What are the essential skills young professionals need to compete and succeed in Kansas City’s regional workplace? And what in-school and out-of-school learning experience contribute to those skills? The Essential Skills Study addressed these questions by asking young professionals, 1-5 years into their career, about the skills they utilize most in their current jobs and where they learned those skills. Dr. Karin Chang from the Urban Education Research Center led the study with support The Debruce Foundation, KC Rising, KC STEM Alliance, Prep-KC, and the Kauffman Foundation. Over 400 employees participated in the study including young professionals in engineering, architecture, information technology, finance, manufacturing, education, and life sciences positions.

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Press on the Essential Skills Study:

Forbes:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomvanderark/2021/06/29/the-rise-of-skills-based-hiring-and-what-it-means-for-education/

Michigan Future:

https://michiganfuture.org/2021/08/where-young-professionals-develop-essential-skills/

Grand Rapids Business Journal:

https://grbj.com/opinion/guest-column/students-must-build-foundation-of-essential-skills/