WHAT WE DO

The founding team that brought the New World of Work soft skills program to scale across the 116 California Community Colleges system has now transitioned to focus on the creation of the Essential Skills Program (ESP).

THE CHALLENGE

The pandemic has drastically altered the workplace. Individuals have to quickly adapt to find new employment or transition to remote work. Soft skills programs with measurable outcomes designed to serve broad populations are needed now more than ever.

THE SOLUTION

The Essential Skills Program team has spent the past decade leading a successful curriculum and training process where learners earn digital badge credentials employers actually value. We provide free lessons, customized content, and train-the-trainer sessions to support behavior change.

THE PARTNERSHIPS

Our partners provide input for the creation of soft skills content useful for learners and valued by employers. This collaborative approach builds an empowered, educated workforce and makes economic mobility possible for everyone.

HOW WE DO IT

Our tiered approach to development is:

TIER 1

Provide a full offering of FREE onboarding lessons for each essential soft skill.

TIER 2

Develop higher level and/or customized soft skills content for a specific industry or organization.

TIER 3

Provide train-the-trainer sessions and analytics for organizations wishing to support sustained behavior change.

Let’s build an empowered, future-ready workforce and make economic mobility possible for everyone.

PARTNER WITH US

OUR PILOT PARTNERS

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS

North State Together

North State Together is a regional network of cross-sector partners who have come together to strengthen educational outcomes from cradle to career for ALL in far Northern California.

Worksystems Inc.

Worksystems provides customized and innovative solutions to complex workforce problems. They link workforce supply with industry demand and develop strategies to meet the just-in-time hiring, training, and retention needs of businesses.

Guided Compass

Guided Compass helps work-based learning programs more effectively and effciently onboard career- seekers into fulflling careers through their career matching and tracking platform.

WholeStory

WholeStory has built an innovative technology platform that provides insight into diverse life experiences to power better hiring, and brings job seekers, employers, and workforce developers together to enable authentic conversations in the interview and beyond.

UnidosUS

UnidosUS is the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. Through its unique combination of expert research, advocacy, programs, and an Affiliate Network of nearly 300 community-based organizations across the United States and Puerto Rico, UnidosUS simultaneously challenges the social, economic, and political barriers that affect Latinos at the national and local levels.

Compass Career Education Services

Compass Career Education Resources expertise is where workforce development and education intersect. We provide consulting, regional planning, professional development, and grant writing services for organizations to achieve objectives of upward economic mobility, social justice, and equity.

ADULT EDUCATION PARTNERS

ADVANCE

Based in South Lake Tahoe, the ADVANCE program supports and empowers adults seeking to enhance their educational, career, and civic opportunities.

INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

Gear Up

Gear Up strives to bring qualified people and work together through the use of open badges in the Netherlands, providing recognition for competencies that employers value.

Lean Six Sigma Society of Professionals

The Lean Six Sigma approach to certification ensures that skills and knowledge are verified through specific projects and their membership programs help both individuals and organizations with professional development.

Ambitio College

Ambitio College is an adult education and VET provider from Zagreb, Croatia – Europe with 10 years of experience in providing formal (reskilling and upskilling) and non-formal training programmes in the field of health (especially in dental medicine), tourism (especially health tourism), and sports.

FRAMEWORK PARTNERS

Digital Promise

Digital Promise works at the intersection of education leaders, researchers, and technology developers to improve learning opportunities for all and close the Digital Learning Gap.

Center for Global Education: Asia Society

The Center for Global Education (CGE) at Asia Society partners with leaders and institutions from around the world to tackle one of the most critical education challenges today: how to educate all students for employability and citizenship in a global era.

America Succeeds

America Succeeds is a 501(c)(3) non-profit education advocacy organization committed to improving educational opportunities, outcomes, and equity. They have a vision of building public education systems to prepare every student to succeed in the competitive global economy and contribute to their local community.

CEO Leadership Alliance of Orange County

The CEO Leadership Alliance, Orange County (CLA-OC) seeks to build a vibrant collaboration of multiple stakeholders in higher education, government, business and non-profit to help address the major issues uniquely facing Orange County.

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

Native Forest Resources, Inc.

Native Forest Resources, Inc. employs traditional tribal practices to solve modern, complex problems and promote sustainable forestry principles. They are committed to employing tribal members and creating new jobs.

Culinary Academy of Las Vegas

The country’s leading non-profit hospitality training institute helps to train people for successful, family sustaining careers and offers 15 different programs in hospitality work, digital and employability skills training, and language instruction.