Exactly! I haven't even completed my profile, but Pablo said we should connect, so I read your post and I agree completely! The gap in skills, infrastructure, accessibility, talents/passion, etc., are so broad that many, many are being left behind and more are failing to even hold the line of where they were 5 years ago. I will get my profile filled out, etc., but love this forum topic!

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Why it matters:
I confess. I am one of those people who still has a couple of those massive catalog books of compact discs.

I've just never been able to bring myself to jettison the music library I used to hold so dear.

To make matters even more silly, it's been years since I've have a CD player to listen to them! Now, there is a portable CD player that works with wireless headphones.

Full Story: Gizmodo

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The New Future of Work
Thursday, August 20, 2020
10–11 a.m. Pacific
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
Virtual

From physical distancing and face coverings, to a need for flexible schedules and remote work, what started as a response to a health crisis is turning into a new normal. The current pandemic is compelling American employers and employees to reconsider the way we work and live.

What’s next for the workplace once the pandemic is behind us? What aspects of work are so essential that they will revive once this crisis passes? And how do we help get millions of unemployed Americans back into this changing work environment and ensure they have the skills and capabilities to compete?

What is the new future of work?

Watch SF Fed President Mary C. Daly in conversation with Arianna Huffington, Erica Brescia, and Nick Bloom, as we explore the tensions between employers and employees facing dynamic work environments and offer insights into the core needs and desires of our future workforce.

How is the pandemic reshaping the way we work? Is this the “new normal” everyone’s talking about, or can we expect more transformation? San Francisco Fed President Mary C. Daly discusses the New Future of Work with Ariana Huffington (Thrive Global), Erica Brescia (GitHub), and Nick Bloom (Stanford). August 20, 2020 (video).

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: www.frbsf.org/fed-system/new-future-of-work/

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Ever wonder why standardize education fails so many? It is because there is no such thing as the average person. We are all individuals with unique ways of perceiving, processing and understanding our environment. By forcing all students to learn the same thing at the same rate at the same time, we only succeed in teaching those that best match that method, at that time at that rate of instruction. All others will either be bored and tune out, miss out on key concepts or fail to understand the significance of what was just covered. As time progresses, more and more gaps in comprehension just compound the problems. This article discusses how the Science of the Individual is reshaping how we think about the education process.

The Science of the Individual and the Case for Agency

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The coronavirus outbreak has shown that virtually nothing material is indispensable. If you feel like your life has turned topsy-turvy during the lockdown, cherish this time as a period for discovery so you’ll be able to step out of the crisis with a renewed perspective and skillset.

Overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin? Microsoft has got your back. The tech behemoth has launched a new program to help 25 million people around the world advance their careers by equipping them with in-demand skills by the end of the year—and for free, according to Fast Company.

To start out, Microsoft sought to discover the jobs predicted to be the most coveted with a likelihood of staying power lasting over the next decade. It thus adopted LinkedIn’s Economic Graph, which culls “all the data on LinkedIn that shows available jobs, the required skills, and the existing skills job seekers have.”


In no particular order, the model forecasts the 10 in-demand roles to be sought by employers as:

1. Software developer
2. Sales representative
3. Project manager
4. IT administrator
5. Customer service specialist
6. Digital marketer
7. IT support or helpdesk
8. Data analyst
9. Financial analyst
10. Graphic designer


After which, Microsoft rolled out a series of LinkedIn Learning video courses—taught in English, French, German, and Spanish—to help nurture these skills, which will remain free until the end of the year.

If you prefer, you can also take online exams after completing the courses to get certified under “industry-recognized, Microsoft Certifications based on exams that demonstrate proficient in Microsoft technologies” with a top-up of just US$15, a “large discount on the price of exams that typically cost more than US$100,” Microsoft described in a press statement.

The company also hopes to further lower education costs by teaming up with governments, foundations, nonprofits, and other organizations who wish to subsidize the exams.

Find out more about the initiative, or start learning, by clicking here .

SEE ALSO:
https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2020/06/30/microsoft-launches-initiative-to-help-25-million-people-worldwide-acquire-the-digital-skills-needed-in-a-covid-19-economy

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