EdTech’s Hidden Role in Workforce Development
By: Joy VerPlanck
I once led the hiring process for a workforce development role. There was no shortage of applicants, but most weren’t making the cut. Some folks didn’t appear to read the requirements; some listed “attention to detail” as a skill but had typos in their applications; others never answered their phone or email. Ultimately, three qualified candidates were chosen to interview.
The first candidate had extensive education and expertise, and direct experience in our industry. They seemed eager to join the team and would have probably excelled in individual tasks — but there were subtle signs they’d cause problems in a collaborative setting. The second candidate was smart, socially adept, and spoke of their intent to teach job-seeking students to send thank you notes after interviews. However, they never sent a thank you note — a hint that they might be more talk than action. The third candidate had an unrelated degree and no direct experience, but they arrived 10 minutes early, treated the receptionist with respect, researched tools required for the job and openly shared where they might need support, and sent a thank you note to the hiring committee within 24 hours. Guess which one we picked.
The Current Reality Requires Work Ethic
The hiring experience I’ve just described underscores the power of a critical ingredient and force multiplier that can elevate any team in any industry. While I often hear from leaders that they value technical skills, they also share that they need people who help others on the team, adapt to pivoting needs, and are eager to learn. That secret sauce employers across industries are desperately searching for is work ethic — a set of personal values driving and influencing behavior on the job.
Work ethic can manifest in many ways, including dependability, attention to detail, a positive attitude, or a willingness to help beyond their job description. With this in mind, our best efforts in education should focus on setting students up for success not just with knowledge and technical skills but with a strong sense of work ethic. Yes, we can teach them how to code, design, or build, but to truly develop them for work, we also need to prepare them to persevere through challenges, collaborate with others, and contribute positively even when their colleagues (or leaders) don’t.
Nature, Nurture, or Both?
It’s tempting to think of work ethic as something we’re born with — a natural instinct for human survival and collaboration. After all, without working together, families and communities would struggle to adapt to challenges from finding food to fending off threats. But if work ethic was entirely genetic, employers wouldn’t be in such dire need of people willing to show up on time ready for anything. There’s clearly more involved than being born to work.
In reality, work ethic is shaped by both nature and nurture. Research shows that work ethic and organizational culture have a bidirectional relationship: what you bring to the table is just as important as what the organizational culture is already serving up. This means even if someone is naturally hardworking and reliable, the dynamics of their environment can either reinforce or erode those qualities. For educators, the impact of environmental influence highlights the importance of daily nourishment of these traits in the classroom. But instead of adding to an already exhaustive list of educator responsibilities, why not exploit technology to make their jobs easier — even when developing core values like work ethic.
Get More Out of the Tools You’ve Got
In a classroom, every moment is a lesson and every tool is an opportunity. Teachers — like employers — have the power to either diminish or develop work ethic through role modeling and the culture they foster. But add another requirement for teachers to develop students’ personal values, and they may struggle to get it all in. This is where educational technology (EdTech) might have a hidden benefit to lift some of the teacher burden.
EdTech platforms that encourage self-paced learning promote discipline and time management, and help students start to learn to manage responsibilities with the ebb and flow of assignments while collaborative virtual projects help students learn how to communicate professionally and collaborate on platforms they’re likely to use at work, like Teams, Skype, and Slack. Additionally, EdTech can build problem solving and leadership skills through simulated real-world scenarios, where students can immerse themselves in a work-like setting and learn to overcome challenges with others productively. EdTech can also augment students’ critical thinking skills through artificial intelligence (AI), so long as they aren’t over-relying on it and deteriorating technical skills. And teachers can encourage advanced users to consider how the EdTech can automate classroom processes to help make things a little easier for everyone — something we can all use from time to time.
It’s important to note that EdTech also provides a crucial opportunity with students who may not have access to digital tools at home. The assumption that today’s students are all 'digital natives' overlooks those without the privilege of regular technology use, as well as students with disabilities who struggle in a world still lacking in digital accessibility. By integrating accessible EdTech into the classroom, we not only create opportunities for all students to prepare for a high tech future of work, we also help them learn to recognize and address digital inequity when they encounter it — another way work ethic appears in a modern society.
Push The Limits of Technology and Mindset
If you’re already using EdTech in your classroom, great! Lean on your tech tools fully to instill work ethic while making your life easier. Embrace the upgrades and enhancements to see how students react — can they be agile and stay focused when expectations shift suddenly? Encourage technologically-proficient students to help their less tech-savvy peers — how well do they handle the responsibility of putting others’ needs ahead of their own? And let’s take this reminder to keep our own reaction to changes in technology in mind — what work ethic are we presenting as the standard for our future workforce, one of rigidity and a fixed mindset, or one of curiosity and growth?
Look around your classrooms for the lessons and opportunities afforded in every tool. And if you haven’t embraced EdTech or AI yet, this is a great time to model the adaptability you want your students to cultivate and try something new. After all, is there any skill more transferable in the classroom, at work, and in life than embracing change?
This article was crafted by Joy VerPlanck, an independent contributor engaged by CheckIT Labs, Inc. to provide insights on this topic.
