Woz U

Why Education from “K-to-Career” Matters

 

In the United States, our economy is heavily dependent on the performance of our tech companies and their ability to compete on the world stage. And as we concluded in our previous article, the shortage of qualified talent is a growing threat to our economy and the tech industry, in particular. Due to rapid advances in technology and stale curriculum taught at traditional educational institutions, university graduates are less prepared than ever for the workplace.

In a study conducted by the Association of Talent Development (ATD), 83% of talent development professionals said they were experiencing a skills gap in their organization. While short-term solutions, such as on-the-job training, have been mildly successful in keeping current employees up to date with their skills, the labor force is aging with few qualified replacements in sight. For onboarding purposes, however, on-the-job training has been largely unsuccessful in creating work-ready professionals because today ‘s job seekers lack core skills that they should have developed much earlier in life. In other words, it ‘s simply not possible to pack a lifetime of missing education into an 8-week onboarding program.

Because quality tech education begins at the very earliest stages of a child ‘s life, Woz U goes much further beyond college courses and on-the-job training. In fact, a child actually begins to develop the tech-related skills they need to succeed as early as Kindergarten. And, by reducing the knowledge gaps between each stage of the student ‘s journey, we can ensure a smoother transition from formal education to the workforce. This brings us to one of the defining features of Woz U and what separates us from the pack: the “K-to-Career” pipeline.

But, what exactly does “K-to-Career” mean and how does it work?

K-12 (Woz Education)

Virtually all educational professionals would agree that quality education begins at early childhood. Unlike coding bootcamps or online schools that primarily target young adults, Woz U partners with charter schools and teachers to teach the STEAM fundamentals that children need to succeed in college, obtain their first job, and grow as a tech professional.

University (Woz U)

Rather than attempt to replace traditional universities, Woz U partners with accredited universities to fill in the gaps in their curriculum and replace outdated learning materials with interactive modules that are designed by experts in their field.

Once a student has graduated from high school, they can enroll in one of the many accredited universities that work side-by-side with Woz U to deliver relevant, cutting-edge tech curriculum to their students. Because Woz U ‘s curriculum is developed with input from industry leaders, students are equipped with the skills to enter the fields of Software Development, Cyber Security, or Data Science. This not only benefits students but also universities by providing them with a competitive advantage to create additional career opportunities.

Job Search (Woz Workspace)

One of the greatest sources of fear and anxiety for college graduates is securing their first job. Woz Workspace solves this problem by providing graduates with a platform to look for jobs, compare their resumè with detailed job postings, and fill in any potential skill gaps with Woz U course material.

One of Woz Workspace ‘s greatest advantages is that it performs an in-depth analysis on a user ‘s profile and compares it with the jobs they want to apply for. For example, if they want to apply to a Software Development job, the platform may notify them that they lack knowledge in JavaScript. Then, they will be recommended the appropriate coursework to fill in their skill gap. Once they have completed the course, their profile will be updated and they will appear as a match.

This simultaneously benefits job seekers and employers, as it allows applicants to identify what exactly they need to obtain their dream job and empowers employers to find potential candidates who meet their requirements. By reducing the “vagueness” of the traditional job application process, Woz Workspace helps both job seekers and employers find the right fit.

Career Development (Woz Enterprise)

When an individual starts their first job, the education doesn ‘t stop—it only just begins. Woz U goes way beyond and focuses on furthering career development at the workplace. By doing so, we help Woz U users keep their skill set relevant and up to date, whether they want to find advancement opportunities in their current career or search for a new one. Woz Enterprise also equips businesses to “train and retain” their employees, which reduces costs related to hiring a new employee and the loss of productivity while searching for a replacement.

Currently, we ‘re partnering with industry leaders and providing training to their employees to keep their skill set relevant. With an increasing shortage of qualified talent, companies need to invest in their current personnel.

Growing Tech Professionals from K-to-Career

Woz U ‘s “K-to-Career” pipeline solves the skill gap by preparing the workforce of tomorrow at every stage in their educational journey. By preparing future job seekers as early as Kindergarten, we can ease the oft-feared transition from recent graduate to employee and reduce the cost of on-the-job training. Finally, by bridging the gap between what employers want and what graduates have to offer, we can decrease the shortage of qualified talent, lower transaction costs, and reduce economic friction.

To learn more about how Woz U is “reprogramming” tech education and changing lives along the way, follow us on social media and stay tuned to our official blog.