Latest news with #professionalDevelopment
Associated Press
10 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
ViaSkill Introduces an AI-Powered Platform to Help Professionals Reclaim Their Career Stories
ViaSkill is changing how professionals track, understand, and present their career growth through an AI-powered platform designed to empower individuals from within. United States, June 21, 2025 -- ViaSkill Introduces an AI-Powered Platform to Help Professionals Reclaim Their Career Stories In an era where professional growth can feel invisible, ViaSkill is reshaping how people engage with their careers. Founded by Grace Cupat, with co-founders Michael Mizuno and Julia Hendricks, the team brings a wealth of experience to the table—Grace with 20 years, Michael with 15 years, and Julia with 10 years, collectively offering more than 45 years of expertise. ViaSkill is a career platform that goes beyond traditional tools to offer professionals a comprehensive solution for tracking progress, extracting valuable skills, and building confidence. Unlike most career platforms that only focus on the job search, ViaSkill is designed to work for professionals throughout their entire career journey. Through its AI-driven tools, ViaSkill helps individuals track their growth, automatically identify the skills they're building, and create dynamic, evolving portfolios and resumes that showcase their achievements in real time. The Problem of Invisible Growth and Career Uncertainty Many professionals are familiar with the frustration of having a great career but struggling to articulate it when the time comes. Whether it's updating a resume, preparing for a promotion, or presenting their value in a job interview, too often people find themselves scrambling to remember and organize their accomplishments. For some, this process can trigger imposter syndrome, leaving them uncertain about their own worth. According to Grace Cupat, the need for a platform like ViaSkill became clear after years of witnessing talented professionals face these challenges. 'I've watched brilliant people falter, not because they weren't good enough, but because they didn't have the tools to show it,' said Cupat. 'I built ViaSkill to give people the tools, language, and confidence to own their story.' A Solution That Works Continuously, Not Just During Crises ViaSkill's unique approach shifts the focus from resume-building during moments of crisis to continuous, seamless career growth. The platform's AI identifies skills as they're developed, extracts insights from ongoing projects, and updates resumes and portfolios accordingly. Unlike traditional career tools that only surface during a job search or after a layoff, ViaSkill is designed to support professionals before they need help, during their everyday work and development. 'We're not just helping people create resumes, we're helping them understand who they are, how they work, and what they bring to the table,' Cupat explained. 'ViaSkill gives them clarity and structure, so when the time comes for a career transition, they're ready.' One standout feature of ViaSkill is the SKILDprint assessment. This tool provides users with a personalized snapshot of their professional strengths and work style, giving them the language and insight they need to communicate their value to employers, peers, and leadership teams. Empathy Meets AI: The Foundation of ViaSkill What sets ViaSkill apart from other platforms is its focus on empathy. As Cupat notes, 'ViaSkill isn't just powered by AI, it's built on empathy.' The platform recognizes that career growth can be difficult to see, especially for professionals who may feel overlooked or undervalued. By continuously tracking progress and offering actionable insights, ViaSkill supports users in overcoming self-doubt and feeling empowered to advocate for themselves. The platform's holistic approach incorporates AI to capture professional milestones in real time and dynamically adapt users' portfolios and resumes. ViaSkill aims to be a long-term partner, offering ongoing support as users evolve in their careers. 'We want to help people remember what they've done, even when they forget,' Cupat shared. 'Most platforms only focus on job search, but ViaSkill is built for the entire career journey.' Why ViaSkill Is a Game-Changer for the Modern Workforce ViaSkill's solution to career tracking is timely, especially in an environment where careers are no longer linear. With an increasing number of professionals shifting industries, pursuing side projects, or looking to accelerate their growth, traditional career management tools often fall short. 'Everyone deserves a system that remembers what they've done, even when they forget,' said Cupat. With ViaSkill, professionals can trust that their achievements, skills, and progress are never lost, whether or not they are actively pursuing a promotion or new role. The platform also helps people tap into their untapped potential by showing them how their work fits into the bigger picture, giving them the confidence to own their story. The Vision Behind ViaSkill ViaSkill's mission goes beyond simply creating portfolios or resumes. It's about rebuilding professional confidence from the ground up. For Grace Cupat, Michael Mizuno, and Julia Hendricks, this platform is personal. 'I built ViaSkill because I've been where so many people are, I've had to advocate for myself in a system that doesn't always recognize my worth,' Cupat said. With ViaSkill, Cupat, Mizuno, and Hendricks hope to offer a tool that empowers professionals to track, assess, and communicate their growth without fear of being overlooked. ViaSkill's approach is not only about professional success, but about fostering dignity and clarity at every stage of a person's career. About ViaSkill Founded by Grace Cupat, co-founders Michael Mizuno and Julia Hendricks, ViaSkill is an AI-powered career platform designed to help professionals continuously track their growth, understand their skills, and confidently communicate their value. Combining AI-driven project tracking, skill extraction, and personalized career assessments, ViaSkill empowers users to showcase their professional journey in an authentic and evolving way. The platform aims to transform career development from a disconnected, stressful process into an empowering and structured journey. Media Contact: Grace Cupat CEO & Founder, VIASKILL Phone: 442-222-8394 Email: [email protected] Contact Info: Name: Grace Cupat Email: Send Email Organization: VIASKILL Phone: 442-222-8394 Website: Release ID: 89162874 In case of encountering any inaccuracies, problems, or queries arising from the content shared in this press release that necessitate action, or if you require assistance with a press release takedown, we urge you to notify us at [email protected] (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). Our responsive team will be readily available to promptly address your concerns within 8 hours, resolving any identified issues diligently or guiding you through the necessary steps for removal. The provision of accurate and dependable information is our primary focus.
