Welcome to E is for Eskwelabs
Welcome to E is for Eskwelabs
Introducing the very first issue of our bi-weekly newsletter containing inspirations and resources from the Eskwelabs team
Hey there, Francine here! 😊 Welcome to the first issue of the E is for Eskwelabs Bi-Weekly Newsletter.
After almost 1 year of launching Eskwelabs, we are launching this newsletter to stay updated with our alums, partners, and anyone who is interested in learning skills for the future of work.
The ‘E is for Eskwelabs’ Newsletter is one way for us to keep you involved in our growing community. We’ll be sending it out every other week filled with content, insights, and updates from us.
As we launch our first issue, we want to encourage you to give us feedback and ideas (you may do so here) and if you like it, please share it with a friend!
What’s in this newsletter:
Our updated Manifesto
Insights on the Future of Learning and Work in a post-Covid world
Research on Growth Mindset
What have we been up to during Covid?
We are hiring (again!)
Upcoming Events
Our (updated!) Eskwelabs Manifesto
To know more about our vision, read our updated ‘Manifesto’ here:
The world is in a period of tremendous shift. The opportunity gap will continue to widen as emerging technologies transform types of work and how they are done. Access to engaging and job-relevant skills education is crucial to help individuals and organizations transition to that future.
Eskwelabs works to inspire, equip and connect people to the future of work. Our programs facilitate growth, commitment, exploration and change for our learners. We invest in their development and empower them with the right mindsets, skills training, and the communities to succeed.
The future is made up of many possibilities — Eskwelabs envisions a future where we all have the opportunity to lead meaningful careers and thrive.
How will Covid-19 change the world?
This is something we think about a lot, since we are at the intersection of two movements: the future of learning and the future of work.
Future of Learning in a Post-Covid World
More than 90% of all students globally are not attending school during the Covid-19 pandemic. While our Eskwelabs students are mostly working professionals, we know that this challenging moment will produce significant learnings for how education can and should be delivered. We invited our friend Alberto Arenaza, Co-Founder of Transcend Network, which is a Silicon Valley-based network of ed-tech startup founders to discuss the impacts of learning. We co-hosted a session as a part of the Skoll World Forum and you can rewatch the conversation recorded here.
Future of Work Trends Accelerated?
While the pandemic is still unfolding, companies are wondering how COVID-19 will change their work and their team structures. Organizations that have already embraced “future of work” practices with an ecosystem of technology, and working norms are already more likely better positioned to maintain their operations and emerge stronger. We conducted our research to look at how trends in the future of work, and specifically: the work we do, how teams work together, and how we learn to prepare for that future, are being accelerated by COVID-19.
Contents of the Whitepaper:
The evidence of accelerating automation trends
A discussion that emphasizes work as a thing we do and not as a place we go
Suggestions on how you can upskill your workforce
Read the insight here or email us back to receive the full Whitepaper.
How to keep learning?
It seems like our world is falling apart and it’s hard to keep on going. One concept we talk about a lot is one of “growth mindset”. While it is not a silver bullet solution, we want to present insights around why it is so important, especially during this challenging time for everyone.
In a 2015 McKinsey study, machine learning techniques were applied to identify factors that played a critical role in student achievement. The discovery was that students’ mindsets mattered much more than their socioeconomic backgrounds. The feature discovery tool identified the 100 most predictive variables—out of more than 1,000—from the PISA survey. The research concluded that student mindsets are twice as predictive of students’ PISA scores than even their home environment.
Eskwelabs’ motto is that “Talent is everywhere but opportunity is not.” We recognize that mindset does not account for everything. Mindsets cannot bridge the gap in all economic and social disparities. What the data demonstrate to us is that mindsets do matter. The right mindsets can catapult us into new careers and new life trajectories, regardless of our challenging circumstances.
Read our blog post about it here.
What have we been up to?
We have been busy during the quarantine and our special Covid efforts are covered by BusinessWorld’s publication here.
We launched a Python basic course called “Covid Aral-Aral” and 350+ learners have joined.
What’s next? We will soon launch free live tutorials in May on Python concepts. To join, just complete 4 practice sets from Covid Aral-Aral.
We launched a “pay-what-you-can” Analytics SkillsCourse for those looking to work remotely during and after the quarantine period, especially in the Virtual Assistant (VA) market. We analyzed both the supply and demand sides of the VA market and learned that those who had data analysis skills commanded higher wages. 45 VAs completed their course 2 weeks ago!
What’s next? The alums of this course will pay it forward in offering what they learned for free in the ASC Community in live mentoring sessions.
Join our team!
As you can imagine, our blended learning model has shifted to online during quarantine, and we expected physical distancing to be around for a while. We are hiring paid online mentors for Business Intelligence who can contribute 8-10 hours/week to help with exercises and provide personalized support virtually. Send us your CV at: mentor@eskwelabs.com
Oh, and we are still looking for a front-end developer too!
Events
We are having a 1st year anniversary online birthday party on May 13th. RVSP to the online party here.
Alums of the Analytics SkillsCourse for Virtual Assistants will host an online launch of their free career mentoring sessions. Join us on Facebook live stream or invite a friend who is a freelancer.
Thanks for reading the first issue of the newsletter! We are sending you love. 💖
Again we want to encourage you to give us feedback and ideas (you may do so here) and if you like it, please share it with a friend!
Alright, that’s it for now! We’ll be back in your inbox again next, next week.
💌 Cheering you on always,
Francine
Community Producer at Eskwelabs