Online course aims to help teens become job-ready

LOGAN — A new online course could help teens and young adults build job-ready skills.

The USU Extension Center for Rural Economic Development & Emerging Technologies recently launched "Durable Skills for Workplace Excellence" to help people become more employable. The course focuses on professionalism, communication, emotional intelligence, teamwork and productivity and takes about two hours to complete. The cost is $25.

"Durable skills hold their value in any job, in any industry, through every wave of new technology," Professor Jared Hawkins, who helped develop the course, said. "When young people learn to communicate clearly, manage their time, and contribute to a team, supervisors notice quickly. Every module includes exercises they can apply on their very next shift."

Hawkins and Paul Hill, another professor, created the course in response to a study that identified communication, teamwork and analytical problem-solving as the most critical skills for the next five to 10 years. The need is especially pressing for young people. Only 53% of Utah teens worked at any point during 2024, down from 67% in 1990.

"Fewer teens are working today than a generation ago, which means they have fewer chances to practice the skills that careers are built on," Hill said. "Employers told us these durable skills are exactly what they struggle to find. This course gives youth and young adults a practical start and pathway to develop those skills and apply them at work right away, whether they are starting their first job or working toward a promotion."

Visit the USU Extension to learn more and sign up.

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