2.2 Shaun McAlmont, K12 Career Readiness Education

Topics discussed in this episode include:

The factors that drive high school students to online providers from homeschooling to a desire to accelerate their education to managing fear producing events such news stories about bullying, school shootings, or the corona virus. The focus has always been on being “able to envision where they [the students] could possibly see themselves” with a new focus also on career-ready graduates especially in rural populations.The parallels to college experiential education in the classical observation that supplemental experiences outside the classroom improve a student’s confidence, maturity, and creativity.  Shaun and K12 want to drive these experiential outcomes within its platform by bringing in lessons from technical education, adult learning, etc. One big difference is the role of the parents who make much more of the decisions in levels of schooling below the college level.Why Shaun personally  from higher education into this company after meeting the CEO while he was at Lincoln Tech building bridges to technical training.  Moving to K12 sometime after this first meeting seemed like a next logical step in Shaun’s effort to serve a large segment of the student population that may be missed by classical ivory-tower educational practice.The skills-gap this education tries to bridge with skills that companies could use right after graduation.  Landing a job not only can launch a career but it also helps with student loan debt reduction, particularly in college.Discussion of the new generation of students and workers as reflected though observations of Shaun’s own family and how they move into careers and prefer to work vs. older generations.  Filling this employment pipeline while encouraging personal growth and skill development is already complex in college education and even more interesting at earlier stages in one’s educational career.How K12 is committed to career education through expanded programs, strategic corporate acquisitions, etc.The podcast ends with a return focus on students whether they be our “kids” or others.

Resources Discussed in this Episode:

K 12, Inc.Shaun McAlmont

Music Credits: C’est La Vie by Derek Clegg