The message from Lehigh Valley employers is clear. In survey after survey, when asked about the top skills they seek in their workforce, it’s the “soft” skills that rise to the top.
Communication. Cooperation. Customer service. Organization. Problem solving.
Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. (LVEDC) relays that message to local educators and works with them to adjust their curriculum to meet that need. 
On April 25, LVEDC’s Education and Talent Supply Council - which supports strategies that position the Lehigh Valley to attract, develop, and retain its workforce - shared some of the successful strategies with about 70 leaders in business, education, and workforce development.
At Northampton Community College, the council held a panel discussion showcasing how education leaders are systematically and innovatively ensuring their students graduate with the employability skills necessary to be successful.
The discussion was moderated by Lidia Nesci, HR Representative at Victaulic. Panelists were Jack P. Silva, Ed.D, Superintendent of Schools at Bethlehem Area School District; Dr. Christina Lutz-Doemling, Superintendent of Schools at Catasauqua Area School District; and Adam Lazarchak, Executive Director at Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School.
Letter grades don’t provide any insight into someone’s employability skills, so Bethlehem Area School District separately rates students on “academic support factors” such as attendance, following the rules, working with others, and being engaged and responsible, Silva said. The ratings, on a scale of one to three, are reviewed every few weeks during an assessment between each student and their teacher.
“You're having that constant conversation during the time that you're learning. And you're practicing those career skills,” Silva said.
He said employers always are more interested to hear about that evaluation process than they are about students’ letter grades.
“Everyone says, ‘Tell me more about that three, two, and one business. Because I want to hire a kid that has all threes.’”
Catasauqua Area School District created a career facilitator position to focus on job shadowing, portfolio development, and other career-readiness activities with students. The district also has a partnership with B. Braun Medical that exposes ninth-grade students to careers at the company.
“An entire grade level of students has the opportunity to tour the facility at B. Braun. They have the opportunity to take part in employability skills, hands on activities,” Lutz-Doemling said. “And the B. Braun folks came and visited our school and conducted mock interviews with our students.”
Through the “Teacher in the Workplace” program, teachers, counselors, and administrators learn about in-demand careers by collaborating with employers, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, and CareerLink.
“To be able to go out and see a manufacturing facility or to go into a retirement community, or health care and learn about these things and what a 21st century workplace looks like, our teachers were able to bring all of that back and integrate it into the classroom,” Lutz-Doemling said.
Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School stresses the importance of professional or soft skills by making that 50% of students’ grades. And it created a Professional Skills Training Course, taught by instructors at Northampton Community College, to teach skills that make employees successful, such as how to manage conflict and how to be punctual, communicate, collaborate, and organize.
“We wanted to make sure that since employers were saying that they would rather hire a great employee and train them, rather than hire somebody with great technical skills but just doesn't show up, is on their phone, shows up late, doesn't call if they're not coming in, we knew that we could show that the students that go through this program, we could guarantee you'd hire a great employee,” Lazarchak said.
Career Ready website
The Education and Talent Supply Council shared information about a new resource to help students choose a career pathway by experimenting in experiences that are offered by local businesses and organizations.
The recently launched and rapidly growing Career Ready Greater Lehigh Valley website is designed to help connect students and schools directly to employers who offer summer employment, internships and externships, job shadowing, mentorships, career speakers, and other opportunities.
The website was developed by Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit #21, in collaboration with Colonial Intermediate Unit #20.
Eric Lech, Director of Curriculum & Instruction/Educational Technologies at Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit #21, encouraged Education and Talent Supply Council members to sign up their organizations on the website so they can promote their brand and engage with students to pique their interest in careers.
He encouraged schools to participate in the website, to give their students access to career exploration opportunities.
“We want to make sure we can connect our students with the local career opportunities and the local employment providers that are here so that they know what's available to them right in their backyard,” Lech said.