Workforce readiness: How Aspyr and SchooLinks are shaping education and careers in central Ohio

Equipping students with the skills and resources they need to succeed earlier in their educational careers is key to positioning recent graduates for long-term success. SkillsFWD grantee Aspyr and their vendor partner SchooLinks combine workforce development services with college and career readiness to propel K-12 students forward.  

Aspyr is committed to innovation and inclusion and serves as the federally mandated workforce board for Central Ohio. Through SkillsFWD, Aspyr is working to power new modes of early career talent and employer matching at scale via learning and employment records (LERs), leveraging work-based learning solutions powered by SchooLinks. 

As a market-leading college and career readiness platform, SchooLinks educates younger learners about potential career opportunities. The platform currently serves 25 school districts within a 25-mile radius of Columbus, Ohio, covering an estimated 70-75% of the area's students. 

We recently sat down with the Aspyr team — Chance Shannan, COO, Kier Scott, director of policy and research, and Michael Discenza, CTO at SchooLinks. In this discussion, we discovered how their collaboration and innovative solutions offer students a competitive advantage by creating programs that bridge the gap between education and employment.

SkillsFWD: To start, can you share an overview of Aspyr and how you serve the Central Ohio area?

KIER: We offer workforce development services in our region for adults, dislocated workers, and youth aged 16 to 24.

CHANCE: Aspyr is a business-led, performance-driven organization that supports regional economies and the development of effective approaches, including local and regional sector partnerships and career pathways, as well as high-quality, customer-centered service delivery and service delivery approaches. 

Aspyr is also the designated workforce board and primary workforce partner for the city of Columbus and Franklin County — with core funding and services through the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). 

As a trusted leader in the workforce, the city and the county rely on our expertise to achieve positive outcomes for residents and employers. We pride ourselves on being effective, and that’s actually how our partnership with SchooLinks came together. Columbus City Schools reached out and requested swift progress in engaging and impacting students.

SkillsFWD: How has Aspyr experienced success with the SchooLinks platform?

MICHAEL: SchooLinks originally started as a college and career readiness platform, providing support and workflow for school districts and counselors to help students apply to college. There is a growing need for workforce and career preparation and work-based learning. Our work with SkillsFWD focuses on creating tools to help intermediary organizations and employers engage with school districts and students in a structured, privacy-compliant way. 

We're creating Aspyr programs for high school graduates and those who have been out of high school for one to two years. These programs allow students to use resumes, credentials, and school-related achievements that already exist in their SchooLinks accounts to get a leg up in the application process. 

SkillsFWD: As a SkillsFWD grantee, your primary goal is to power new modes of early career talent and employer matching through LERs. What’s led to challenges in those areas for your state, and why is this mission so vital to focus on now?

MICHAEL: The Ohio Graduation Plan is a leading holistic, competency-based approach requiring more than specific grades and courses. This forces school districts to consider how they are preparing students to obtain industry-recognized credentials. It also raises the question of how to engage students with employers earlier and incorporate key achievements on their resumes.

One aspect of the state’s graduation requirements is the Ohio Means Jobs Readiness Seal, which requires students to engage with employers, community members, and school districts for feedback on certain competencies essential for employment. We host the entire process electronically on SchooLinks. After completion, students receive a graduation seal, but many don’t think of including it on their resumes to tell an employer what type of candidate they are. 

With LERs, all data in SchooLinks is compiled into a comprehensive learner record (CLR), providing credibility to students applying for roles. This record is similar to a resume but can be verified. The platform connects employers and students, allowing them to apply for internships or full-time jobs using their data. Students can also export their achievements for portability to other platforms.

SkillsFWD: What are the biggest hurdles you’ve experienced in your work this year?

MICHAEL: The challenge is to change the behavior of students, guardians, employers, and applicant tracking systems by ensuring people understand the value of verifiable credentials. We must also understand employers' pain points. 

Our SkillsFWD project aims to get students interested in different career paths earlier in their education. How can we help them understand the benefits of roles in industries like manufacturing and the importance of full-time work and benefits, as opposed to some of the more easily accessible options for work in the gig economy?

When working with Aspyr and its youth programs, we must provide expectation management, coaching, and guidance to help high school students align their qualifications and aspirations with realistic opportunities. 

KIER: Employers are also primary stakeholders in this work. This concept of skills-based hiring and LERs, or digital wallets, is new. The education component of LERs is part of the challenge and fun. There is not yet a broad consensus around skills-based hiring. Most employers we work with simply don’t know what it is or what it means.

CHANCE: The technology itself is an access issue. Many students in our Columbus City school system may not know the opportunities or entry-level positions available for growth. 

Many people find jobs through social media and personal networks. Bringing job opportunities to SchooLinks is significant because very few platforms have the K-12 user base that SchooLinks does. This platform was our ideal partner because it already had the necessary technology, including access to students, parents, schools, and valuable data. Through our SkillsFWD case study, we get to be out front in helping employers see the value of accessing talent this way. 

SkillsFWD: Let’s discuss partnerships. What are you hoping to learn or gain from the broader SkillsFWD community?

MICHAEL: I'm looking for a model use case example. LERs support many things, but we’ve got to spark investment and momentum. I hope all of our projects can organically take off, especially since we serve slightly different sectors and populations.

SkillsFWD: Is there anything else important for readers to know at this time?

CHANCE: A cool thing about this project compared to others is that we’re developing a niche tool for a specific population, state, and industry — but the SchooLinks model is to be replicated nationally. 

MICHAEL: Our work with Aspyr is meant to be an example. Initially, we’ll proof it in the Columbus area, where SchooLinks has density, but the infrastructure we’re developing can ultimately help students nationwide. That's why this is so compelling. It isn't just a regional platform. 

We are developing best practices based on Aspyr’s input, communication, and community outreach alongside our technology. Having boots on the ground has been effective.