Nearly 20 years ago, award-winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman boldly stated, “the world is flat.” Now, almost two decades after his groundbreaking look at the intersection of globalization and technology, amid a sea change in the ways technology is reshaping the global economy, Mr. Friedman has revised his…

By Jeremy Wheaton Earlier this month, thousands of students, educators, policymakers and innovators gathered for the SXSW EDU conference, an annual event focused on sharing trends, best practices and innovation in the education space. Among the event’s high-profile speakers–including U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona — several themes emerged: …

Employers must change to get women and working parents back in the door By Jessica Haselton and Lateesha Thomas As men head back to work, women are still feeling the economic impact of the pandemic, short over 1.4 million jobs since February 2020. While most women who say they were…

By Jeremy Wheaton Earlier this month, ECMC Education hosted a panel of seasoned experts to discuss the problem of the persistent mismatch of skills employees have versus skills employers need, especially in middle-skills fields and the skilled trades. As the moderator of the event, I was encouraged to see a…

By Andrea Adams The pandemic highlighted what those working in the skilled trades already knew–the jobs they perform are essential to the health, wellbeing and sustainability of individuals and communities. However, the lack of skilled technicians–prevalent before the pandemic and even more prevalent in recent months– highlights the persistent skills…

By Robyn Deusterman It is undeniable that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted individuals in both their professional and personal lives throughout the past year. Given that May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, now is the perfect time to raise awareness and seek out new ways to address this impact…

By Laura Telander Graf Pixar’s Golden Globe and Oscar-winning animated film Soul follows the journey of a 40-year-old music teacher as he attempts to finally realize his dream of becoming a professional musician while dodging his pre-determined destiny of landing in the afterlife. While caught between life and “the great…

By Tomika Brown and Monique Adorno-Jiménez The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a marked shift in student attitudes toward higher education, particularly among high school students who are more aware than ever that the choices they make will have a lasting impact on their financial and professional future. Given that, many…

By Todd Steele It’s a major time of disruption and evolution for education and our workforce. While each shifted to new delivery and employment models due to the current coronavirus pandemic environment, it is becoming more apparent that those changes may usher in transformations that are bound to alter the…