Pima Community College in Arizona has a host of new short-term certificate programs to help students become desirable job candidates in less than a year’s time. But the students can’t nab the certificates with the trade skills alone. To complete the “micro pathway,” they must also master a series of  “21st-century skills” like empathy, creative problem solving, resilience, and critical thinking.

These requirements are part of a new framework designed to make sure students have not just the technical skills but also the relationship skills to succeed in jobs that require interaction with customers and co-workers. Created by a nonprofit called the Community College Growth Engine Fund, the framework is being used at six community colleges now, and four new members making up a second cohort were announced this week.

The one-year certificate programs offered at these colleges include two or more credentials for specific careers in the fields of allied health, hospitality and business, information technology, advanced manufacturing and supply chain and construction. The programs target jobs that earn at least a median wage and the courses are designed with local employers, to make sure students will have the required or preferred skills when they start applying for these jobs. They also include on-the-job learning such as internships.

Read the full article about career and technical education by Olivia Sanchez at The Hechinger Report.