Surveys show that even in a high tech era, human-centered skills make the difference for getting and keeping a job.
A 2025 study shows that 85% of job success comes from people skills. “While technical skills and work experience open the door to new opportunities,” the authors note, “it’s your ability to communicate and collaborate that can lead to success.”
LinkedIn’s research showed that 90% of global executives agreed that “soft skills” are as important as technical skills in making hiring decisions, and a report by America Succeeds shows that 8 of the 10 most commonly requested skills in job postings are “durable skills” – transferable, long-lasting abilities that are valuable across industries and roles, regardless of technological or organizational changes – including effective communication, teamwork, and problem solving.
Perhaps most significantly, LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trend has shown that a stunning 89% of early terminations – when a new hire simply doesn’t work out – come from a lack of durable skills.
“What we’re hearing from employers is ‘durable skills are what we need, and they are what we have the hardest time teaching on the job,’” said Ashley Odell, who designed and teaches Calbright’s Career Readiness program. “Employers aren’t just looking for durable skills at the hiring stage, they’re crucial in determining whether you thrive, get promoted, and build a lasting career once you’re in the role.”
That’s why Calbright, designed with work outcomes at its core, built career readiness that encompasses both durable skills and job search into its programs from the beginning for adult learners.
More Innovative, More Accessible, More Effective
Calbright, founded by the California state legislature in 2018, was designed to be both more accessible and effective for adults who want and need to make career transitions. Odell was part of Calbright’s inaugural cohort of faculty, and she was able to design Calbright’s approach to career readiness in ways that utilize the college’s innovative education model.
“When I have gone to professional conferences of workforce educators, people in the education and workforce training field think what we’re doing is incredible,” Odell said. “In some ways we are on the leading edge of best practice for teaching durable skills.”
The difference, she said, is that Calbright doesn’t just teach a career readiness workshop or offer tutorials on durable skills. Instead, durable skills are fully integrated into Calbright’s technical curriculum and taught and assessed by career development experts.
A cross-departmental team at Calbright identified nine key durable skills that employers are looking for and that data shows are crucial to continued career success. Each Calbright program includes modules on the two to three of these durable skills which the technical faculty on the program, who work in the industries they’re teaching about, have determined are most critical for success in these jobs. Each module is anchored to the industry the student is studying through an introduction carefully co-crafted by career readiness and technical faculty that explains why that specific durable skill matters in that field, and a conclusion that connects what students just learned to the actual roles, tasks, and expectations they’ll encounter on the job. The modules themselves are designed by Odell and her team of career development experts – each bringing extensive education and experience in career counseling and workforce readiness – and are built to be immediately practical and applicable.
“Students get the foundational framework,” Odell explains, “but with a clear line of sight to what it actually looks like in the field they’re heading into.” Depending on the program, students may also find natural opportunities to draw on what they’ve learned in the durable skills modules as they complete other coursework, putting those skills into practice in assignments that are already embedded in their technical training.
This integration of key durable skills into a technical job training program is executed so seamlessly, Odell said, because Calbright designed its programs to emphasize durable skills along with technical skills, from the start.
“The question I most get asked by regional, statewide and national education and workforce leaders at conferences and efents when I speak about our approach is: How were you able to do that?” she said. “And the answer is: We had full buy-in from our administration to make this possible.”
Going Deeper
Many students want to go even deeper into durable skills, learning about all nine key capacities, not just the ones specifically identified for their industries. “It makes sense,” Odell said. “These skills are all transferrable across positions and industries. There are very few jobs where you won’t benefit from things like emotional intelligence, intercultural fluency, or a growth mindset.”
For those students, Calbright offers a free program offering micro-credentials in all nine durable skills as well as a job search micro-credential.
“We launched the durable skills micro-credentials in March, and we’re seeing significant interest from students, and as of May 3 have already awarded 50 badges” Odell said. “The badges are a verifiable way to show potential employers: I’m already qualified in the skills you’re looking for.”
What sets Calbright’s approach apart is that it knows that various departments must work together to support the complex work of preparing students for success in the workplace. From the start, Odell worked in close partnership with Calbright’s Career Services support program to try to build a connected experience for students. Her work covers the ground that career centers don’t typically go deep on: developing adaptive workplace behaviors and mindsets.
Throughout the Career Readiness curriculum, students are regularly connected back to Career Services for the hands-on support that turns all of that learning into action: polished resumes, strong cover letters, confident interviews, and real employer connections. By working hand in hand, Career Services helps them get a job and Odell helps students learn how to thrive in one. The two were designed, from the beginning, to work together.
Outcomes That Speak for Themselves
Recent research shows that Calbright graduates benefit significantly from their education. More than 80% of Calbright completers are employed a year after graduation, and the median Calbright graduate makes over $8,000 more a year than they did before enrolling. That happens because Calbright’s technical education is specifically aligned with industry standards and workforce needs, but Calbright graduates say the durable skills they learned were just as important.
Hai, an IT and Cybercurity alumnus, said the collaboration skills he learned at Calbright are crucial to him succeeding in his new tech jobs.
“You can teach the facts, but then being able to apply them is a whole different thing. Calbright is definitely on to something when it teaches you that,” he said.
Durable skills were crucial for Binh, an IT student, who had a successful tech career until he burned out trying to manage life and workplace pressures. Learning how to manage his own needs in the workplace was crucial for him to get back on track with a career he both wanted and could thrive in.
“Everybody can improve their communication skills. Everybody,” he said. “That was something important I learned at Calbright. At my new job, I have to sell ideas and decisions to management all the time. I shouldn’t be scared to speak up and say things, tell them things they need to hear.”
Whether it’s durable or technical skills, each student is different, coming in with different strengths and experiences, and needing to learn different skills to get the career they want. So Calbright focuses its curriculum, its assessments, and its supports on specific student needs.
That’s why it works. And a better approach to teaching all students durable skills is a big part of it.
