Edalex, a software development company that connects learning, skills, and evidence, recently hosted an engaging cross-sector webinar, “Skills Emergency: How Community Colleges Can Respond Leveraging Tech.” Moderated by Dan McFadyen, Managing Director of Edalex, the session explored the crucial role of community colleges in addressing the growing skills gap and how technology can empower them in this mission.
The webinar, held on 23 April, featured a panel of experts from community colleges, civil service, industry, and skills consulting. Panellists included Chris Breitmeyer (President of the Rural Community Colleges Network), Nicole Tucker (Chief Operating Officer at Louisiana State Civil Service), James McKenzie (Manager at Heglar Creek Electric & Heglar Creek Plumbing), and Margo Griffth (Principal Skills Consultant, Edalex), who provided valuable insights into the skills emergency and actionable strategies for community colleges.
Key Highlights from the Webinar:
- The Skills Gap: The webinar highlighted the urgent need to address the skills gap, with statistics showing that a significant percentage of companies are engaging in skills-based hiring, and employers say they’ll need to reskill employees within five years.
- Community Colleges’ Crucial Role: Panellists emphasised the vital role of community colleges in bridging the skills gap, particularly in translating classroom learning into demonstrable skills for employers.
- Louisiana’s Skills-Based Hiring Framework: Nicole Tucker from Louisiana Civil Service shared the state’s innovative competency-based hiring framework, offering a model for other organisations.
- The Importance of Durable Skills: James McKenzie emphasised the critical need for “durable” skills like communication and professionalism, often lacking in younger applicants, and urged community colleges to integrate these into their curriculum.
- Skills Recognition and Visibility: Margo Griffth advocated for recognising and making skills visible throughout the learning process, highlighting Edalex’s Credentialate platform as a tool for mapping and tracking skills, filling a technology gap not covered by traditional systems such as learning management systems (LMSs).
- AI and Skills Identification: The discussion touched on the potential of AI tools, like SkillsAware, to help individuals identify and articulate their skills from all of their experiences.
Quotes from the Webinar:
- “Community colleges, particularly in rural areas, are absolutely critical infrastructure. We are the entities that are on the ground, that understand the needs of our local communities and are nimble enough to respond.” – Chris Breitmeyer
- “What we did was build a competency-based hiring framework… and it really allowed us to shift our focus from just the minimum qualifications on a piece of paper to actually evaluating the knowledge, skills, and abilities that someone possesses.” – Nicole Tucker
- “We’re seeing a real gap in what we call durable skills – things like communication, teamwork, problem-solving, professionalism. These are the skills that often make or break someone’s success in the workforce, and we’re finding they’re often lacking.” – James McKenzie
“It’s about making the skills visible – not just at the end with a qualification, but throughout the learning journey. This allows learners to understand what they’re gaining, and it provides employers with a much clearer picture of an individual’s capabilities.” – Margo Griffith.
Webinar Recording:
The full recording of the webinar is available at: https://vxx8dbpd1q0.c.updraftclone.com/events/webinar-skills-emergency-how-community-colleges-can-respond-leveraging-tech/
Media Contact:
Kristine Chompff
Marketing Manager
+61 409 598 408
kristine.chompff@edalex.com
