Lessons Learned at the HolonIQ Summit

I recently attended the HolonIQ Summit in New York City. This year’s theme was ‘Back to School’ and the various sessions and speakers shared ideas, insights and connections to transform the way the world learns. 

Below you’ll find takeaways from sessions with themes that resonated with me at the conference. 

From College to Career 

In a session on College to Career, Ben Nelson of Minvera spoke of two fallacies in secondary education: 

1. Exposure = knowledge or if you read books out loud to adults, they learn something. No. 

2. Knowledge = learning. Also, no. 

Instead, Nelson suggested we must reform an institutional approach to education. Interestingly, more and more kids are thinking about careers at earlier ages, with 15% of kids in the kindergarten to grade 12 range thinking of careers in middle school. 

We recognize that people need durable and transferable skills—the problem is that teaching them and changing curriculum to map to developing these skills take time.  

So instead, we default to creating specific programs that teach exact job skills. But where do we put those? In 6th grade? At what point do you intervene with these types of on-the-job training skills? 

Teaching durable skills is still the right approach. But our current education systems assume learners “pick up” skills—but you don’t learn to play basketball by learning to cook. 

If you want to be an effective communicator, you have to learn how to communicate, write and speak. 

A plan needs to be put into motion to incorporate the intentional teaching of durable skills, recognizing that it might take time, but be well worth it in the end. 

There Are Lessons in the Ships 

In the same College to Careers session, Pearson’s Thomas ap Simon spoke of the importance of “ships,” as in: 

• Mentorships 
• Internships 
• Partnerships 
• Friendships 

They spoke of the critical role each plays in the lifecycle of learning. On a personal level, I particularly like the final ship, where much of my own learning has come throughout the years. 

In the vein of positive threats, speakers repeated the concept of public and private partnerships “coming for” skills because corporations are thinking differently about how to build talent pipelines—but who gets to decide which skills are important? 

Presenters also spoke about how hiring and job demands will help institutions evolve based on need. We need to empower students to find the skills that truly get them the jobs they want and align to future demand. 

But there’s still a disconnect between jobs and the skills required of them. We need to change how people hire and recruit, developing new skills pathways that lead to access and opportunity. 

Brand as a Proxy for Quality 

What’s the new credit as currency for rigor? It just might be brand. In a session with IBM and CompTIA, IBM spoke of brand as a proxy for quality. 

They also noted that a lot of training programs start at a level that is too high. Learners need a foundational pathway to lead them into the program. For example, CompTIA has valued and trusted certificates that companies can use to hire, feeling confident in the competencies they have built into the learning. CompTIA has developed a brand that speaks to quality education that helps to create the foundational skills needed for success. 

IBM has also found a winning formula when working with community colleges. These institutions are skills first, nimble, already have adults in the workforce, are flexible and connected to their community. Community colleges have built a quality brand that can be trusted to deliver learners with the skills needed to match IBM’s needs. 

Bridging Education and Employment for Future-Ready Learners 

Attending the HolonIQ Summit really drove home how crucial it is to transform education and close the gap between what students learn and what employers need. It’s clear that we need a well-rounded approach—think building lasting skills, strong mentorships, and solid partnerships—to truly prepare students for the future. 

Also, the idea that a brand can stand in for quality highlights how important trusted certifications and community connections are. When educational institutions and industries team up, we can equip learners with the skills they need to thrive. The insights from the summit shine a light on how important it is for everyone involved to get creative and adapt, making sure the next generation feels confident as they step into their careers.