By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor
Tuesday’s College and Career Readiness Symposium provided the region’s educators and other stakeholders with information about how to adjust to the changing landscape of learning and teaching.
Kris Kimel, president of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation, speaks to the group about being relevant in the 21st century (photos by Mark Hansel).
The symposium at Northern Kentucky University was presented by the Northern Kentucky Education Council and brought industry leaders and educators together to develop strategies that will help prepare students for college and the workplace.
The forum included presentations, followed by breakout sessions, to examine not only how to get the region’s children focused on higher education, but also on working to develop methods that identify which career path is best for each individual student.
Kris Kimel, president and founder of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation, delivered a presentation on “Being Relevant in the 21st Century.”
“The challenge for all of us is, how do we stay relevant in what we are doing in an incredibly fast-changing world?” Kimel said.
He used the example of Kodak as an example of a company that failed to adjust to change and ultimately ceased to exist, except in our “Kodak memories.”
“One of the reasons they went out of business is that they couldn’t imagine a world without Kodak cameras,” Kimel said. “We all have to imagine a world without what we are doing. The minute you think you are irreplaceable or that we can’t do without what you are doing, you’re in trouble.”
Tom Welch, a former educator and now head of a Chicago-based consulting firm, helped those in attendance connect the education dots.
Smith-Corona, he pointed out, had its most successful year ever in 1989 but by 1993 was bankrupt because its leaders didn’t anticipate the death of the typewriter.
The Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation is an independent, nonprofit company that focuses on STEM education, talent development and innovation. It designed and now manages the largest venture fund in the state, the Kentucky Enterprise Fund.
Venture funding provides capital for startups. but Kimel said the company does much more than that
“If you ask me what we’re really good at, I’d say it’s disruptive innovation,” Kimel said. “We really try to look at things and try to understand what’s going on and how can we push the envelope.”
He invited those in attendance to imagine a student coming into a classroom nine years ago and saying he wanted to develop apps for the iPhone. Not only would the teacher not have had a clue about what an app was, the iPhone itself might well have been a mystery.
Less than ten years later, the development of applications for mobile devices is a multi-billion dollar industry. The growth of the iPhone and its counterparts demonstrates just how quickly technology is changing the world and emphasizes that a major adjustment in thinking is necessary for both students and educators.
Kimel is also founder of the IdeaFestival in Louisville and the leader behind the successful implementation of Kentucky Space, both of which also embrace the concept of imagining the possible.
Tim Hanner of NaviGo led a breakout session on college and career coaching.
“There is absolutely no such thing as useless knowledge and that’s one of the precepts that we operate on,” Kimel said. “All of these silos that we create – science, math, humanities – are all artificial. The companies and organizations and people who really are successful today and in the future are the ones that we call conversion thinkers. If you look at companies like Apple, Hulu, Facebook, and some of those that are recognized, you will see that they are stacked with people who are able to do that.”
Tom Welch, president of the consulting firm that bears his name, talked about putting the pieces of the education puzzle together in a presentation entitled, “Connecting the Dots: A look at the unimagined possibilities for linking education, businesses and communities in turbulent times ahead.”
Welch said the result of the presidential election this year changed history, regardless of anyone’s feelings about a particular candidate.
“That day has changed the responsibilities and opportunities, immeasurably for every single person in this room,” Welch said. “If you have not met as an administrative team, or as a faculty, since November 7, to talk specifically about what opportunities are there for you now, you need to do that.”
Teachers, he said, have been looking at educating in a standardized way for more than 30 years. He said what’s really important is a relationship between a teacher and a student that allows the strengths of each individual to be cultivated and developed.
“It’s not about all of the kids in Northern Kentucky,” Welch said. “It’s about each and every child in Northern Kentucky.”
Barb Stewart, director of the Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board, identified high demand industry sectors and provided demographic information on income and workforce participation in the region.
Industry sectors expected to experience high job growth include advanced manufacturing, healthcare, information technology/business/finance, installation/maintenance/repair and transportation and logistics.
Currently, the region’s workforce is not being developed at a rate that ensures enough qualified people for the jobs available now or in the future.
Stewart said that by 2026, the entire population of Northern Kentucky is expected to be 493,941 and the workforce need alone is estimated at 220,998.
“The current and foreseeable future projected state of the Northern Kentucky workforce is that everyone who is of working age population needs to maintain continuous employment to meet workforce demands,” Stewart said.
The presentations were followed by breakout sessions on topics that included the college admissions process, college and career coaching and providing students with career experiences. Other sessions focused on careers students need to know, keys to college and career readiness and Northern Kentucky dual credit opportunities.
The Northern Kentucky Education Council promotes communication among public and private school systems, post-secondary institutions, the business community, and government agencies about educational issues. The Council serves as a catalyst for collaboration, change, and progress toward regional educational goals.
College and Career Readiness is one of the goals identified by the organization’s six Action Teams formed to ensure the strategic alignment of educational initiatives and programs and to help accomplish regional education goals.
Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytrib.com
