After attending a recent meeting as an Advisory Council member for California State University at Chico's Women in Leadership program, I learned a lot about the 2023 Workplace Trends.  It spurred me to read more on my own, including reviewing information from Forbes and Harvard Business Review, which I connect to my experience working with edupreneurs, working to bridge the worlds of education and workforce development.  In this episode, I take a break from the interview format to give my brief takeaways and future questions, always striving to learn more.  

How can we use community groups to help bridge the education to workforce gaps?  Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with two of my colleagues to talk about how our particular community group, the Rotary Club of Paradise, is serving as a catalyst for impactful change as we break down silos and work together in a truly edupreneurial manner united in the passion of rebuilding our community in a way that maximizes our opportunities for residents of the ridge, new and old.  Join me as we sit down in the rebuilt Paradise home of Sonny Ventigimiglio and chat about how he, a commercial banker,  Melissa Crick, a passionate advocate and the current board president of Paradise Unified School district, and I came together and see what parts of our innovative solutions may work in your school and community!

Mark C. Perna, author of the bestselling book "Answering Why? Unlocking Passion, Purpose and Performance in Younger Generations" tours the country speaking to edupreneurs about the ways we can shift education to meet the needs of Gen Z.  Tune in to hear what he has to share to overcome barriers and reach our new generation to maximize their talents!

Can there really be a school district that is so encouraging of innovation that they buy an abandoned amusement park to see what their teachers could do with the freedom to be creative?  At the National ACTE Conference in Las Vegas, I was introduced to a dynamic group of edupreneurs from an organization called Butler Tech.  Their presentations on Student Centered Disruption, Risk-taking & Innovation, and Diversity & Equity were so aligned with  Answer E that I was compelled to approach one of the presenters for an interview.  Join me as I learn from Dr. William Sprankles III, Assistant Superintendent of Innovative Teaching and Learning about the edupreneurial shifts they are making and the positive impact on students.

Are small, rural schools different from larger, more urban schools and districts?  Our communities all look different, and so do our schools.  Join me on this episode as I speak with Tim Taylor, the Executive Director of the Small School Districts Association here in California and learn about the ways that small schools are using their models to help prepare their students for the career field.

Developing a Portrait of a Graduate, a daily morning assembly focused on character and social emotional development, and Personalized Learning Plans involving parents, students and teachers working together on the student's educational path, are all pieces of why Casey Taylor, Executive Director of Achieve Charter Schools of Paradise believes her schools  are helping close the education to workforce gap, starting at a young age.  

This episode gives My Why- my story, how it has made me an edupreneur and what I hope to learn through this podcast.I never fit into the classic student role, and I never related to the traditional career ladder concept.  Grades never held much meaning to me, and I was more interested in learning about the people at school than the content.  Growing up, I spent my weekends learning to work with my hands as my family always had projects around the house- I learned to dig ditches for irrigation, helped build decks and crawled under the house to help feed electrical lines through, while learning to identify what termite towers looked like so we could know them down before they reached their goal.I am a first generation college graduate, but my journey was more like climbing a tree than a ladder, investigating different branches.  Four years ago, I thought I had the answers to where my career was headed.  I was the site principal at a small high school I had helped design to fit the needs of students in my community, and I thought my future was mapped out for me.  When a historic wildfire burned down our school, community and homes, I had to start thinking differently.   While we were designing the high school our team had the opportunity to visit innovative programs throughout the state and  moving to the County Office gave me the opportunity to experience even more programs designed to fit unique student needs.The more I learn, the more questions I have.  I don’t have the answers– all of you do!  My passion for non-traditional students like me, combined with our societal shifts, drive me towards finding innovative solutions to bridge our educational systems with the shortages in the workforce, in ways that fit our new generation of learners and workers.  

What is the best way to prepare students for the workforce?Do you think it isA) Straight to a four year university directly after high school?B) Trade school or apprenticeship model?C) Completing a CTE Career Technical Education Pathway or stackable certificates?D) Hybrid learning?Our students are all unique individuals, so it’s Answer E- All of the Above!EDUpreneurs are finding solutions in education to meet the current demands of our students, teachers, educators and workforce. I certainly don’t know the all answers, but I do know passionate people who are looking to find solutions.  Join the conversation as I interview innovative edupreneurs, learners and people from industry, and host interactive discussion sessions that you can join to give your perspective on solutions.  Each of us holds a piece to the puzzle… let’s start putting them together.