The number of middle-skill jobs that require digital skills continues to grow. Often, though, adult workers lack this skill set. Last fall, in an effort to address this gap, Facebook pledged to train 3,000 Michiganders in digital skills by 2020 through the Digital Skills Micro-credential program created in partnership with Digital Promise.
Since then, dozens of nonprofits across Michigan serving workers and entrepreneurs have facilitated short, “real world” workshops in which students use their own businesses or organizations to learn to market via Facebook business pages. As students develop their skills, they can earn digital micro-credentials as a way to demonstrate the competencies they have built. They can post these micro-credentials on their resumes, LinkedIn profiles, or other social media platforms for future employers to see.
To date, these organizations have trained more than 500 people across the state. On October 30, 2018, partners convened at Spartan Innovation, a center at Michigan State University that spurs businesses and entrepreneurship in East Lansing to connect with and learn from each other. Over the course of the day, partners shared victories, challenges, and best practices, and they discussed sustainability: How will organizations keep this work moving beyond 2020?
A few takeaways that the partners observed over the last year:
- Digital skills are making a difference: Partners shared inspiring and motivating stories of how new skills help their students find a job and/or grow their business. Organizations are also learning about their ability to grow as they rise above challenges.
- Meet students where they are: Partners shared strategies for handling the range of student skill levels in a class, including pre-assessing, course pacing, and additional out-of-class help and work time.
- Build a community of collaboration: Partners stressed that to sustain a digital skills program, collaboration is vital to leverage existing resources, consolidate information and data, expand to more advanced levels, and broaden offerings to other industries and employers.
Partners also had the opportunity at Spartan Innovation to provide feedback on Learn with Facebook, Facebook’s latest resource for job seekers and professionals. Digital Promise partnered with Facebook to create a range of quick, free online courses in digital marketing and career-focused skills. At the end of each module, learners have a chance to earn a micro-credential, a digital badge that demonstrates competency in a specific skill set.
To learn more about the range of courses offered for job seekers and professionals and start earning digital skills micro-credentials, visit Learn with Facebook.
