When COVID-19 surged in the spring of 2020, it had a sudden and significant impact on myriad aspects of society and norms. With the need to keep daily business moving, we were left with no choice but to adapt and adjust. But, through infinite growing pains, many of us soon discovered that some of the new norms in the COVID era were a bit more preferable than the ways of old. As the stocks of Zoom and Amazon soared, so did our enthusiasm for working and shopping from a distance. Suddenly, our homes had transitioned into de facto virtual gyms, offices, shopping malls and schools.

Now, a year after that spring 2020 surge, as the country begins to open back up and partially return to a pre-pandemic pace, we’re finding tremendous upsides to a few of the new norms, particularly in the virtual world.

One of the biggest segments experiencing a sustained interest post-pandemic is online learning. According to an article from Inside Higher Ed, more than 70 percent of students recently polled by Digital Learning Pulse expressed an interest in continuing classes online in a post-pandemic world.

For those not interested in putting their life on hold for a four-year degree program, opportunities for online learning have been historically limited—until now. Jewell Unlimited is a new online learning platform designed for the underserved population of professionals interested in expanding their skill set for the purpose of career advancement.

What is Jewell Unlimited?

Jewell Unlimited was built by professional educators devoted to setting a new standard of quality in skill-based learning. Each user takes ownership over their learning, empowering themselves to elevate their personal performance both individually and within a team. More than a platform, Jewell Unlimited offers complete flexibility with a hybrid of personal connection, live coursework and on-demand classes available 24/7.

Powered by William Jewell College, Jewell Unlimited distinguishes itself from institution-based academia by pairing technical skills together with essential power skills and critical thinking.

According to a recent report by IndustryArc, the global soft skills (often referred to as essential skills) training market is poised to reach $46.5 billion by 2026, growing roughly 6% in the next few years. Jewell Unlimited is uniquely positioned to meet that demand with online stackable, customizable learning in areas designed for on-the-go professionals.

Jewell Unlimited’s team of educators is made up of successful professional academics as well as real world masters, leading to courses that provide concrete skills that can be applied instantly.

What Skills Can I Learn to Grow My Career?

Although customizable, students are able to focus on key concentrations, including:

• Business Management Skills
• Advancement in Food Retail
• Advancement in Traditional Retail
• Business and Industry General Skills

There is also Jewel Unlimited: Next Level, which is geared towards High School students and available to High School Administrators for entire school access.

Business Management Skills

This Jewell Unlimited track teaches current and aspiring managers the essential skills needed to ensure a business is meeting its benchmarks while its most important resource—its employees—are inspired to perform.

According to a recent Entrepreneur article, 87-percent of managers polled wished they had been given more training before becoming a manager. With Jewell Unlimited’s Management courses, current and aspiring managers can pick up the skills they need to succeed while learning from valued instructors and industry experts on an on-demand platform catered to its learners’ busy lives.

From better understanding supply chain and inventory management to strengthening emotional intelligence to become a better leader, these courses will elevate and transform learners’ management capabilities.

Advancement in Food Retail

The world runs on food retail. From quick snacks at convenience stores to tomahawk chops at the butcher, the U.S. food retail industry creates and stocks our country’s distribution and retail network to the tune of $6 trillion annually.

This Jewell Unlimited track instructs those in, or interested in, the food retail industry, providing bite-sized and full-course classes from instructors with real-world experience. From managing supply chain to inventory forecasting to building manufacturer and wholesaler relationships, this course track will set students up to rise through the ranks of one of this country’s most abundant and essential industries.

Advancement in Traditional Retail

According to parcelLab, the future of traditional retail is through innovation. With Jewell Unlimited’s Advancement in Traditional Retail, students will be inspired to customize their learning experience in order to match the track they aspire to grow in their field—whether that’s improving upon traditional channels or rethinking how traditional retail lives outside of the big-box store.

With this concentration, current and aspiring retail professionals will outfit themselves with the tools needed to keep up with an industry that’s continuously evolving. Students will learn industry-wide skills from inventory management to product and brand marketing, and engage with fresh ideas in the customer journey like the post-purchase experience. In this fast-evolving industry, ambitious professionals enrolled in Jewel Unlimited will be equipped with the tools they’ll need to bring about retail’s next big idea.

Business and Industry General Skills

Professionals with a high degree of emotional intelligence make an average of $29,000 more per year than those with low degrees of emotional intelligence. Students who take advantage of Jewell Unlimited’s Business and Industry General Skills cluster of courses will find that emotional intelligence is just one of the essential skills taught to help professionals stand out. With customized courses and an eclectic menu of on-demand topics, professional advancement just got a whole lot more realistic.

Designed for professionals at all levels within a company, this course teaches essential skills such as critical thinking, emotional intelligence and communications, leadership insights and beyond. Here, students will benefit from skilled instructors with real-life experience and an on-demand, tailored selection of classes that fits their interests, professional goals and schedule. Learn the type of business skills that make professionals stand out from the pack.

Next Level

Jewell Unlimited: Next Level elevates its students by teaching them skills that prepare them to rise up and meet opportunities they’ve never before imagined. It takes young adults, often lost in the noisy crowd of high school graduates, and turns up the volume, boosting them above their peers so that they will be heard and paid attention to by those with the power to hire them.

This particular cluster was built by professional educators devoted to setting a new standard of quality in skill-based learning. Students get access to the skills they’ll need to enter a real-world job market, without the outdated list of prerequisites or textbooks from 20 years ago. Instead, each user takes ownership over their learning, empowering them to step confidently from school to skill-driven success.

Accelerate Your Career with Jewell Unlimited

Fast Company recently reported that employers are currently putting a heavier focus on soft skills when considering new hires or promotions, largely due to how soft skills bolster better performance in the uncertain environments COVID-19 has created.

Now is a crucial time for professionals to expand their essential skill sets, and with Jewell Unlimited, students can do just that while training in their specific industry.

While the world may have become more difficult over the last year, learning has never been easier, and Jewell Unlimited is a new online learning resource to help professionals pave their way to successful career developments.