"Putting SEL to Work: Moving Through COVID-19 and the Fourth Industrial Revolution with Purpose," reveals professional demand overwhelmingly favors social-emotional skills over technical skills
CHICAGO, May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Wayfinder, a social emotional and purpose learning provider, released a white paper revealing that SEL competencies are among those most valued by today's employers. The paper argues that teaching social and interpersonal competencies is an essential component of making young people ready for today's careers and the careers of the future.
The white paper "Putting SEL to Work: Moving Through COVID-19 and the Fourth Industrial Revolution with Purpose" opens with a quote from Google's former Chief Education Evangelist Jaime Casap articulating the challenge today's educators face, "We are preparing students for jobs that don't exist, to use technology that hasn't been invented, to solve problems we don't even know are problems yet."
The paper goes on to focus on Six Core Skills—Self-Awareness, Adaptability, Empathy, Collaboration, Agency, and Purpose that will serve young people well, no matter what the future holds. Wayfinder argues that these six competencies are among the most highly valued and sought-after by employers, citing studies done by the World Economic Forum, the McKinsey Institute, and Google.
In its report, Wayfinder borrows a phrase coined by America Succeeds, a nonprofit education advocacy organization, and calls these Six Core Skills "durable skills." Unlike technical skills that quickly become obsolete as technology changes at a breakneck pace, durable skills are transferable, and will become increasingly relevant in any number of professional fields. Wayfinder also argues that this class of skills are essential qualities found in all effective colleagues, employees, founders, and leaders.
The focus on durable skills ties to Wayfinder's mission. Founder and CEO Patrick Cook-Deegan says, "I want all young people to have purposeful lives in which they pursue personally gratifying careers that meaningfully contribute to society. We believe bringing future-ready skills to as many classrooms as we can is the best way to give young people a shot at that life."
The complete report, Putting SEL to Work is available free at https://www.withwayfinder.com/resources/white-paper-putting-sel-to-work.
About Wayfinder
Wayfinder is a leading provider of social-emotional and purpose learning tools to schools across the US and in 15 countries around the world. Founded on research out of the Stanford d.School, they are committed to supporting students' academic engagement and holistic well-being with physical and digital tools that enable educators to build strong relationships with their students and guide them to live lives of purpose.
Media Contact
Matthew Winn, Wayfinder, 1 781-974-9976, [email protected]
SOURCE Wayfinder
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