CTV News
21 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
NB launches professional development days pilot project
Atlantic Watch New Brunswick teachers will have more professional development days under a new pilot project.
Entrepreneur
5 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
How to Harness Your Inner Athlete and Reach Peak Performance
It is important to make yourself the primary force driving your growth. Here are several strategies to channel your inner motivator for success. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Just like how an athlete trains for peak performance, your career growth demands passion, resilience and daily action. Tapping into your inner competitor will guide you to build the momentum needed to thrive professionally. Here are some strategies to help you stay focused and energized in your journey. 1. Strengthen your mindset Just as athletes visualize their performance before a big game, you need to be able to let your mind guide you in making your professional dreams come true. It is a matter of using your intuition to navigate uncertainties that lead you to success. You will learn to adopt a sense of purpose when you envision your future and take steps to make it a reality. Use your senses to bring to life what success will be like, and this will motivate you to pursue it further. Observe the turf, hear the crowd, feel the adrenaline. When you achieve a desired level of success, what will your new car smell like? Imagine being able to travel and see destinations that have been on your bucket list. Tasting foods that seemed too splurge-y at one time are now a bite away. Being legally blind, I have come to rely on my heightened senses and mental focus just as an athlete trusts their instincts when the road is not clear. My motto has always been "You Don't Need Sight To Have Vision" meaning in my mind, my dreams are fed through all my other senses and that translates into giving me the energy to keep going on those long days. The best way to know if and how you are progressing is to track your performance and reflect from week to week. Journaling is a great way to keep track of your efforts and consider if you are satisfied with your growth. Having this log is like reviewing game footage and will enable you to see where you should focus your greatest efforts and if there are any new issues that may need attention. I use an audio recorder as my mental fitness tracker for my list of to-dos and projects completed. Being able to listen to my voice also allows me to hear my state of mind. This can be revealing to see how positive I was in a moment of indecision or even how strained I may have been in the height of a busy day. Sometimes exhausted but often with that intentional focus, I see mental blocks and doubts fade away as my intellect grows. A runner's mindset is their biggest advantage before a long race, fueling their body through belief and determination. Consider using affirmations to boost your spirit on those days you are challenged. Many people shy away from being proud of their achievements but truly, the inner athlete in me knows that with every effort, I am doing my best and am taking a step further into my journey of growth. Related: 10 Strategies for Building a Successful Entrepreneurial Mindset, Overcoming Self-Doubt and Encouraging Growth 2. Energize your day Growing in one's career takes laps of deadlines and expectations that require grit, pacing and inner strength. These can feel like an unnecessary weight to carry which can impact your thinking and functioning ability. To navigate these strenuous times, it takes channeling your inner athlete to have the stamina to keep up. To build endurance, runners need to know when to take breaks and recover. If you find that you are sitting at a desk and you know that you have a long day ahead of you, consider making sure you are consistently stretching your back and maintaining good posture so that you can get through the long day without feeling pain from all the sitting. Consider even massaging your fingers in between typing or rubbing your own neck and shoulders to keep them from getting tight as you look at your computer screen. I believe in maintaining my energy level through quick, spontaneous bursts. That might be a cold or hot shower, often multiple times a day, enabling me to be alert so I am creative. I also use ankle weights and do leg lifts in virtual meetings to provide energy to the rest of my body. This way I can dedicate the top of my body to be present and engaged in leading a presentation, while at the same time I can get my lower body working out to keep my endurance at peak level. It is important to push the envelope from time to time. Just like how an athlete is constantly striving for their personal best, you need to be comfortable extending past your limits. This means that you may physically commit to more in a day than normal. Consider looking at your schedule: can you get in an additional call to a client or one night a week, go to a networking function? Those extra efforts can open doors for your career. Related: I Work Nearly 50+ Hours a Week and Rarely Feel Tired — Here Are My Secrets to All-Day Natural Energy Cross-training is vital to develop balance and agility. I wake up every day looking to do one new action I have never tried before. That might be exploring how I can use AI to move an initiative forward, expanding my brain in a way that is new. I might also choose to physically organize a room at the office. This often has me finding items I had forgotten about or opens space to expand within the office with less clutter, allowing for room to grow. Harnessing your inner career athlete means showing up in the arena with purpose, breaking boundaries and celebrating your successes along the way. Your mindset is your playbook, your energy is your fuel and your daily actions are your drills. Through proper conditioning and training, you create a powerful rhythm of growth, driving yourself forward until you cross the finish line.
