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Tag: CTE

  • Gracie Gustafson from Iowa’s Boone HS Takes 1st in America’s Next Great Intern Contest

    Gracie Gustafson from Iowa’s Boone HS Takes 1st in America’s Next Great Intern Contest

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Virginia Beach, VA (April 8, 2024) – Boone, Iowa’s own Gracie Gustafson is America’s Next Great Intern. The senior at Boone Community School District competed against nearly 200 hundred high school students nationwide and demonstrated top-tier communication skills essential to an internship.

    Gustafson wins a virtual job shadow with an executive from an in-demand field (one option is a music producer for Jay-Z and Beyonce). She will also receive national recognition throughout the CTE community and a banner for the school to display. Her teachers, Ms. Lindsey Hyman and Ms. Amy Bossard, receive a $250 cash bonus to support their classrooms.

    Second place: Sahasra Bangaru, 11th grade student from Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Teacher: Ms. Sandra Wheeler.

    Third place: Parisa Majumdar, 10th grade student from Enloe Magnet High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Teacher: Ms. Benicia Ledford.

    “Up and Coming” middle school winners:

    First place: Zabdiel Dewar, 8th grade student at William R. Davie Middle S.T.E.M. Academy in Halfiax, North Carolina. Teacher: Mr. Fredirick Lapitan.

    Second place: Errili Perez, 8th grade student at Aliamanu Middle School, Panther Academy in Honolulu, Hawaii. Teacher: Ms. Cherie Teraoka.

    Rubin, the leader in online curriculum for employability and workplace readiness skills, hosted the competition.

    Demand for intern and job applicants with “soft skills” is a top priority across all industry sectors. According to a 2022 survey of employers by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 76% of respondents want to hire young people who can work on a team, 73% want ones with strong written communication skills and 58% seek new hires who can speak well.

    The submission period for the America’s Next Great Intern contest ran throughout February 2024, which is National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month. All middle school, high school and post-secondary CTE students were eligible.

    The instructions were drawn from Rubin’s Emerge curriculum, a broad library of online exercises for employability skills like email/phone etiquette, job interview prep, LinkedIn communication and more. Rubin provides Emerge to CTE programs nationwide.

    The students were assessed across five areas:

    1. Elevator Pitch: Video recording about the student’s background and interests/passions.
    2. Ethics and Leadership: Written response to a challenging ethical dilemma.
    3. Team Communication: Email to update a teacher or employer on the status of classwork or a project at an internship/job.
    4. Resilience & Determination: Written example of a time in which the student demonstrated resiliency.
    5. Job Interview Preparation: Written questions to show curiosity ahead of a mock interview conversation with either Nike, Disney or Marriott.

     

    “Employers often lament that students don’t possess the ‘soft skills’ necessary to engage in an office setting or on the job site,” says Danny Rubin, founder of Rubin. “Once again, our contest shows that, yes, there are motivated young people coast to coast who will add value to any business or organization.”

    About Rubin:

    Rubin is the leader in online instruction for employability and work readiness skills. The company, based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, provides Emerge, a digital curriculum that teaches effective writing and speaking skills, to thousands of students in middle school, high school and higher education. Rubin also has a soft-skill notification tool for email writing called Propel and a career exploration video library called Aspire.

    Founded in 2017 by Danny Rubin, a former CBS television news reporter and consultant to NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Rubin teaches students nationwide critical lessons for email/phone etiquette, networking, team communication, leadership communication and more. Our motto: “Write well, open doors!”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

    We have a winner!

  • Bezawit Abate from Potomac Senior High School Takes First Place in America’s Next Great Intern Contest

    Bezawit Abate from Potomac Senior High School Takes First Place in America’s Next Great Intern Contest

    Virginia Beach, VA (April 13, 2023) – Northern Virginia’s own Bezawit Abate is America’s Next Great Intern. The sophomore at Potomac Senior High School, who moved to the United States from Ethiopia only seven months ago, was one of 16 finalists selected to showcase top-tier communication skills essential in an internship.

    Nearly 200 students competed in the contest, and from that group Rubin selected 16 national finalists.

    Abate wins a stipend for professional clothing, a professional headshot and a paid virtual internship. Her teacher, Ms. Eula Tillar, receives a $250 cash bonus to support her classroom.

    Second place: Lucy Hansen from Boone High School in Boone, Iowa
    Third place: Rosemary Ruan from Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro, North Carolina

    Rubin, the leader in online curriculum for employability and workplace readiness skills, hosted the competition.

    Demand for intern and job applicants with “soft skills” is a top priority across all industry sectors. According to a 2022 survey of employers by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 76% of respondents want to hire young people who can work on a team, 73% want ones with strong written communication skills and 58% seek new hires who can speak well.

    The submission period for the America’s Next Great Intern contest ran throughout February 2023, which is National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month. All middle school, high school and post-secondary CTE students were eligible.

