The MindSage Difference: Designed by professionals, refined by educators.
Origins Matters: The Problem
We developed the MindSage program specifically because our college interns needed to be quickly transitioned out of 'classroom mode' and onto live projects.
Our interns were simply not prepared to contribute in the workplace. Upskilling our interns quickly was not just academic. It was critical to our business success.
The Solution: Start Durable Skills Training Sooner
Out of necessity, we created a training program modeled after the soft-skill training we had taken as professional developers. We also included employee training concepts from leading companies like Google, Apple, and Starbucks.
To align with current industry needs, we conducted surveys involving over 130 organizations, including Harvard and Stanford universities, Forbes, and LinkedIn, identifying the top 15 sought-after soft skills (or durable skills).
Using the most commonly mentioned and in-demand soft skills as a guide, along with the proven approach from industry trainers and educators we had worked with previously, we designed a durable skills program for our interns.
The Results Were Clear and Immediate.
After completing our program, interns, including coders, 3D modelers, animators, artists, and UI designers, underwent a transformative change.
Time spent on test projects before transitioning to live projects was halved, leading to a boost in hiring from zero, to three out of 10 in each group. Subsequently, several interns progressed to lead roles at companies like Disney, Sony, and Adobe Systems.
Over the past seven years of pilots and collaboration with educators, our Durable Skills Professional Training Certification program has transformed students nationwide, setting a new standard for career readiness for high school and college students. Join us in shaping the future workforce by incorporating our durable skills program, and empowering students to excel at work and in life.
Different paths, same conclusions: Cutting Edge Curriculum
In our ongoing research, we came across several videos of Tony Wagner, the inaugural Innovation Education Fellow at Harvard. Tony identified seven crucial survival skills for student success in the innovation economy. His findings, based on interviews with corporation, business, and organization leaders, closely align with what we concluded from years of experience in the corporate workforce. Despite our different origins—education and the workplace—our conclusions on vital durable skills remarkably mirror each other, emphasizing their importance in today’s innovation economy.
We were delighted to find that our MindSage approach effectively tackles the concerns Tony raised about the need to help our children and students become innovative, creative, critical-thinking, lifelong learners.