JPMorgan Chase & Co. began a learning and evaluation practice of its summer youth employment program (SYEP) portfolio in 2022. At the time, the organization was providing grant support to 27 organizations that offer summer work-readiness training to young people between the ages of 14 and 24, including social service agencies, community-based…

In the spring of 2021, staff from the University of Minnesota Morris participated in Fika Coffee Time gatherings, inspired by a Swedish tradition to slow down, have coffee, conversation, and a treat with friends or colleagues. As Minnesota is the state with the largest number of Swedish Americans, it has a great deal of institutions that celebrate…

Faculty encourage students to participate in internships to gain major-specific knowledge and make contacts in their field. Internships are becoming more popular with students over the past 5 years, with an uptick in the number of students who participate in this kind of experiential learning. While students do learn technical training in an…

Project management (PM) work readiness requires preparation beyond the knowledge of concepts and best practices to develop and practice soft skills needed for successful project management. This article proposes a methodology that combines real-world practitioner tools, PM processes, and a Microsoft Excel-based PM Simulator to create a…

Individuals with disabilities often have difficulties transitioning to employment after the completion of high school. This is especially true for individuals with autism spectrum disorder, as many of the soft skills needed for employment (e.g. communication, flexibility, teamwork) are characteristically difficult. Employment training in…

University of Central Oklahoma's (UCO) Student Transformative Learning Record (STLR) leverages the Learning Management System (LMS), rubrics, an online dashboard, transcript services, and badging to assess students' employability and durable soft-skills. Featured by the Chronicle for Higher Ed, this Comprehensive Learner Record model has helped…

Through the market-based conception of neoliberal performativity, an interlocking set of socio-economic agendas integrate higher education (HE) in state-level systems of production and accumulation. Within the scope of globalism, the capacity to develop competitive human capital emerges as a proxy indicator of achievement amongst institutions of…

Postsecondary institutions, and particularly community colleges, are positioned well to train more and more of the nation's entry- and middle-skill workers. The New World of Work (NWoW), a program that promoted teaching and learning soft skills, was designed in 2012 and operated briefly in over 75 community colleges in California. The program…

Learning centers and peer tutoring facilities often need ways to train their staff to work with students who find themselves dealing with anxiety, fear of failure, and many other issues. There is also a need for training in soft skills such as communication and empathy that will help students have a successful college career. This article applies…

Though traditionally confined to the literature classroom, poetry is finding its way into courses of all disciplines in K-12 and higher education. Poetry and expressive writing are useful for encouraging critical thinking, serving as a way for students to synthesize course content, and building classroom rapport. It can also positively impact…

College leadership in the 21st century is incredibly difficult, and leadership in Kinesiology can be rather complex in some departments. Mentoring is an important part of success in any leadership role, and individuals who receive mentoring typically outperform those who do not receive it. The National Association of Kinesiology in Higher…

Industry experience is widely viewed as an important requirement for community college teachers, as it may provide instructors with insights on how to teach important workplace "soft" skills. In this chapter, we discuss a study exploring this issue and why industry experience alone is insufficient preparation for effective skills-focused…

Technical skills are important in all industries. Most academic programs at higher education institutions focus on teaching technical skills. However, in addition to seeking candidates with strong technical skills, employers also seek candidates who have strong soft skills, such as communication, organization, and teamwork. This paper highlights…

Colleges throughout the United States typically expect their students to take at least one course in the sciences to fulfill liberal studies curriculum requirements. For nonscience majors, the choice of science class can include introductory chemistry, introductory biology, and astronomy, among others. Based upon interactions both in and out of…

Instruction and guidance in soft skills, such as writing and speaking, are important for successful training of the future chemical workforce. Relatedly, accessible knowledge transfer on the "hidden curriculum" is critical for student success this is especially important for first generation college students, international students, and…