    The instructions were drawn from Rubin’s Emerge curriculum, a broad library of online exercises for employability skills like email/phone etiquette, job interview prep, LinkedIn communication and more. Rubin provides Emerge to CTE programs nationwide.

    A panel of judges (Rubin team members, industry professionals and staff from the Association for Career and Technical Education) assessed the students across five areas.

    1. Greeting: Video recording of the student engaging in a professional handshake
    2. Phone Skills: Video recording of the student leaving a mock voicemail and answering the phone at a place of business
    3. Team Communication: Email in which the student updates a teacher or employer on the status of classwork or a project at an internship/job
    4. Resiliency & Determination: Written example of a time in which the student demonstrated resiliency in the face of a challenge on a class/club project, volunteer opportunity or internship task
    5. Research & Critical Thinking: Questions the student prepares to better explore a company where the student would like to intern

    “Employers often lament that students don’t possess the ‘soft skills’ necessary to engage in an office setting or on the job site,” says Danny Rubin, founder of Rubin. “We hope the contest shows that, yes, there are motivated young people coast to coast who will add value to any business or organization.”

    About Rubin:

    Rubin is the leader in online instruction for employability and work readiness skills. The company, based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, provides Emerge, a digital curriculum that teaches effective writing and speaking skills, to thousands of students in middle school, high school and higher education. Rubin also has a soft-skill notification tool for email writing called Propel.

    Founded in 2017 by Danny Rubin, a former CBS television news reporter and consultant to NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Rubin teaches students nationwide critical lessons for email/phone etiquette, networking, team communication, leadership communication and more. Our motto: “Write well, open doors!”

    We have a winner!

  • Kansas CTE Students in Grades 6-12 Explore Emerge to Learn Life Skills

    Kansas CTE Students in Grades 6-12 Explore Emerge to Learn Life Skills

    At Deerfield USD 216 in southwest Kansas, students in grades 6-12 sit at tables to practice cursive signatures and how to address an envelope — and then pop up to shake hands with classmates with steady eye contact and firm grasps.

    What’s going on?

    Each week, CTE Coordinator Jennifer Wieberg dives into the Rubin Emerge curriculum, an online library of practical lessons for employability, and then delivers each lesson to her students in middle and high school.

    Emerge is designed as a comprehensive resource to help students become stronger writers and speakers as they pursue college and career opportunities.

    “Last year, I was up late many nights scouring Pinterest for career resources and even paying for curricula out of my own pocket,” said Wieberg. “Emerge has everything I need in one place with activities, lesson plans and discussion questions for critical life and career skills. I love it.”

    Check out scenes from Wieberg’s classroom!

    Hands shakes, mailing letters and so much more

  • LOOK: Rubin Emerge Transforms Resume of Georgia High School Student

    LOOK: Rubin Emerge Transforms Resume of Georgia High School Student

    Emerge , our signature online platform for communication skills, covers in-demand topics like email etiquette, phone etiquette and networking.

    We also provide a comprehensive module on resume writing (called Unforgettable Resumes). And for one Georgia high school student in spring 2020, her updated resume became just that — a document the employer won’t soon forget.

    At Chattahoochee High School in Johns Creek, GA (Fulton County), Work-Based Learning (WBL) Coordinator Toni Crockett employed the Unforgettable Resume module inside Emerge and showed her students how to write a resume that jumps off the page. All Emerge modules are provided online and as printable worksheets to make distance learning equitable for every student.

    “Emerge gives my students the confidence and real-world examples so they can write terrific resumes,” said Crockett. “In addition, Emerge is written in a simple, straightforward way that students can understand and apply.”

    The example below is a good illustration of a student resume before Emerge and the finished product after applying the lessons and guides from within Emerge.

    We removed the student’s name and contact information for privacy reasons. But beyond issues of privacy, a well-written resume underscores that a person’s name — and by extension a person’s race, gender and other demographic markers — matter little in the job/internship application process.

    All that counts is how we carry ourselves. That’s why the ability to write, in career development, is everything.

    The resume before Emerge:

    And the resume after Emerge:

     

    The breakdown

     

    Right away, resume #2 looks and feels more professional. The information fills out the page and is comprehensive.

    Note the specific details, as well. Under “Experience,” the student explains she provided babysitting services. She makes sure to note how long she has been a babysitter (“4 years”). In Emerge, we stress that students attach numbers to their resume experience when possible so the reader understands the scope of the work.

    Resume #2 also does a better job explaining the student’s honors, activities and community service. Overall, it’s a 180 degree difference from resume #1.

    “Emerge is a powerful tool that makes my students more competitive for internships, jobs and college admissions,” said Crockett. “I’m glad to have the resource in my WBL program.”

    Do you want to explore Emerge? Request a 30-day free trial today!

    Check out the before and after.