Virtual, free event features University leaders Shannon T. Wilson and Dr. Marc Booker in conversation with Jobs For the Future’s Meena Naik on how workers can leverage different skill types for career planning

University of Phoenix is pleased to announce that it will host a webinar in collaboration with Jobs For the Future (JFF), “Finding Balance: Hard Skills vs Soft Skills for Professional Growth,” on Monday, March 31, 11:00am PDT/AZT (12:00pm MDT, 2:00pm EDT). The event features University of Phoenix Vice President of Information Technology Shannon T. Wilson and Vice Provost of Strategy Marc Booker, Ph.D., and JFF’s Director of Field Implementation Meena Naik for a panel discussion on leveraging skill types for career planning. The virtual event is free and open to the public.

As studies by workforce research leaders like McKinsey and Deloitte make the case for focusing on skills in the workplace, the University of Phoenix’s 2024 Career Optimism Index® study found that 74% of American workers say they need to continue to learn new skills to stay ahead in their career and 66% say they need to improve their skillset to advance in their career.

“Hard skills and durable skills are critical to working adult learners and their professional growth in any industry,” states Wilson. “We look forward to leveraging our perspectives and experiences to help understand different types or sets of skills and their application, relevant workforce trends and sharing insights from our expectations and predictions for the evolution of skills in career planning.”

The webinar is designed to help participants navigate the evolving professional development landscape by understanding and balancing hard skills and soft skills. The panelists will define hard skills versus soft skills, explore how hard skills of technical expertise paired with soft, or durable, skills like interpersonal communication can contribute to professional growth, and share insights on striking a balance within current workforce trends.

University of Phoenix and JFF have partnered to create an action-based framework that outlines strategies for colleges and employers to support career advancement for workers by building professional social capital.

As Vice Provost for Strategy at University of Phoenix, Booker oversees critical path academic initiatives to improve the student experience such as learning platform implementations, curricular enhancements, and developing empathetic solutions to drive improved student outcomes through data. Booker’s work in higher education has been recognized by several associations as he was the 2024 recipient of UPCEA’s Business and Operations award for operational excellence, was honored with a 2024 Thomas A. Bilger award for his service from the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), and in 2020 received a Hall of Fame recognition from Blackboard for his contributions in providing thought leadership and innovation in education.

Wilson is a seasoned technology leader with deep expertise in application engineering, cloud infrastructure, and strategic technology management across public and private sectors. As Vice President of Information Technology at the University, he has a proven record of transforming tech strategies to drive business outcomes, leading high-performing teams, and delivering impactful projects. Known for his practical approach, Wilson excels in aligning innovations with organizational goals to fuel growth and operational excellence.

Naik is an advocate for actualizing a radical future centering a skills-first approach to economic mobility, and partners with organizations and education providers to support the implementation of best practices in skills-first learning and credentialing efforts and associated technologies with a person-first mindset. As the Director with Jobs for the Future, Naik’s current efforts focus on promoting dual transformation changes, bringing legacy systems and processes into the current reality while activity innovating and testing new opportunities. Previously, she served as the program director for Career Connect at the University of North Texas where she led the marketable skills credential effort and was the university’s comprehensive learner record architect.

Register here for the “Finding Balance: Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills for Professional Growth” webinar.

About Jobs for the Future (JFF)

JFF is building a future that works for everyone by transforming U.S. education and workforce systems ​to drive economic success for people, businesses, and communities. www.jff.org.

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.

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