Why I joined GreenFig as CEO

Businesses across the globe are struggling to keep up with the pace of change and customer demands as the digital transformation rewrites the rules on everything from how products are designed, built and distributed to how they’re marketed, sold, and serviced. There has been an explosion in technology – a digital big bang – and it just keeps expanding.

It’s not just the technology that’s changing

The flow of information and data within and between organizations is also changing (and speeding up). Processes are transforming. The way organizations are staffed and structured is morphing. From year to year, rapid change has been the only constant. The only thing we know for sure is that things will continue to evolve.

Which has created a skills and knowledge gap

Amid this explosion of change there has been a missing link within education. Students aren’t always graduating college with the kinds of 21st century skills and knowledge required to be successful in today’s digital workplace. In fact, only 11% of business leaders strongly agree that recent graduates are prepared for the workforce.

And unless they’re studying for a degree in STEM, they likely won’t leave with the skills they need to fill the digital demands of 21st century careers. Even then, those software engineer, data scientist, web developer and other STEM-related jobs only make up roughly 6.5% of the workforce. In contrast, 30-40% of jobs require sales, marketing, product, service, support and customer success talent with digital skills. Big. Gap.

“Every company is a technology company now, which means that in every kind of business, candidates with digital skills will increasingly get the best jobs… Every industry is digital and every gig requires some of that expertise.” Fortune Magazine, February 2018

The world needs businesses scientists to enable digital transition

Within my career at large corporations and start-ups alike, I have been in a variety of roles, from entry level to management. And at every stage, technology played a massive role in our success. As I built and developed smart, driven, cutting-edge teams, I sought out business scientists – professionals with strong business acumen who were equally skilled in operating “soft machinery” – business enabling software applications. Technologies like Marketo, Salesforce, Tableau, Google Analytics, Optimizely.

To be clear, those trained business scientists weren’t easy to find.

That’s why I joined GreenFig

GreenFig is a micro-education company that partners with higher education institutions to provide learners with the most up-to-date business strategies and tactics, software application training, plus real-world, resume-building work experience. We can very quickly augment a school’s current capabilities and extend their existing capacity, enabling them to better serve their present and future learners – and they’re eager to have our help.

In the GreenFig microdegree program, we leverage active industry tech experts to instruct students in a live interactive online classroom experience, providing students with the tactical knowledge and skills to earn high-demand marketing software certifications. We then bolster those “in-class” learnings with a hands-on, team-based Apprentorship (a work project in connection with and mentored by a local hiring company).

The skills needed to thrive in the 21st century

GreenFig learners “graduate” in 20 weeks with marketable skills, technical proficiency, on the job experience and, the confidence they need to accelerate their careers forward – meeting the requirements of today’s digital economy. Bridging the skills gap from education to employment.

We’re going big!

Our Digital Marketing Science program (the first of many) launches across a handful of prominent, strategically placed campuses this Fall in partnership with leading local hiring Corporations. Stay tuned, we’re onto something big that is perfectly aligned to today’s rapidly evolving workforce – backed by an amazing team with a formidable mission.

Join us.

See Sara’s original post on LinkedIn here.