Tag: Work-Learn Solutions for Businesses

Re-Imagining Learning Communities For a Stronger Workforce

by Edu-Advisor, posted in Trending

According to Internet Live Stats there are more than 1.7 billion websites. That number does not include the actual number of pages of content on each website. Just to provide a context for this number, small companies will easily have over 100 pages of content so it is difficult to comprehend the actual volume of data that is available online. This statistic becomes even more distorted when adding personal content like blog posts and other types of digital and social media. It is clear why the internet is a quagmire when looking for quality information.

What can be even more frustrating is that the websites with the most insightful information are never seen by the masses because these types of researchers, teachers, and developers lack the resources or the interest to “ranking number one on Google”. These educators want to provide information that is useful and will help others on their pathway to success. That is why it is critical to re-imagine education so that those who have the answers can simply connect virtually with those seeking a solution to that specific problem.

Dream2Career is re-imagining and simplifying the digital network for work-based learning experiences by connecting the learning provider and with interested students.  When students, parents, and educators get together with businesses and schools, learning happens and pathways emerge leading users to their dream careers. Educational agents work with the best learning programs and event providers to help students find and answer the question, “What should I do with the rest of my life?”. We help learning communities promote solutions, best practices, and mentorship in ways that supports the needs and curiosity of the student.

Dream2Career is designed to help businesses and schools promote programs and events to those interested in each specific discipline. Every program is not right for every student and Dream2Career has a mission of helping students connect with the right resources leading to their dream careers.  We do this by using our marketing expertise and an algorithm that is built upon the career clusters identified by the Department of Education and encompasses opportunities that highlight the 1100+ jobs identified by the Department of Labor. We work with schools and businesses to provide free access to resources that match and engage students and educators with local and virtual opportunities so they can be inspired about the future world of work.

National Challenge: 90 Days to a Career-Ready America

by Edu-Advisor, posted in Trending

Dream2Career challenges educational leaders to participate in 90 Days to a Career-Ready America. Schools and businesses that offer online experiences like webinars, courses, certificates, badges, degree programs, activities, virtual tours, educational games, learning communities, presentations, camps, educational kits, internships, mentorships, scholarships, incubators, or events for students of any age or ability, can post these experiences in a new way.  Dream2Career quickly connects learning experiences with the appropriate types of students based on their individual interest profiles.

Access to information has become a challenge because there is so much of it. Many organizations are posting lists of online learning resources for students. This is helpful, yet it takes too long for students and parents read through and check each website regarding all the of opportunities on the list, most of which do not apply to each unique circumstance.  These lists are all encompassing and consequently, poorly match to what each specific the learner is trying to achieve. Dream2Career filters learning experiences based on the user’s interests so students can quickly find the relevant information to immediately begin the learning process that matches their interests and aspirations.

Dream2Career is a women-led tech startup that developed a platform for schools and businesses to post online learning experiences in a student-focused way. Students, parents, educators, and career seekers need a resource that quickly matches needs and interests to the appropriate learning on-ramps. Using a unique algorithm, the platform integrates users interests and filters them through the Department of Education’s career clusters making it easy for users to receive only relevant learning experiences.

Some of the Best Planning Occurs in “Captivation”

Because of “shelter in place” rules, families are going to want to find tools that are useful in finding quality experiences to do at home. This unusual form of confinement offers individuals time to plan for their dream life and the best free tool to help families with this process is Dream2Career. NPR followed a group of inmates who completed degrees in prison and found that the learning experiences were able to inspire hope by making the time in confinement easier and more productive.  It is important to be able to see beyond our “incarceration” to life after this horrible pandemic. Using this newly found time to learn and to grow will inspire new ideas and it will create opportunities for a more promising future.

When we learn about things that interest us, innovation and prosperity await us on other side of this national disaster. Students, parents, mentors, and educators can register for free and we will email learning experiences that match the completed interest profile.

If you are a business or a school post learning experiences and help communities to find and prepare for dream careers.

College to Career: Fieldr is Making it Happen!

by Edu-Advisor, posted in Trending

 

Fieldr-logo

College to career is the dream for most parents, educators, and students. Unfortunately, times have changed, and it is a little more complicated for recent college graduates to qualify to enter the workforce. Today, businesses seek industry experience even for entry-level positions. Business professionals from all major industries agree that students who lack job experience are less likely to be hired because the skills gap ultimately hurts their bottom line. Therefore, it is critical that students find opportunities to gain experience through internships, volunteering, and other experiential learning pathways.

