Virtual, free event features Vice Provost Doris Savron in conversation with JFF’s Sharon Leu and Lucy Fernandez on how workers can leverage skills and social capital for career planning

University of Phoenix is pleased to announce that it will host a webinar “The Future of Work: Why Skills are Taking Center Stage,” with Jobs For the Future (JFF) on Wednesday, September 18, 1:00pm PT. The event features Doris Savron, vice provost, Colleges, Curriculum and Assessment at University of Phoenix, Sharon Leu, Executive in Residence at JFF, and will be moderated by Lucy Fernandez, Senior Manager, Solutions Design & Delivery at JFF, for a conversation focusing on the future of skills-based hiring and exploring how workers can leverage career-relevant skills to acquire social capital. The virtual event is free and open to the public.

“Career-focused individuals can leverage their skills development to help unlock their own talent potential,” states Savron. “We look forward to sharing insights about how workers can leverage their career-relevant skills, acquire social capital, and share skills through visible options like micro-credentials in this new era of skills-based hiring.”

The workforce market is evolving, and more employers are giving serious consideration to valuable skills rather than focusing solely on degree requirements. Studies by workforce research leaders McKinsey and Deloitte make the case for focusing on skills as well. However, there are sizeable skill and opportunity gaps for workers illustrated in the results of the University of Phoenix’s recent Career Optimism Index® study: 74% of workers recognize the necessity of learning new skills to stay ahead in their career, but 44% of employers say their top challenge to finding talent in the past year is a lack of well-qualified applicants.

University of Phoenix and JFF’s Center for Racial Economic Equity have partnered to create an action-based framework that outlines strategies for colleges and employers to support career advancement for Black learners and workers by building professional social capital.

As Vice Provost overseeing the strategy for University of Phoenix academic programs and curriculum design, institutional assessment and faculty, Savron leverages nearly 25 years of experience in higher education. Her work includes oversight of strategy for degree, certificate and course offerings, design of curriculum and student learning outcomes for the University. Savron served on the advisory council for UPCEA and AACRAO’s inaugural 2023 Convergence Conference focused on the emerging field of alternative credentials in Higher Education, and in 2024 was appointed to the UPCEA Council for Credential Innovation leadership.

Leu is an Executive in Residence at JFFLabs where she is focused on building infrastructure for a skills-based talent marketplace, developing interoperability standards for digital credentials technology, and empowering individuals to use their data to access opportunity. Prior to joining JFFLabs, Leu led postsecondary education innovation initiatives at the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology.

As a member of the Solutions Design & Delivery team at JFF, Fernandez informs the strategic direction of her project work and is helping to pioneer an insights-based approach for JFFLabs. Since joining JFF, Fernandez has focused on professional social capital, immersive learning technologies, and climate innovation, all with the goal of helping more workers access and prepare for quality jobs. She has bachelor’s degrees in classics and the history of art and architecture from Brown University and a master’s in art history from The Courtauld Institute of Art.

Register for The Future of Work webinar here.

About University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix innovates to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant courses, interactive learning, skills-mapped curriculum for our bachelor’s and master’s degree programs and a Career Services for Life® commitment help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. For more information, visit phoenix.edu.

About Jobs for the Future

Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the U.S. education and workforce systems to achieve equitable economic advancement for all. We do this by designing solutions, scaling best practices, influencing policy and action, and investing in innovation. We forge deep partnerships with employers, investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and education and workforce development providers to break down barriers and reimagine what’s possible. jff.org

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