ASU GSV Summit Takeaways: EdTech & The Human Element

While the annual ASU GSV Summit is a must-attend event for anyone interested in the latest innovations in education technology, we noticed an underlying theme — education technology relies heavily on the human element.

During the panel discussion “EmploymentTech for All — A Conversation Between Tech CEOs and Workforce Development Leaders,” executives from LearnUp, Cognotion and General Assembly joined directors of major workforce development boards to discuss how the public workforce system can work more collaboratively with technologists to better serve job seekers and businesses in the future.

We were struck not only by the impact technology is having on addressing the skills gap and connecting job seekers to employers, but also by the fact that technology can’t completely substitute the soft skills and interpersonal skills that come with connecting and interfacing with a human network.

Taking a Blended Approach

Scott Kirkpatrick, General Assembly’s president and CEO, said the key to GA’s instruction model is their blended approach, in which they marry the technology component with the different in-person elements that come with finding a career.

LearnUp, a platform that gives job seekers industry-specific training based on current employer needs, assigns dedicated coaches to users because Alexis Ringwald, the company’s CEO, recognized a need during her initial market research.

“We talked to job coaches during our research and learned what it feels like to be emotionally alone and looking for a job, and how the skills and the training is not enough,” she said. “You need that human component to give you the support and make you believe in yourself.”

Kris Stadelman, Director of the NOVA Workforce Board, echoed similar sentiments.

“What I’ve found is all job seekers, whether they’re immigrants or dislocated software engineers, need both access to skills, access to training and network support — support from a human being.”

Emphasizing Soft Skills

General Assembly outfits users with the tangible, technical skills needed to enter a career in technology, data, design and business, but Kirkpatrick says it’s the soft skills, interview skills and connections with employers that make the technical skills effective.

“They’re willing to pay for the tangible skills but they don’t know that what really drives the effectiveness is the soft skills, and it’s embedded as a major part of our curriculum to make sure that happens,” he said.

This line of thinking has been embraced by higher education administrators and leaders, as they say the blueprint for successful career development is providing students the right education as well access to the connections and opportunities that develop interpersonal skills.

What This Means for Higher Education Platforms

Hearing from leaders in the education technology space proves job or internship-matching algorithms must be complemented by a human-connection element.

In preparing college students for future careers, technology needs to provide them access to a network of alumni or professional mentors who can not only help them learn the soft skills necessary in gaining employment, but relate to them so that they can follow fulfilling career paths.

Technology has the ability to make those connections more accessible, but we have to know when to let technology step aside and let people take over.

This post originally appeared on the CampusTap blog. For more on ed tech, career development and alumni mentoring, follow @campustap and subscribe to the CampusTap weekly newsletter. 

If you’re interested in viewing the entire “EmploymentTech for All — A Conversation Between Tech CEOs and Workforce Development Leaders” panel, feel free to watch below.