Digital Inclusion & Student Success

Building the Tech-Ready Workforce of Tomorrow 

In alignment with Mayor Richardson’s goals to advance Long Beach student success, LBEP partnered with innovative workforce development partner NexusEdge. NexusEdge democratizes access to economic opportunity by integrating employer-defined skills into K-12 and postsecondary classrooms. This approach is achieved through access to training content, which can be used within or without a classroom setting, to earn digital badges as signifiers of skills acquisition. These badges are then recognized by employers as pre-qualified candidates to engage for potential employment. Most importantly, this approach creates greater economic equality at scale. Students, employees and incumbent workers have equal access to quality technical, vocational and entrepreneurial training.

Together with the Launch Beach Coalition members, LBEP launched a pilot program on behalf of the Long Beach Accelerator (LBA) to connect local students with cohort tech founders. Through training determined by the founders, NexusEdge provided access to the digital credentials. Once students had earned the required badges, Clear Digital Labs managed the project-based internship program on behalf of the founders. 

NexusEdge partners directly with employers to integrate their industry expertise as course materials which can also be integrated into existing classrooms so all students have access to top-tier workforce training which is of-the-moment, relevant and employer driven. This ecosystem gives learners access to content and assessments that automatically generate micro-credentials (digital badges) upon successful completion. 

Clear Digital Labs (CDL) provides students internships including as digital marketers with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in the tech industry. The CDL comprehensive program covers cutting-edge strategies and techniques, including social media marketing, conversion rate optimization, and A/B testing, ensuring student skills reflect market demands.

Clear Digital Labs collaborates closely with an extensive network of employers, gaining valuable insights into the skills they value most in new employees – providing students with the practical, real-world experience necessary to stand out in the digital marketing job market. Clear Digital Labs leverages the guidance of seasoned industry mentors and strong employer partnerships, to student advantage. 

Together, these programs provide an opportunity to grow our workforce and employment opportunities for more Long Beach students and residents including:

• More unique and niche hires found by employers
• Increase in previously Overlooked Candidates
• Easier for Hiring Managers to Identify Talent by sourcing related Skills
• Learners create Portfolios, which can include Referrals, Credentials and Internships
• Increases Employers access to Next Generation Engagement
• Employers report finding candidates with new perspectives

Over 23,000 students have taken employer credentials on NexusEdge with over 12,000 credentials earned from 20+ employers at 60+ High Schools, Community Colleges, and Universities in the US and Australia.

NexusEdge partners with employers including Google, Citi, Apple, Snapchat, Unity, Nasdaq, Twilio, Techstars, Northrop Grumman, and Shopify to integrate their content into learning modules that can be incorporated into classroom instruction. Students can complete the training modules on their own or faculty can assign employer skills-based exams as part of their course and students that pass receive digital credentials. These digital credentials can be used as currency for employer benefits like Citi interviews, Google credentials, Snapchat Academies, and free Shopify stores.