SchooLinks' New Frontier

I started this company because of my own experience applying to college. SchooLinks was not a novel concept. We were not a revolutionary, category-creating product initially by any means. We wanted to challenge the status quo and do things better from a different perspective.??

The Evolution?

SchooLinks was all about user experience. We believe that focusing on user experience can reduce friction, help guide students more effectively, and keep them engaged in the planning process. SchooLinks was a direct-to-consumer product; we directly supported students and families.

After four years of experimentation and data analysis, we realized that we had a very niche user base - students who were looking to go to college and whose parents were financially supportive and already knew and cared about the process. This is not representative of most of the US public high school population.?

We had to take some decisive actions to restructure and rebuild our product and business to partner with school districts. This was our evolution.?

Skills AND Degrees??

In building a college and career readiness platform, it was clear that there was a much more standardized and scaffolded process to guide students to college. There have always been consistent deadlines, practices, widespread education, and a common approach, even a “Common App.” Even with a wealth of resources and information, it is much more challenging to find a place in the workforce or training programs because of how much variation there is by sector, geography, size of company, etc.?

It quickly became apparent that many of our districts wanted to do more to help students who were not immediately college-bound. It also became apparent that they struggled to do this at scale. Most districts we work with want their students to consider all options before committing to a four-year degree because there are other training programs, and post-secondary options make more financial sense and are more relevant for students. Hence, exposure becomes extremely important.

We concluded that it's not about college or career, just like it’s not about skills or degrees. They are not mutually exclusive. Our educators needed a process to support both. More importantly, a structured process for career exploration coupled with skill-based education benefits college-bound students and gives undecided or career-bound students tangible assets in life when pursuing a career.??

We've seen many heartwarming stories about students finding their true passion and figuring out life at a young age because of a defining experience in high school. More often than not, these are one-off experiences orchestrated by a devoted school staff, a non-profit, or a forward-thinking employer. But?not?yet at the scale close to the level of standardization or rigor of the college process.??

A scalable, sustainable, and ubiquitous work-based learning (WBL) approach?

As a software company focused on workflow and allowing users with different rules to interact with each other in more efficient, structured manners, we found this to be an extremely fertile ground for building new solutions to advance the entire market and best practices forward nationally. This is why we launched our work-based learning solution a couple years ago. It was meant to reduce friction and allow districts to structure their processes in compliant ways and in ways that would make it easier for students and employers to understand the process.?

Our product philosophy has been focused on creating institutional memory and a repeatable process that will allow school districts to move beyond having a token WBL program for select students to a ubiquitous experience for all. More powerful than content-based exposure (giving students the listings), it's all about the context and timing. For a rich work-based learning experience, whether it’s an internship, a pre-apprenticeship, a part-time job, or a job shadow opportunity, the fact that it happens before students graduate from high school in a structured process gives them a leg up on their future career navigation. More immediately, it helps students gain exposure, clarity, and conviction toward the path they have chosen, whether it’s a major at a post-secondary institution or a career.??

Collaboration with Employers and the Broader Community?

Public education is a public good that serves our entire community at large and is something that not just the parents of students who attend pay for but the community as a whole. I believe one of the core reasons for public education to exist is to enable our communities and societies to have strong economic engines that sustain and enhance our standard of living. It’s this understanding and focus of this broader ecosystem that helped us realize we need to foster connectivity between school districts and employers.?

To date, 20K+ employers have forged relationships with our districts and their students on our platform, whether it’s hosting a student volunteer, internship, or hiring for part-time jobs within our structured framework. It is our commitment to strengthen bonds between our partner districts and employers via a scalable and sustainable approach that truly makes a fragmented or token WBL program ubiquitous. The health of the community is predicated on this talent ecosystem we are building.??

Our New Frontier - Portal Achievement Profiles & Open Access to Opportunity??

Today, we are pushing limits again on further democratizing access to opportunities. We believe that all K12 graduates have meaningful experiences and achievements that can translate into real skills and competencies. Our project, Central Ohio Talent Network, is a collaboration between the Central Ohio Workforce Development Board, major employers in the central Ohio region, Columbus City Schools, and SchooLinks to open student access to opportunities by leveraging open data standards.??

This is a unique and exciting opportunity as we advance our K12 workforce development initiative. It is a huge milestone for us to be recognized at a national level and given this opportunity to prove a K12 workforce development model.??

For official press release, please read: https://www.skillsfwd.org/newsandinsights/skillsfwd-awards-six-inaugural-grants

Please reach out to me if you are an employer or district and want to participate in this work.??