Going to job boards does not give users relevant information about learning on-ramps. As an emerging career seeker, it is recommended to use an intermediary platform that connects businesses and students, who agree regarding this new training phase of “work-learn”, which occurs prior to acquisition of an entry-level career.

Students need to be able to create a profile and connect with work-based learning jobs for those businesses that want to help with this new phase in the educational process. Fieldr.app, a Florida-based startup, is offering businesses and students the opportunity to use their new software solution, which achieves this connection, for free. The platform is designed so that students can quickly match, communicate, and send documents that facilitate the relationship with businesses willing to take on these apprentices. Fieldr helps students to gain knowledge and experiences enhancing the opportunity of ultimately getting hired for their dream career. Consequently, students learn what it is like to work in industry and they can quickly choose a different learning pathway should the chosen field fall short of expectations.

This early misfit realization is good for the student and the industry. In the long run, industries that choose to participate in work-learn programs will see an increase in qualified candidates who are ready and interested in working for their firms. For the businesses who choose to work with Fieldr, they will be able to eliminate the skills gap, reduce hiring costs by increasing retention and create a positive work environment for all employees.

Dream2Career  talked with Connor Firmender, Co-Founder & CEO of Fieldr and he believes that learning engagements like internships, project-based or work-based learning, part-time jobs, and service learning are “the building blocks to college and career readiness”  His company is dedicated to providing the “education side of readiness” and they are developing a Fieldr Academy for high school students to earn career-related credentials that will launch in early 2021. 

Firmender, even as a student, was quick to realize that gaining experience while in college was a challenge. Because of his interest in solving a real-world problem, he has been able to develop quality relationships and support from chambers of commerce, economic development offices, college career centers, district career and technical education departments who have helped to bring his concept to fruition. It is exciting for Dream2Career to work with another socially responsible solution that helps to connect students to opportunities that they may not have known existed, that helps schools do what they do best, and that fixes the skills gap for businesses. 

Let’s help more students find and prepare for dream careers. Tell us below what your organization is doing to support the work-learn engagements.

Trending Women Tech Startups: Dream2Career develops the Amazon for Education

by Edu-Advisor, posted in Trending

There is a desperate need for an interest matching solution for education like Amazon’s marketplace for products.  Dream2Career, a women-owned tech startup, is working on this problem for students and career-seekers across the nation. There are so many different types of programs and learning opportunities, traditional and non-traditional pathways, certificates, badges, camps, hackathons, apprenticeships, internships, incubators, scholarships, etc. that students can’t easily find the best learning program for them without having to review multiple websites and pages of information. Students have wasted hours researching, using dreaded search engines, to find experiences only to miss the best learning opportunities leading to high demand and emerging careers.  The complexity of the educational system makes interest and opportunity matching extremely difficult without a dedicated search tool.

Furthermore, educational institutions are forced to spend up to 6% of their operating budget on marketing which includes buying keywords that consequently, result in fewer and fewer additional prospective student views of their educational programs. The lack of an integrated network results in rising tuition costs, less student satisfaction, and decreased retention rates. The net result is under-educated communities that fail to meet the needs of local businesses.

The nation needs a work-based learning network that is designed, specifically to pinpoint and match user interests and requirements with local learning experiences designed for them. Dream2Career worked with students, educators, businesses, and the D&I community to design the Edu-Advisor platform where users can find categories of interest and quickly locate learning on-ramps and experiences. Dream2Career is also offering users the opportunity to sign up today and receive future updates about local learning experiences that match career interests. Dream2Career is also designing an Edu-Advisor app, but until then, it is best to subscribe here to keep up to date and to start living your dream life.

Imagine a world where learning experiences were organized based on interests and where the system made recommendations of similar learning opportunities. How cool would this solution be? Enter the keywords or searchable fields organized into six mega clusters, and have access to local events and programs that put students, parents, educators and career-seekers on pathways to success. No longer would there be a need to find the company and then hope they have a learning program for you to get your foot in the door. No longer would there be a need to pick a school and then hope they have your major or program of interest. No longer would families struggle to find fun and educational places to go and things to do together. Communities would begin to work on discovering, growing, and thriving as they work towards a common goal–Prosperity through education and connection!