Forbes
09-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
7 Ways To Jumpstart Your Career Growth Today
7 key steps to jumpstart your career growth today Getty Images For many professionals today, the wish for more, different and better in their careers is palpable. Thousands want more impact, purpose, recognition, financial reward and stability. Yet despite their ambitions, countless individuals feel stagnant, especially in these rapidly-evolving times, where employee detachment is on the rise. They may have mastered their current roles, but sense they're meant for something different and aren't sure how to achieve the growth they need to build the next chapter. In nearly two decades of coaching mid- to senior-level professionals, I've seen this moment arrive again and again: the turning point when an individual recognizes they need to grow—but fear, confusion, or even imposter syndrome hold them back from taking the necessary leap or growth steps. What truly propels career growth? It's not just about acquiring more skills or updating your resume. The deeper work lies in more clearly understanding your unique talents and abilities, what you want most, and what's been potentially keeping you from going after something bigger and better for you. Professionals often assume they're stuck due to a lack of time, energy, or clear direction. But more often than not, the real barriers are internal: 1. Fear of failing—or of succeeding and being held to higher expectations. 2. Fear of rejection, especially when asking for a raise, promotion, or new opportunity.3. Fear of being "found out"—a hallmark of imposter syndrome, which research shows affects 75% of executive women and many men as well. These fears are not imagined. They're rooted in what I've identified are the 7 damaging power and confidence gaps—internal barriers that block us from reaching our highest and most rewarding potential. These include not recognizing our special talents, reluctance to speak up confidently and effectively difficulty asking for what we deserve, and a lack of strong, influential support networks. Without recognizing and addressing these gaps, many keep themselves locked in a professional holding pattern for years. Growth is always possible—and often closer than we think. But it requires intentional, committed action that stretches us beyond where we are today. Below are 7 key career growth levers that have helped thousands of professionals expand their impact, income, and fulfillment: Find and connect with people—inside and outside your organization—who you feel are 5 to 10 steps ahead of you doing inspiring work. Reach out for insights, share your goals, and ask for advice and introductions. But remember - before you reach out with your 'ask', to demonstrate your potential to them first, by being of help and support to them and/or their teams wherever you can. Don't wait for a promotion to do the work of growth. Ask your manager now to assist in or contribute to new projects that will help you expand your limits, expose you to new stakeholders, and allow you to lead or contribute in a new capacity. Build a case for why you're ready for that new growth opportunity. Enroll in great training, a certification program, or workshops that can help you fill gaps in your experience and skill set. Even better, make the strong case for your company to sponsor it. Say 'yes' to supporting committees, task forces, or initiatives that are of interest to you but are outside of your current role. These opportunities offer visibility, new skills, connection to others you may not have had the chance to collaborate with, and allow you to test out what else you're great at. Even if you're not planning (or wishing) to leave your current employer or role, interviewing outside the organization is a critical step in helping you understand more definitively your value in the market and what employers are seeking - and how we'll you're a match to the ideal roles you're looking for. Ask your trusted peers, direct reports, and leaders what they believe you're doing well—and where you can grow. Candid 360 feedback can sometimes be uncomfortable to hear, but it's fuel for real evolution. If you have a supportive manager, work with them to build a clear growth path—and get their commitment to help you stay on it. If your relationship with your manager is not as positive as you wish it were, take some new actions to repair the relationship - and take accountability for your part. Where possible, ask them for their help to access new ways to accelerate your growth that can support their success as well. These are not one-and-done tasks, but ongoing practices that will help you build your career momentum and expand your confidence and impact. The more you engage, the more confident and competent you become—and the more opportunities you'll naturally attract. Interestingly, some of our greatest assets for growth come from earlier in our lives. For example, research by Deloitte found that women who played competitive sports in youth achieved greater career success and leadership advancement. Why? Because participating in sports cultivates resilience, risk-taking, leadership and strategic thinking—all essential in today's workplace. If you've ever led a team, competed, spoken or performed on stage, or taken on a big challenge in any area of life—you've already demonstrated some of the key traits necessary for career expansion and personal development. The task is to apply it now, in ways that matter most to your future. Before leaping into action, reflect on your career to date. Ask: What roles or tasks made me feel purposeful, positive, impactful and helped me make a meaningful difference? What have I outgrown and want to leave behind now? What do I long to do more of and why?Finally, what challenges have I