America’s education system should aim to prepare learners not only for their first job but also for subsequent opportunities.
Employees will increasingly be expected to learn new skills as they look to progress in their careers in a workplace that is adapting to technological advances, demographic changes, and a shifting global economy. Learners also face a confusing maze of credentials and programs that may promise more than they deliver in terms of career advancement and increased future earnings. Employers and educators need to provide clear information about which experiences, skills, and credentials are most likely to benefit learners and workers in their future careers.
Learner at a community college in Indiana
“My biggest concern is that when you finish college it’s going to be hard to find a job because most of the jobs ask for experience.”
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Expand and Integrate Earn and Learn ExperiencesHigh school student in Texas
“My parents are not in that position to pay for college at any amount. When my sister went to college, my parents didn’t give her anything and she had to work two jobs while going to college.”
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Improve and Expand Access to Financial AidLearner at a community college in Indiana
“For nursing, yes, you need to go [to college], you have to get a degree for that. But to work in a hospital, there’s so many things that you don’t need a degree for, a patient care tech you can just go and apply and hopefully you get it.”
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Grow and Embed Credentials of Value Aligned to High-Demand Occupations69.3%
of college learners work while studying
9 of 10
U.S. companies offer employer-provided educational benefits but a majority are not used
As AI and other technological advancements continue to make waves throughout the American workforce, potentially replacing entry-level workers in white-collar or knowledge-based jobs, there is widespread and increasing concern that the unemployment and underemployment rates for college graduates in certain fields may continue to grow. Such employment trends have consequences for the preparation and development of future employees, because employers are likely to expect more from their incoming workers. These historic shifts, however, also present an important opportunity for employers and educators to partner closely to define the human-centered, durable skills that will endure, iterate on program design, and create more entry points to both higher education and the workforce.
Related Promising Practices
The Corporate Campus Initiative at Thomas College
The Corporate Campus Initiative at Thomas College offers customized professional development and workforce training for employers and organizations.
- ME
- Education Benefits
- Employers
- Higher Education Leaders
The Kentucky Center for Statistics’ Longitudinal Data System
The Kentucky Center for Statistics collects and integrates education and workforce data for public access.
- KY
- Data Systems
- Policymakers
OhioMeansJobs
OhioMeansJobs is a website that matches learners to open jobs, validates workers’ skills, and helps employers to find Ohio talent.
- OH
- Validate Competencies
- Advising and Mentoring
- Financial Aid
- Employers
- Policymakers
Individuals in the workforce may be focused on maintaining purposeful work and advancing in their career. Some workers may find that they need to upskill or reskill to adapt to changes in their industry and will be looking to earn an industry-valued credential or college degree. In these cases, workers may be using employer-provided educational benefits to pay for their courses and hoping to advance in the workforce after earning an additional credential.
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