Student’s have had to deal with some major shifts in their learning and work environments as everything is transitioned to home environments. During this time, it is even more important than ever to master soft skills such as empathy, 360 degree thinking, and adaptability.
Over the course of four days, from February 18-21, twelve students and two teachers from Merced Union High School District (MUHSD) embarked on a media-focused, but soft skills driven journey. They engaged in workshops which enhanced crucial soft skills such as public speaking, adaptability in team settings, and professional networking.
Achieving academic excellence, applying to college and choosing a career path — these are the common challenges that make many high school students feel overwhelmed. On January 24, thirty juniors from USC Hybrid High School participated in a pilot program to explore an alternative solution to these problems.
From February 19 – 21, 2020, the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the Center for Third Space Thinking will welcome students and teachers from the Merced Union High School District to a residential learning program of digital storytelling, video production, and soft skills development at USC Annenberg.
On Friday, October 11th, more than a 100 local youth from 11 high schools came together to attend High School Day, USC Annenberg’s signature community engagement program.
Third Space instructor, Chris Swain conducted two hands-on workshops in Third Space Thinking and the attribute: 360 Degree Thinking. Students learned about the Third Space research that shows a growing demand for soft skills in the workplace.
Earlier this month, Third Space fellow Jaime Carias gave the keynote address at Kansas State University’s 13th Annual Midwest Hispanic American Leadership Organization Encuentro (HALO). The event, hosting 500 high school students and educators, focused on empowerment, identity, and preparing for college.
This summer I interned as a Software Engineering Intern at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company in Santa Clara, California. The Bay Area where Aruba is headquartered is bustling with innovation and energy. Third Space skills played a very important role throughout the course of my internship. Intellectual curiosity along with 360 degree thinking in the workplace is the driving force of innovation and success.
Los Angeles- “A Que Venimos?” asked Third Space Youth Institute Director Victor Cruz Jr. to a room full of Latinx high school students. “ A Triunfar!” cheered the students in reply as they began their second day at Annenberg’s Third Space Youth Institute.
Third Space fellows Alison Horstmeyer and Jaime Carias gave a keynote address on leveraging soft skills in the healthcare industry to future public health professionals at Keck School of Medicine’s 2019 Public Health Career Fair.
In “ACE-IT Skills: Essential Skills for Any Public Health Professional”, they shared the importance of using soft skills– or, “power skills”– such as communication, adaptability and empathy in order to meet meaningful, positive public health outcomes.
Dr. Ernest Wilson will be speaking in Paris later this month at the 2019 OECD Forum’s Digitalisation series. With an increasingly automated workforce and the impending AI-driven society, could it be that intrinsically-human soft skills still remain at the core of success?