Local leadership panel highlights assets beyond academics
WILLIAMSBURG, VA — In today's rapidly evolving workforce, educators are focusing beyond academic knowledge and into ‘durable skills’ like critical thinking, communication and collaboration. Various internship programs at education levels beginning in high school are offered by the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, where academics, research and durable skills are prioritized.
Integrating these vital skills was the central theme of a panel discussion at a recent leadership conference.
The 26th annual School-University Resource Network Leadership Conference, "Learning Leaders Aspire," featured an all-female leadership panel. SURN, a partnership between William & Mary and Virginia K-12 school divisions, hosted the event that more than 200 educators representing districts across Virginia attended.
Panelists shared their professional roles in the community, anecdotes about their own mentors and sources of inspiration and examples about how they seek to provide the tools students need to succeed post-graduation.
Dr. Jade Ranger, owner and pharmacist at The Prescription Shoppe, discussed the importance of representation. She shared her story of being a high school intern, encouraged and inspired by a community pharmacist she shadowed - an educated, strong, successful, compassionate black woman.
“If you can see it, you can be it,” said Ranger. “From that moment, I decided to become a community pharmacist.”
The panel emphasized that while academics may get students in the door, durable skills are what creates retainability and advancement.
Also known as "soft skills," durable skills encompass critical thinking, collaboration, communication and character traits like leadership, citizenship and fortitude.
Integrating development of these skills into education pathways will help ensure a broader, more inclusive group of learners ultimately find success in careers and communities.
Lisa Surles-Law, Jefferson Lab science education manager and chairperson of the Newport News School Board, shared how she views internships as one of the most impactful opportunities to ensure students know what might be expected of them beyond school.
“I think it makes it more tangible for them to see it modeled,” she said. “Jefferson Lab offers quite a few internships for both high school and undergraduates and it is in these spaces that we are able to work with students on durable skills.
"It is one thing to say you need a firm handshake, good time-management, or social skills, but I think these opportunities make them much more apt to see how to model these skills and why we are ensuring they learn them,” Surles-Law said.
The annual SURN Leadership Conference brings educators and industry leaders together to learn, reflect and plan for the future. By featuring the durable skills panel, it highlighted an educational priority echoed by businesses across sectors.
“We often observe that SURN bridges the university-to-schools' research-to-reality divide, and our schools and community partner organizations do the same for us,” said Amy Colley, SURN executive director, William & Mary School of Education. “A panel like today provides just-in-time actionable feedback to our school leaders, and it opens the doors to new opportunities and collaborations.
“These open doors are critical to the success of our schools and our workforce partners as we tackle the challenges before us,” she said.
Contact: Michelle Alvarez, Jefferson Lab Communications Office, malvarez@jlab.org