VANCOUVER, B.C., Sept. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Riipen, the developer of a leading marketplace platform that connects learners with real-world work projects, has announced a new integration aimed at simplifying the translation of educational experiences to the labor market. This initiative is made possible through a collaboration with Lightcast, a premier labor market analytics firm. The integration of Lightcast’s Open Skills Library will enable colleges and employers to utilize a shared lexicon of 32,000 real-world skills within work-based learning projects.
Dr. Sukhwant Jhaj, Vice Provost for Academic Innovation and Student Achievement at Arizona State University, commented, “Expanding access to real work-based learning experiences is critical to helping learners prepare for and understand the skills employers are currently seeking. This new partnership will help colleges and their faculty further bridge the gap between education and the evolving demands of the labor market. By aligning our curriculum with real-world skill requirements, we empower our students to enter the workforce confidently and competently.”
A recent report from the Strada Institute for the Future of Work revealed that over half of recent graduates are underemployed in positions that do not require a degree. Concurrently, many corporate executives perceive college graduates as unprepared for real-world problem-solving. Additionally, the National Survey of College Internships indicated that many students cannot access internships due to time and financial limitations, exacerbating skills and equity gaps in the workforce.
To address this issue, Riipen’s experiential learning platform enables instructors and course designers to integrate employer-created projects into coursework, facilitating work-based learning opportunities. With the integration of the Lightcast Open Skills Library, college faculty can now leverage comprehensive datasets to align course instruction with role- and industry-specific skills recognized by real-world employers. This empowers students to gain valuable insights into the job market while building and communicating a portfolio of demonstrated skills to potential employers.
The Lightcast Open Skills Library, which draws from millions of online job postings, resumes, and profiles, is continuously updated by a team of economists and labor market analysts. It features an extensive list of 32,000 skills organized into 32 broad categories and over 400 subcategories. This integration will allow Riipen to offer ‘skillifying functionality’ to all users at no cost. When a project or experience is created on Riipen, it will automatically analyze the skills using the Lightcast Open Skills Library, enabling creators to accurately tag and refine skills.
Dana Stephenson, CEO of Riipen, stated, “The integration with Lightcast’s Open Skills Library is critical in further connecting faculty to the skills that employers value most, enabling educators to refine and tailor their courses in real-time. We are thrilled to partner with colleges and universities to create a more dynamic and responsive educational environment that equips learners with the skills they need to thrive in today’s fast-changing job market.”
For more information about Riipen and its collaboration with the Lightcast Open Skills Library, visit riipen.com/skills.
About Riipen
Riipen provides transformative opportunities for companies to work with post-secondary students on real-time, real-world challenges directly integrated into coursework. To date, Riipen has facilitated over 242,000 learning experiences across 680+ post-secondary institutions, totaling 16.2 million hours of applied learning in collaboration with 41,000 employers. The mission of Riipen is to help students from all backgrounds enhance their skills, gain career clarity, network, and find fulfilling jobs. For more information, visit riipen.com.
About Lightcast
Lightcast (formerly EMSI Burning Glass) delivers trusted global labor market data, analytics, and expert guidance to help communities, corporations, and learning providers make informed decisions in the complex job market. With a database of over two billion job postings and 400 million career profiles, Lightcast offers exceptional customer service, robust data, and clear analysis on skills, jobs, and opportunities.