successfully navigated well in life and work, and what do they reveal about my strengths? These insights form your foundation. Knowing yourself better, and seeing your experiences and accomplishments in a new way will open doors to more growth. Support is all around you—if you ask for it: Mentors and Sponsors: Reach out to someone you admire. Say, 'Your work truly inspires me and I'd love to hear a bit more about your career journey—would you be open to a quick call?' Remember, in these mentorship conversations, ask these additional two questions after sharing a bit about what you're hoping for in the next chapter: Do you have any ideas for me?Is there anyone else who might be helpful to speak with?LinkedIn: Follow thought leaders in your field whom you admire, and repost the thought leadership that they share (that speaks to you), offering your own insights. Start conversations. Opportunities often follow Research top recruiters in your industry. Share your profile and ask for a conversation about potential roles they see as a fit with your skill or HR: If your workplace is supportive, schedule a conversation about your growth aspirations and how they align with the organization's goals. Offer to be in service in new ways. You don't need to wait for someone to grant you permission to grow and stretch. That's within your ability to make happen now. You simply need to give that permission to yourself—and take the first brave step. Real growth isn't just about titles or income. It's about expansion—of your skills, your confidence, your voice, and the important and rewarding ways you contribute to work that matters to you. Start small. Choose one 'stretching' action today. And then another tomorrow. Over time, these brave steps will become more comfortable and help you build a new path to the career impact you're ready for. Kathy Caprino is a career and leadership coach, author, trainer and host of the podcast, Finding Brave. Visit her digital coaching tool Kathy Caprino AI.
Zawya
03-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
NBK signs an MoU with AIU to enhance career development
Al-Ablani: We work collaboratively with educational institutions to develop national professionals and support Kuwait Vision 2035. We strive to support Kuwait's strategic agenda and build a sustainable and diversified economy that utilizes innovation and technology. The bank's leadership and excellence are highly driven by its professional development efforts. NBK believes in the essential role of education in shaping a thriving future for society. National Bank of Kuwait signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the American International University to provide collaborative and innovative training programs and professional development workshops. Signing the memorandum were Mr. Emad Al-Ablani – Group Chief Human Resources Officer from NBK and Mr. Nael Alawadhi – Member of Board of Trustees from AIU with the attendance of officials from both institutions. According to the agreement, AIU will invite NBK representatives to participate in training programs and workshops organized by the university, which stands as a remarkable chance for exchanging knowledge and experiences. Moreover, specialized training programs will be organized for NBK employees in collaboration with the Human Resources Department, further enhancing the partnership in the field of professional development and elevating professional competencies. From its end, AIU will share its activities with the bank to explore sponsorship opportunities, and it will facilitate and prioritize NBK's access to campus to attend the different workshops and activities. AIU will also provide special care for students working part time at NBK by adjusting their schedules in line with their professional obligations, which reflects the two institutions' commitment to supporting continued education and professional development. This initiative comes as part of NBK's continued efforts to promote social responsibility and support education, as it firmly believes that investing in education is key to achieving a sustainable future, and it mirrors its dedication to collaborate with academic institutions to develop national professionals in line with Kuwait Vision 2035 and build a private sector-led economy that is diversified, sustainable, and underpinned by education, innovation, and technology. On this occasion, Al-Ablani commented: 'We strive to provide cutting-edge educational and training tools as per the latest international standards for competency development and enable our employees to access a diversified educational content that imparts knowledge and necessary experiences to boost innovation and enhance sustainability.' Al-Ablani added: 'We are proud of our long-standing relationships with all of Kuwait's educational and academic institutions that enable us to exchange training experiences and ultimately enhance professional competencies, as we are keen on aligning our own economic sustainability objectives with Kuwait's, and this relies heavily on providing training opportunities as per the highest international standards.' Al-Ablani also emphasized NBK's strong belief in education and its essential role in shaping the future of society, further indicating that the collaboration with AIU confirms NBK's commitment to preparing a generation of competent leaders and innovators in different fields by motivating students and establishing a nurturing environment that promotes innovation and creativity. Due to its essential role in affirming its leadership and excellence, NBK is remarkably keen on investing in its human capital by providing the best specialized programs as per international standards, presented by top banking experts who impart their knowledge, and transform professionals into future leaders.
