny County. Every event will provide access to education and the region’s amazing business resources. Details of the organization’s history and programs can be found on www.buildingbridgesforbusiness.org. Contact for the Press Release Ebony Pugh, Public Information Officer, Pittsburgh Public Schools Work phone is 412-529-3616 and cell...