Personalized Learning in High School Helps Prepare Students for the Workforce

Learn4Life teaches the professional and social skills that employers seek in entry-level candidates

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Are employers settling for better-than-nothing applicants to fill their entry-level positions? In a recent J. Wallin Opinion survey of businesses large and small across the U.S., 43 percent said that they have lowered their hiring standards due to reduced skill levels – and of those, 57 percent feel it has negatively affected their business.¹

“We believe it’s important that teens learn basic workplace skills to help them land and keep a job,” said Shellie Hanes, superintendent at Learn4Life, a network of public high schools that personalize learning to individual students’ needs, strengths and goals. “Since only 50 percent of high school seniors plan to go to a four-year college², high schools must prepare students for the workforce as well as post-secondary education.”

While earning their diplomas, all Learn4Life students complete a 10-week professional skills course that has them exploring career goals and learning basic computing, resume preparation and interview etiquette. Once completed, students move on to workforce development activities with structured, hands-on experiences that allow them to discover career pathways, develop essential skills and transition smoothly into a career or higher education.

August is Personal Learning Month, created to promote the idea of teaching students in the way each learns best, with opportunities to learn job and life skills that will serve them after high school. More than 90 percent of employers said that personalized learning would help produce better-prepared candidates for entry-level positions.³

“Many students lacked organizational skills, struggled with grammar, had no idea how to fill out a job application, handle a job interview or understand the basics of appropriate work behavior,” Hanes added. “We offer courses so teens can acquire the skills to succeed in whatever job they want to pursue. Plus, many graduate with industry-recognized certifications – saving them thousands of dollars and giving them an advantage over other recent grads.”

Employers cite these basic skills that entry-level workers are least likely to have⁴:

• Work ethic/dependability
• Time management
• Problem-solving skills
• People skills with other employees
• Interpersonal skills with clients
• Punctuality
• Leadership

Hanes said Learn4Life addresses those skills and teaches students about workplace communication, career readiness, employability skills, leadership and even financial literacy.

“By developing a personalized learning plan for each student, we can help them grow in areas they are good at and spend a little extra time on the skills they’re lacking,” she explained. “Because they are regularly communicating directly with their teachers and school counselors, they become comfortable speaking with adults and responding to what is expected of them.”

Students then can move on to a specific CTE pathway where they are introduced to workplace competencies and receive hands-on learning– with options like computer programming, foodservice, healthcare, construction, veterinary medicine, robotics, construction and cyber-security. They earn industry-recognized certifications so they can secure internships, apprenticeships or jobs.

One student, Jackie R., had dropped out of school to take care of her two children. Fortunately, she found Learn4Life, where the flexibility and personalized support helped her catch up on credits. She started in a dual-enrollment certified nursing assistant (CNA) program, balancing hands-on clinicals, academic work and motherhood with the help of her teachers and a close-knit group of classmates.

“Before I came to this school, I never envisioned being anybody. And now I know I can be somebody,” Jackie said, smiling.

Find out more about Learn4Life and its personalized learning model at www.learn4life.org/about/personalized-learning-approach. If interested in additional insights from the national hiring survey, please contact Learn4Life.

About Learn4Life

Learn4Life is a network of nonprofit public high schools that provide students personalized learning, career training and life skills. Each school is locally controlled, tuition free and gives students the flexibility and one-on-one attention they need to succeed. Serving more than 64,000 students through a year-round program, we help them prepare for a future beyond high school. For more information, please visit www.learn4life.org.

¹From Friday, May 16, through Monday, June 2, 2025, J. Wallin Opinion Research conducted an online survey of employers nationwide, plus an oversample in California. 2,000 employers were interviewed nationwide, plus an oversample to equal 450 within California. A survey of this size yields a margin of error of +/-2.2 percent (95 percent confidence interval) nationwide, and +/-4.6 percent within California.
²This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 Americans — 1,000 parents of public high school students and 1,000 recent public high school graduates (ages 18 and 19) — was commissioned by Learn4Life between June 17 and June 27, 2024. It was conducted by market research company Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
³From Friday, May 16, through Monday, June 2, 2025, J. Wallin Opinion Research conducted an online survey of employers nationwide, plus an oversample in California. 2,000 employers were interviewed nationwide, plus an oversample to equal 450 within California. A survey of this size yields a margin of error of +/-2.2 percent (95 percent confidence interval) nationwide, and +/-4.6 percent within California.
⁴From Friday, May 16, through Monday, June 2, 2025, J. Wallin Opinion Research conducted an online survey of employers nationwide, plus an oversample in California. 2,000 employers were interviewed nationwide, plus an oversample to equal 450 within California. A survey of this size yields a margin of error of +/-2.2 percent (95 percent confidence interval) nationwide, and +/-4.6 percent within California.