Getting Smart Podcast 246 - Ed Hidalgo on Introducing Youth to The World of Work
In today’s episode, Tom Vander Ark is continuing the conversation about starting career education early with Ed Hidalgo and Dr. David Bluestein! If you haven’t already, be sure to tune into that conversation first and then come back here to listen to Part Two!
After almost two decades of leadership and high tech human resource staffing, Ed Hidalgo led the development of the career education program called “World of Work.” Ed then joined the Cajon Valley Union School District as Chief Innovation and Engagement Officer and implemented the best K-8 career education program in the country. World of Work is based on a framework developed by John Holland 60 years ago, popularly known by the acronym, RIASEC. The framework includes six personality types: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. It also includes a set of assessments that helps young people become aware of their unique strengths, interests, and values. What’s great about World of Work is that it’s made up of 54 immersive units of study that create broad career awareness and give young people the opportunity to imagine possible futures.
Ed Hidalgo continues the conversation from last week’s episode by describing the best career education system out there — the World of Work! Tune in to learn all about what makes this framework incredibly special and the importance of starting career education as early as possible!
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode.
[1:43] Tom welcomes Ed Hidalgo to the podcast.
[2:25] Why did Ed move from Baltimore to Miami?
[2:49] Why did Ed choose human resources to pursue a career in?
[3:42] After working at Manpower for seven years, Ed worked at Qualcomm for 10 years. Ed shares some of the challenges in staffing in the years he worked there.
[5:23] When did Ed leave Qualcomm? Was he there in the early days of ‘smart hiring’?
[6:54] Ed shares some of the big lessons he learned about staffing at Qualcomm.
[7:26] When hiring at Qualcomm, did they rely on traditional measures like where applicants went to school or the grades they received?
[9:16] How has training and development changed in big tech?
[9:57] Ed highlights the importance of the onboarding process for new employees.
[11:22] Ed tells the origin story of the World of Work.
[14:09] Did Ed find it a bit of a culture shock when he shifted into the world of education?
[14:50] One of the core elements of the Cajon Valley model: celebrating differences.
[16:44] Why Dr. Blustein starts every chapter in his book, The Importance of Work in an Age of Uncertainty, with ‘Being.’
[18:18] How did Ed develop Cajon’s career education system? And how was it adopted and incorporated at Cajon Valley?
[20:16] How did Ed get such good support from teachers for this system and how did he support the teachers as well?
[22:32] How did Ed convince the school board at Cajon Valley to adopt this system?
[24:06] Tom shares a quick story about the Superintendent of Cajon Valley.
[24:58] Ed gives a snapshot of what one of these units of study looks like in their framework.
[26:58] Tom tells a story about Nepris.
[27:49] Ed elaborates on their partnership with Nepris.
[28:44] Dr. Bluestein chimes in with what he thinks career education should look like and gives his praises to Cajon Valley.
[29:22] Ed elaborates on the secret sauce in this framework: the belief that career development is a human process.
[31:17] Ed speaks about the importance of starting career education early.
[34:30] Tom thanks Ed for the work he’s doing at Cajon Valley and for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
The Importance of Work in an Age of Uncertainty: The Eroding Work Experience in America, by David L. Blustein
Cajon Valley Union School District
American Student Assistance (ASA)
For More on Career Education, Be Sure to Check Out:
Getting Smart Ep. 240: “Jean Eddy on Starting Early with Career Education”
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