Episodes

  • Scott Carlson & Ned Laff on Hacking College

    Scott Carlson & Ned Laff on Hacking College
    Mar 1 2025
    Description Scott Carlson and Ned Laff, authors of "Hacking College," discuss how to craft a higher education experience that intentionally links student learning to future work and career success. They emphasize the necessity of a proactive and personalized approach to higher education, tapping into students' passions and hidden intellectualism. Carlson and Laff champion a field of study approach, empowering students to actively design their undergraduate degrees, unearth hidden job markets, and leverage faculty expertise. They underscore the significance of cultural and social capital, urging institutions to adapt and support this student-centric model. The conversation illuminates the ways that higher education administrators and faculty, and students themselves, can personalize the learning experience to ensure higher ed graduates are well-equipped to navigate diverse career opportunities. Transcript Julian Alssid: Welcome to Work Forces. I'm Julian Alssid. Kaitlin LeMoine: And I'm Kaitlin LeMoine, and we speak with the innovators who shape the future of work and learning. Julian Alssid: Together, we unpack the complex elements of workforce and career preparation and offer practical solutions that can be scaled and sustained. Kaitlin LeMoine: Work Forces is supported by Lumina Foundation. Lumina is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. Let's dive in. So Julian, I've noticed a real shift in our conversations lately, both with clients and on the podcast, we seem to be delving deeper into the complexities of the school-to-work transition, especially for young adults and for working adults. Julian Alssid: It's true. Kaitlin, and it really highlights the increasing complexity of that transition. The job market is constantly evolving, and it can be tough for students to figure out where they fit in, especially with so many opportunities hidden from public view. Kaitlin LeMoine: Yeah, exactly. I mean, it's a tall order for educators and institutions too. For example, faculty are being asked to wear many hats and skills like career advising can sometimes feel separate from their day to day roles and require new sets of tools and related training. Julian Alssid: Right? It's not just about helping students find a job, but about guiding them through a process of self discovery, exploration and network building and helping them understand their own interests and strengths and how those connect to real world opportunities. Kaitlin LeMoine: And that's where I think our guests today, Scott Carlson and Ned Laff, have some really valuable insights. They've literally written the book on this. It's called "Hacking College", and we're talking to them on the book's release date. Julian Alssid: Yes, and congratulations, guys. The book offers a framework for faculty and staff to help students take a more proactive and personalized approach to their college experience with a real focus on future careers and life goals. Kaitlin LeMoine: Though we'll ask Scott and Ned, to give their own background, Scott's a Senior Writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education, where he's been writing about the trends shaping higher education for over 25 years. As his LinkedIn profile states, he writes about where education is headed, how it serves or doesn't serve students and the public, and how the sector can stay relevant and resilient. Julian Alssid: And Ned has over 35 years of experience in higher ed, helping students design successful undergraduate experiences. He's held leadership roles at numerous colleges and universities focused on academic advising, curriculum development and student engagement. Kaitlin LeMoine: Scott and Ned, welcome to Work Forces. Congratulations on the publication of this book, and we're excited to dive in with you today to learn more about Hacking College. Ned Laff: Thank you so much. Scott Carlson: Thanks for having us on. Julian Alssid: So to get the conversation started, love to hear a bit more about your respective backgrounds and how you came together to write this book. Scott Carlson: Well, as Kaitlin had said, I was at The Chronicle for about 25 years. I've you know, in the years leading up to the pandemic, I was writing a lot about inequality and the path from college to work. I wrote a couple of Chronicle reports about the future of work and how students wind up getting jobs. And in writing some of this, these reports, and writing some of these stories, the follow up stories in The Chronicle, I had been getting a lot of notes from one Ned Laff who had been contacting me and had been working in this area for some time. And this is, in fact, how we got to know each other and got to meet each other, because Ned was just writing me over and over again about, oh, there's a better way. There's a better way to do this. I'll let him take the story from there. Ned Laff: Yeah, I have the work ...
