University of Phoenix Hosts Webinar with Jobs for the Future, “The Future of Work: Why Skills are Taking Center Stage”
September 03 2024 - 4:36PM
Business Wire
Virtual, free event features Vice Provost Doris
Savron in conversation with JFF’s Sharon Leu and Lucy Fernandez on
how workers can leverage skills and social capital for career
planning
University of Phoenix is pleased to announce that it will host a
webinar “The Future of Work: Why Skills are Taking Center Stage,”
with Jobs For the Future (JFF) on Wednesday, September 18, 1:00pm
PT. The event features Doris Savron, vice provost, Colleges,
Curriculum and Assessment at University of Phoenix, Sharon Leu,
Executive in Residence at JFF, and will be moderated by Lucy
Fernandez, Senior Manager, Solutions Design & Delivery at JFF,
for a conversation focusing on the future of skills-based hiring
and exploring how workers can leverage career-relevant skills to
acquire social capital. The virtual event is free and open to the
public.
“Career-focused individuals can leverage their skills
development to help unlock their own talent potential,” states
Savron. “We look forward to sharing insights about how workers can
leverage their career-relevant skills, acquire social capital, and
share skills through visible options like micro-credentials in this
new era of skills-based hiring.”
The workforce market is evolving, and more employers are giving
serious consideration to valuable skills rather than focusing
solely on degree requirements. Studies by workforce research
leaders McKinsey and Deloitte make the case for focusing on skills
as well. However, there are sizeable skill and opportunity gaps for
workers illustrated in the results of the University of Phoenix’s
recent Career Optimism Index® study: 74% of workers recognize the
necessity of learning new skills to stay ahead in their career, but
44% of employers say their top challenge to finding talent in the
past year is a lack of well-qualified applicants.
University of Phoenix and JFF’s Center for Racial Economic
Equity have partnered to create an action-based framework that
outlines strategies for colleges and employers to support career
advancement for Black learners and workers by building professional
social capital.
As Vice Provost overseeing the strategy for University of
Phoenix academic programs and curriculum design, institutional
assessment and faculty, Savron leverages nearly 25 years of
experience in higher education. Her work includes oversight of
strategy for degree, certificate and course offerings, design of
curriculum and student learning outcomes for the University. Savron
served on the advisory council for UPCEA and AACRAO’s inaugural
2023 Convergence Conference focused on the emerging field of
alternative credentials in Higher Education, and in 2024 was
appointed to the UPCEA Council for Credential Innovation
leadership.
Leu is an Executive in Residence at JFFLabs where she is focused
on building infrastructure for a skills-based talent marketplace,
developing interoperability standards for digital credentials
technology, and empowering individuals to use their data to access
opportunity. Prior to joining JFFLabs, Leu led postsecondary
education innovation initiatives at the U.S. Department of
Education's Office of Educational Technology.
As a member of the Solutions Design & Delivery team at JFF,
Fernandez informs the strategic direction of her project work and
is helping to pioneer an insights-based approach for JFFLabs. Since
joining JFF, Fernandez has focused on professional social capital,
immersive learning technologies, and climate innovation, all with
the goal of helping more workers access and prepare for quality
jobs. She has bachelor’s degrees in classics and the history of art
and architecture from Brown University and a master’s in art
history from The Courtauld Institute of Art.
Register for The Future of Work webinar here.
About University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix innovates to help working adults enhance
their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world.
Flexible schedules, relevant courses, interactive learning,
skills-mapped curriculum for our bachelor’s and master’s degree
programs and a Career Services for Life® commitment help students
more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while
balancing their busy lives. For more information, visit
phoenix.edu.
About Jobs for the Future
Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the U.S.
education and workforce systems to achieve equitable economic
advancement for all. We do this by designing solutions, scaling
best practices, influencing policy and action, and investing in
innovation. We forge deep partnerships with employers, investors,
entrepreneurs, policymakers, and education and workforce
development providers to break down barriers and reimagine what’s
possible. jff.org
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Sharla Hooper University of Phoenix
sharla.hooper@phoenix.edu