The DeKalb County Community Foundation is excited to announce an update to its Essential Skills Video Series, a resource aimed at enhancing the essential (soft) skills of middle and high school students throughout DeKalb County, IL. Initially offered as a FREE, engaging tool for DeKalb County schools and educators, the series is now accessible to anyone interested in teaching or learning essential skills—at no cost.

Essential skills include social, personal, workplace, and cultural abilities necessary for effective communication and building relationships. These soft skills complement the hard (technical) skills required for specific jobs. Local employers seek a combination to create well-rounded employees.

The series includes five videos and supplemental resources for reflection, learning, and feedback. Four videos focus on essential skills, while the fifth offers a behind-the-scenes look, sharing valuable insights and lessons learned during production.

In addition to the video series, another free resource available is the Essential Skills for Success Wheel. The Community Foundation worked with middle school educators to identify and promote sixteen essential skills important to the emerging workforce. As a result, the Essential Skills for Success Wheel was developed, copyrighted, and distributed to area schools and programs working with middle school youth.

Essential skills resources were made possible by the generous contributions of CommunityWorks Fund donors and other supporters of the Community Foundation. Since 2011, the Foundation has been committed to advancing workforce development in DeKalb County. These resources were developed thanks to the hard work of the Foundation’s Workforce Development Committee to equip youth with essential skills. Another valuable outcome from this work is the Certificate of Employability program, created by the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce and offered to DeKalb High School in collaboration with its educators.

Pictured: The Essential Skills Video Series features local students from DeKalb and Sycamore schools, cast as actors to model the essential skills. The series includes five videos along with educator resources for reflection, learning, and feedback.