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    41 mins
  • Frederick Wehrle: Optimizing Adult Learning with AI

    Frederick Wehrle: Optimizing Adult Learning with AI
    Feb 16 2025
    Frederick Wehrle, Assistant Dean for Academic Innovation and Learning at UCLA Extension, discusses his research on using AI to optimize adult learning. Wehrle focuses on developing AI-powered instructional tools and approaching learning and course design from a neuroscience perspective. He shares practical strategies for educators and learners to keep pace with the changing needs of industry, including advice on the best ways to use AI for learning and development. Transcript Julian Alssid: Welcome to Work Forces. I'm Julian Alssid. Kaitlin LeMoine: And I'm Kaitlin LeMoine, and we speak with the innovators who shape the future of work and learning. Julian Alssid: Together, we unpack the complex elements of workforce and career preparation and offer practical solutions that can be scaled and sustained. Kaitlin LeMoine: Work Forces is supported by Lumina Foundation. Lumina is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. Let's dive in. Julian Alssid: We spend a lot of time in the show, in our consulting engagements, talking about best practices for building effective, engaging programs and learning experiences for adult learners. It's a topic I find endlessly fascinating. Kaitlin LeMoine: As do I Julian, building programs grounded in the principles of andragogy, and allowing adult learners to demonstrate what they know and can do is so critical. Julian Alssid: Couldn't agree more. And I often think back to our time at Southern New Hampshire University, where we helped to build College for America that project based, competency based online program was a real breakthrough moment in higher ed. Kaitlin LeMoine: It really was. College for America was designed to reach adult learners who had many skills but had not previously earned a college degree. The program offered them a way to demonstrate mastery of competencies through projects aligned to real world deliverables that met academic requirements in an online and asynchronous format. Julian Alssid: Our guest today is doing some really fascinating work in the space of adult learning and course design, taking the notion of learning, design and optimization to a whole new level. Kaitlin LeMoine: He certainly is. We're excited to have Frederic Wehrle on the show with us today. He's the Assistant Dean for Academic Innovation and Learning at UCLA Extension. Frederick joined UCLA in 2023 after serving at UC Berkeley Extension since 2018. Before immigrating to the US, Frederick led accreditation and International Relations at business schools in Paris, France. He's held faculty and administrative positions in France and in the US, and served as an advisor and mentor to startups, nonprofit organizations and universities worldwide. Grounded in research on innate and in learned behavior, Frederick focuses on developing AI powered instructional tools and applications of those tools to adult learning. Essentially, he's approaching learning from the perspective of neuroscience and exploring how we can optimize it. Welcome to Work Forces, Frederick. Frederick Wehrle: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me, and thank you so much for the very kind intro. I'm very excited to be with you. Julian Alssid: Well, and we're excited to have you here as well, Frederick, welcome to get us rolling here. Caitlin said a bit about your background, but we'd love to hear in your own words about your background and what brought you to your work. Frederick Wehrle: Most fundamentally, I would say my background is in behavioral sciences, human behavioral sciences. I specialized during my studies, actually, back in Germany, on behavioral ecology, neuroscience, anthropology and bioinformatics, and my key interest there was innate behavioral patterns and pre existing biases. So things that we are born with in terms of mental pathways, and I've been fortunate to be able to do a PhD in Paris at the Sorbonne where I was specializing in consumer behavior, which is kind of this subgroup of management and marketing sciences that actually looks how marketing and marketers are able to manipulate people, and then tries to explain how that works and give the tools to corporations and policy makers, I would say, to regulate if necessary. So when I was saying hey, I actually study, from a biology or biological perspective, how humans react without knowing that they do or act without knowing that they do, that was very interesting for the people in that field. And so that really was, let's say, my education background, I was able and lucky to become a faculty relatively early on in business schools in France, and put my my work to practice and apply a lot of this neuroscience into my teaching, and then very quickly, was asked to use it to design courses, design programs, to design entire degree programs, review the entire structure, if you want, of of schools through accreditation ...
