1.
Mary E. Risner, Ed.D.
AATSP 2013, San Antonio, Texas
http://about.me/risnermary
Are We Prepared for
Jobs of the Future?

2.
Overview
Job preparedness
Connecting education < > work world
Shifting our “mindset”
K-12 models
Resources

3.
Are our students
ready for work in
the“real” world?
What must we
do to better to prepare
them?

4.
Concerns in the Literature…
Current and Future
Language Demands
in the Workplace:
Proficiencies and
Gaps
Workforce Skills
Reality Check
Global
Competitiveness
Report
Future Work Skills
2020: Cross-Cultural
Competency
Global Citizenship –
What Are We
Talking About and
Why Does It Matter
What Business
Wants
Essential Skills for
the 21st Century
Workplace

5.
The Disconnect…
Educational
Institutions Workplace
Still based on traditional
top-down model, passive learning,
rote memorization, etc.
Reacting more quickly in
changing global
context

6.
Giving Employers What They Don’t
Really Want
What Educators Think Employers
Want…
What Employers value…
Students with professional
majors
Critical thinking, problem-
solving, communication skills are
more important than major
Access to knowledge from top
scholars/lectures
“ethical judgment and integrity;
intercultural skills; capacity for
continued new learning…”
Proof of high grades and test
scores
"employers consistently rank
outcomes and practices that
involve application of skills over
acquisition of discrete bodies of
knowledge…"
The Chronicle of Higher Education Giving Employers What They Don’t Really Want
June 17, 2013 Robert J. Sternberghttp://chronicle.com/article/Giving-Employers-What-
They/139877/?cid=ja&utm_source=ja&utm_medium=en

7.
Bridging the Gap…
Shift student mindset
Shift instructor
mindset
Students
prepared
for the
workplace
Community
Connections
*Maybe Common Core Standards
will help make a difference?

8.
Reshaping Student Perceptions
about Foreign Language…
Language as more than meeting a requirement
Professionals in the classroom (virtually and F2F)
Student connections to community projects
Help students stand out in the job search
http://darcylear.com/

9.
One Idea
State Foreign Language Competitions:
Add an option where students present a
professional project based on a service
learning or consulting experience (projects can be
used in student portfolio)

10.
Shifting Instructor Mindset: Things
To Think About…
Do we need to use everything in the book, is it all
relevant now?
What kind of learning activities do we need to engage
students in language use for real-world contexts?
How can we creatively assess students for skills they
will apply in real-world situations?

11.
A Couple of Ideas…
State Conferences/Faculty Meetings: bring in
community professionals to talk about
workforce needs
Be informed about workforce statistics,
reports showing need for global skills, growth
industries (www.nble.org )

12.
Wednesday’s Session: Sneak
Preview
K-12 Program
Models
Virtual Guests
Where to Find
Resources
How to Work
With Us?

13.
Spanish for Leadership-
Colorado, Cristin Bleess
Spanish in the Community
and the Workplace-
Wisconsin, Katrina Beeck
Spanish for Leadership-
Florida, Danika Cornelius
Business and
Environment-Connecticut,
Juanjo Vazquez-Caballero
Spanish for Healthcare-
Pennsylvania, Melissa
Swarr
How You Can Add a “C” for
Careers

14.
Resources/Professional
Community
www.nble.org

15.
Thank you!

16.
Advocacy Clip on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwCEkleilNQ
More videos at You Tube Channel- Mary Risner