What do electric cars and say fast food have in common?  Well, you could say that both can be enjoyed at the same time.  But I am not talking about whether your Big Mac tastes better when consumed during fuel-efficient distances.  Both industries would seem to need a significant number of entry-level workers in the manufacturing of their goods and such entry level positions are often subject to incredibly high turnover rates costing these companies millions.

Tesla, the most famous of the electric car manufacturers recently announced it would be building a $5B gigafactory in Reno, Nevada that will produce hundreds of thousands of lithium ion batteries each year.  As this article states, this massive facility will create 6,500 jobs in the region.  There’s only one problem.  Nevada ranks dead last in the nation for the number of workers in STEM occupations.  No problem.  Tesla is going to invest $37.5M in the State’s K-12 education system.  Farm-to-table comes to education. 

LearnUp is a social venture that is tackling the same problem across America.  It trains individuals interested in entry-level jobs the skills they need to be successful.  This is done at no cost to the trainee.  Industries like fast food and retail that need a high number of entry-level positions every year pays LearnUp to provide the training and then hires the graduates from LearnUp directly into their employment. The employers enjoy workers who are trained in the core skills of their industry before they are hired and as a result have higher retention rates of those employees. 

These are but two innovative ways that education is being re-designed for the needs of today’s workplace.