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    38 mins
  • Matt Evans: Julius Education & the Future of Workforce Tech

    Matt Evans: Julius Education & the Future of Workforce Tech
    Feb 4 2025
    Matt Evans is CEO of Julius Education, a company that provides workforce technology tools to help job seekers and employers navigate fast-developing industries. Matt shares his background in emerging fields, including online learning and water technology, and his journey to Julius Education. He highlights the lack of detailed data on occupations, particularly in sectors like clean energy, where job titles are often inconsistently used. The conversation also explores the challenges and opportunities of using technology to provide granular, real-time data for effective workforce planning and engagement. Evans provides examples of successful partnerships and offers advice for building new models. Transcript Julian Alssid: Welcome to Work Forces. I'm Julian Alssid. Kaitlin LeMoine: And I'm Kaitlin LeMoine, and we speak with the innovators who shape the future of work and learning. Julian Alssid: Together, we unpack the complex elements of workforce and career preparation and offer practical solutions that can be scaled and sustained. Kaitlin LeMoine: Work Forces is supported by Lumina Foundation. Lumina is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. Let's dive in. So Julian, it's been fascinating to see how many of our recent conversations on the podcast and in our consulting projects keep coming back to the need for a dual customer approach to bridging talent gaps, one that provides employers and learners or job seekers with the tools they need to navigate fast developing industries. Julian Alssid: Absolutely, Kaitlin. It's a topic that's becoming more and more critical, especially with a rapid emergence of AI transforming the labor market and emerging sectors like advanced manufacturing, life sciences and clean energy are being particularly impacted, and we're seeing employers in those sectors struggle to find qualified candidates and job seekers often don't know what jobs exist and have the opportunities out there aligned with their own interests. Kaitlin LeMoine: Absolutely, that's right, and we've been hearing from so many of our guests about the growing mismatch between the skills that employers need and the skills that job seekers possess. This is especially true in fields that are being rapidly transformed by changing technologies and AI where the pace of change is accelerating and the skills gap is widening. Julian Alssid: Yeah, and it's not just about finding people with the right technical skills, but also about fostering those human skills like critical thinking, communication, and problem solving that are essential for success in any field. Those are the skills that will set people apart in an AI driven world. Kaitlin LeMoine: Definitely. And that's why we're so excited to have Matt Evans, CEO and co founder of Julius Education, join us today. Julius education is a workforce technology company that addresses the talent needs of fast moving industries such as energy, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing and others to help them keep pace with the rapidly changing economy using AI and machine learning, the company addresses talent gaps to make sure employers, learners and job seekers have the information they need to navigate these dynamic sectors. Julian Alssid: Before Julius, Matt was a Senior Vice President at Pearson, where he led the Online Learning Division and served a large network of university partners and adult learners. He's also a co founder of Imagine H2O A leading water Technology Accelerator. So he knows a thing or two about fostering talent in emerging fields. Kaitlin LeMoine: So without further ado, Matt, welcome to Work Forces. Matt Evans: Thank you. It's great to be here. Thanks so much for having me. Kaitlin LeMoine: Thank you for joining us. Welcome and we'd love for you to jump in now and to we'd love to hear more about your background and what brought you to your role at Julius Education. Matt Evans: We are a workforce technology company. We use AI and machine learning to provide really, first of its kind, industry specific labor market intelligence and a suite of workforce tools to support fast moving industries keep up with the pace of change, as you alluded to Kaitlin. And so our work spans the industries that are really dynamic to the economy, from energy and semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, biotech, and we work with a really interesting set of partners from industry such as major employers and industry associations, to regional coalitions, to government agencies at the federal, state and and local level, who are all focused on this work in my background, as Julian you alluded to, has been in the education technology space for the past 20 years, and most Recently at Pearson at the same time, for the past 15 years or so, I've been on the board of this organization driving water technology innovation called Imagine H2O and what that experience really ...
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    24 mins
  • Naomi Boyer on Skills-Based Learning & Systems Change

    Naomi Boyer on Skills-Based Learning & Systems Change
    Jan 21 2025
    Naomi Boyer, Senior Vice President of Digital Transformation at Education Design Lab, discusses the importance of skills-based learning and how to align education with workforce needs. Boyer also discusses the need for trust and transparency in the talent marketplace, and a common language and framework for discussing skills and competencies. The episode also covers the importance of collaboration between education and industry. Boyer provides examples of successful partnerships and offers advice for building new models. The episode concludes with a discussion of the importance of empowering individuals to take control of their learning journey. Transcript Julian Alssid: Welcome to Work Forces. I'm Julian Alssid. Kaitlin LeMoine: And I'm Kaitlin LeMoine, and we speak with the innovators who shape the future of work and learning. Julian Alssid: Together, we unpack the complex elements of workforce and career preparation and offer practical solutions that can be scaled and sustained. Kaitlin LeMoine: Work Forces is supported by Lumina Foundation. Lumina