In today’s episode, I am thrilled to welcome Leah Jewell back to the podcast. You might remember Leah from episode 30 when we talked about the future of work for teens and young adults. It’s hard to believe that our conversation was THREE years ago. The future of work has changed dramatically in that short time and I’m delighted that Leah agreed to come back to talk more about this important topic. Since we last spoke, Leah has co-founded an amazing new company called Work Simplr that you will want to share with your teens and young adults. The company’s mission is to connect students to paid work and from what I’ve seen, they are succeeding. Leah shares all the details about Work Simplr and how students can get started. And you’ll want to stay tuned till the end when Leah and I talk about AI and how it will likely impact the future of work for teens, young adults, and well, all of us.
About Leah Jewell
Leah Jewell is a learner advocate and employability evangelist focused on the school-to-work transition, lifelong learning, upskilling, career pathways, and skills navigation. She spent 32 years at Pearson, most recently as the Managing Director for Employability Solutions where she built a career development platform and work-based learning services connecting employers, schools, and learners. She is currently the Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Work Simplr, taking the stress and anxiety out of finding freelancers by leveraging an on-demand workforce of qualified students. She has been a keynote speaker at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Governor’s Association, America’s Promise, and the National Career and Technical Education Association.
Episode Highlights
- Why Leah co-founded Work Simplr
- Connecting students to paid work in college and high school
- They break down the work into manageable chunks
- There isn’t a consistent steady stream of income
- It’s freelance gig work which is a great way for students to get a taste of what that’s like
- The work is primarily focused on data entry, online research, and user testing
- Work Simplr manages the work and guides students through the work
- They provide support to students to help them build confidence
- Benefits to employers – finding the talent, scoping the work, managing the work
- Providing employers with an “on-demand” workforce
- Students don’t need a resume to join Work Simplr
- Visit worksimplr.com and sign up, then participate in a 10-minute chat
- Once signed up, students will remain in the system throughout their entire time in school
- Work Simplr was built for students
- The frustrating experience of applying for jobs with no response
- The 10-minute chat is valuable to students in many ways
- The Future of Work and the arrival of AI
- If AI takes over entry-level jobs, how will that affect college graduates?
- Human skills will become more important
- Colleges aren’t built to move quickly
- How can we prepare our college students for new AI-related careers
- Students should be doing their own research and skill-building to prepare for their future work
- The more that students can work with and get exposed to AI, the better off they will be
- Any type of work experience is good work experience