NEW YORK, January 21, 2020 – Beginning January 21, 2020, Virtual Enterprises International (VE), an education nonprofit that transforms students through authentic business experiences, will launch an online platform enabling students to examine their interpersonal, professional and leadership competencies while using machine-learning technology to foster their continued growth. This learning experience system will be available to the 16,500 students from 400+ schools across the country participating in the VE program.

Through a partnership with 2gnoMe (“To know me”) a technology company specializing in the assessment and development of soft skills, VE will now offer tools that will build students’ 21st century skills in a way that meets the needs of prospective employers. At the same time, the platform will provide educators with a valuable resource that individualizes their students’ personal and professional development. The VE platform piloted in early 2019 in five sites across the U.S. that were representative of the different student populations served by VE.

The technology provides students with a way to self-assess their approach to these topics and, at the same time, receive personal feedback from their teachers and peers in an authentic and safe environment.

Since the inception of the year-long VE course more than 25 years ago, over 150,000 students have each gained an average of 180 hours of work experience by creating and running a simulated business in their classroom together with their classmates. Through the program, students role-play corporate positions and cultivate key professional, technical and life skills that prepare them for future jobs while taking part in an authentic, collaborative, entrepreneurial experience.

The program has also taught students how to give concrete, timely and actionable feedback to one another during class time at school and at extended learning opportunities (e.g., trade shows, conferences, competitions). At the same time, they have been using this information to strengthen their career competencies while becoming skillful in constructive dialogue with their classmates and peers across a global network of simulated businesses. By aligning these attributes – already part of VE’s Career Readiness Framework – and combining them with 2gnoMe’s intelligent blended learning system and machine learning technology, students can enhance their skills awareness and get access to just-in-time training based on their individual needs.

“We are always striving to do a better job of understanding our impact on students and the levers of success,” said VE president Nick Chapman. “Using 2gnoMe’s technology platform, we feel we now have tools to help measure what was previously unmeasurable.”

The technology comes at a time when U.S. employers want to be assured that entry-level employees are ready to contribute immediately to the success of their organizations. While mastery of technical skills is in high demand in an ever-evolving, skills-based economy, many of the essential skills sought by employers are difficult to assess because they depend on attributes like self-direction, self-development and adapting in an ambiguous environment.

“We are excited to be part of VE’s learning experience platform because of the rigor and results behind their workforce skills development program,” said Ilya Zeldin, 2gnoMe CEO. “We’re confident that this new technology will provide students with the insights and personalization they need for better professional and personal growth.”

ABOUT VE
Virtual Enterprises International (VE) is a national nonprofit that transforms students through authentic business experiences which prepare them for fulfilling, financially secure futures. Since the inception of the VE program in 1996, it has served over 160,000 high school students, including many from economically disadvantaged communities. In 2015, VE introduced the VE-JV Career Academy, a similar two-year program which enables 7th and 8th grade students to develop technology and entrepreneurial skills by starting and managing business ventures.

ABOUT 2gnōMe
The 2gnoMe (“To know me”) concept aims to empower individual awareness and promote professional growth. Our approach focuses on soft skills to provide data-validated intelligence for people and organizations. Our name comes from the Greek gnōsis, knowledge. 2gnoMe is a 2016 EDSi Fellow. For more information, visit https://2gno.me or request a free demo.