There’s always something exciting about this time of year. Students are back to school, teachers are welcoming them into their classrooms, and a new year is getting underway.
It’s also an exciting time for those of us working at the intersection of education and workforce development. We’re having important conversations across South Carolina about how education and industry can work together to make sure students are ready for whatever comes next.
A big part of that conversation is about skills.
We hear again and again from employers that durable skills—things like communication, problem solving and teamwork—are just as important as ever. They’re also a critical part of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. No matter what career a student chooses, those skills will serve them well.
TransformSC’s work revolves around these same Profile characteristics and qualities that drive collaboration and bring people together.
It’s getting employers in the room with educators. It’s giving students opportunities to talk directly with people working in fields they may be curious about. It’s helping business leaders see what’s happening inside our schools, and giving educators a chance to hear firsthand what employers are seeing and what they need.
Sometimes that happens through an informal Ask Me Anything (AMA) with students. Sometimes it means getting on a bus together to visit schools and see promising practices and programs firsthand. And sometimes it’s simply making an introduction between two people who should know each other.
Those connections matter. The more we listen to one another, share what we’re learning and find ways to work together, the better we can prepare students for life after high school.
And there’s a place for all of us in that work.
If you’d like to get involved, have an idea to share or just want to learn more about what we’re doing, I’d love to hear from you. Reach out to me at bward@sccompetes.org, and let’s talk.
Sincerely,
Bunnie Ward
Director of TransformSC, SC Competes