is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. Let's dive in. One of the biggest challenges we face in aligning education to workforce needs is a disconnect between education and industry, especially when it comes to building new learning models. Julian Alssid: So true Kaitlin and this gap became apparent as we began to shift to a knowledge based economy 30ish years ago, and addressing the gap is a big part of what attracted both of us to education and workforce development in the first place. But now it's taken center stage. Workers and students are frustrated and falling behind, and employers are way more interested in addressing the disconnect than ever before. Kaitlin LeMoine: Yes, there is now a much greater emphasis on skills from skills based hiring to skills based learning. And while identifying common skills across education providers and employers is a piece of the work, we also need to drive broader systems level change. Julian Alssid: Yeah, and as we know from our own consulting work, this is no small task, and and our guest today is is working on bringing sense and clarity to systems level efforts. And you know, we're excited to welcome Naomi Boyer to the podcast today. Naomi Boyer: Thanks so much for having me excited to be here. Kaitlin LeMoine: Thank you so much for joining us, Naomi To give a bit of background on Naomi's years in this work, she's a driving force in transforming education for the future of work. As senior vice president of digital transformation at the Education Design Lab, she leads initiatives on digital micro credentials, skills based learning, and competency frameworks, ensuring learners are equipped for success in a rapidly evolving economy. With over two decades of experience in higher education, Naomi has a proven track record of innovation in areas including distance learning, faculty development and global initiatives. She is a recognized expert in competency based education and a passionate advocate for self directed learning, and we're very excited to have her with us on the podcast today. So thank you for being here. Julian Alssid: So Kaitlin, gave a little of your background, but would love to hear your own words about your background and your role at the Education Design Lab. Naomi Boyer: Thanks so much, Julian, I so first I don't have supreme clarity. If I did, we'd all be rich and have everything figured out in our society and everything else. But part of, part of why I'm in this work is because I have a passion for transforming education and learning and really helping facilitate differences for people in people's lives, right? And so that's an ongoing journey, and I don't think it's ever anything we're going to solve, but we can certainly make it easier and help people find their path as they go along. And so I actually started my journey in special education, and I think I use those skills every bit along the way here, even as I continue my my own journey through life. And so I went from teaching special education to becoming a mom, and then went back and worked on my doctorate in a really funky area at the time, distance learning. And actually my doctorate, my specialty was in systemic change, or organizational change and systemic leadership. And then wrote my dissertation though on building online learning communities and international environments. So this is back in 2001 so at the advent of of online learning, and it was at this point in my life that that I really began realizing that I can't always decide on going from point A to point B, you got to kind of follow the journey and the rolling the rolling hills as you go along, and it'll take you to some really cool and fun places. And so through that journey, I ended up at in higher ed, as you said, for over 17 years, both at the at a ...
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    34 mins
  • Brandon Busteed on the Power of Experiential Learning

    Brandon Busteed on the Power of Experiential Learning
    Jan 7 2025
    Brandon Busteed, CEO of BrandEd, joins Work Forces to discuss the power of industry immersion in education. He shares his background as an edtech entrepreneur and executive at Kaplan and Gallup, and his journey to BrandEd, a company that partners with global brands like Sotheby's and The New York Times to offer experiential education programs built and taught jointly by industry leaders and academics. The conversation also explores the importance of hands-on learning and how better align educational experiences with the world of work. Transcript Julian Alssid: Welcome to Work Forces. I'm Julian Alssid. Kaitlin LeMoine: And I'm Kaitlin LeMoine, and we speak with the innovators who shape the future of work and learning. Julian Alssid: Together, we unpack the complex elements of workforce and career preparation and offer practical solutions that can be scaled and sustained. Kaitlin LeMoine: Work Forces is supported by Lumina Foundation. Lumina is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. Let's dive in. Welcome back. We're excited to be kicking off season four of Work Forces. Julian Alssid: As we kick off this new season, we're looking forward to diving into topics that resonate with you, our listeners, and connect with our consulting work as well. Kaitlin LeMoine: One topic that's top of mind for us is how to most effectively prepare learners for the jobs and careers they enter upon graduation. We're seeing more of an emphasis on models that bridge education and work, from work based learning to apprenticeships and internships. Julian Alssid: With increasing skill demand, we know that students need more experience when they graduate, whether from high school or post secondary programs. And in our work, we're involved with initiatives that are tackling this issue from different levels, from community colleges to statewide consortia. Kaitlin LeMoine: We're looking forward to our discussion with today's guests to explore how corporations can act as a driver of high quality industry aligned education. Brandon Busteed is the CEO of BrandEd, a family owned education company that partners with global brands like Sotheby's and the New York Times to offer experiential learning courses. He's a passionate advocate for work integrated learning, and believes the future of education will seamlessly blend learning and work environments. With a background as an ed tech entrepreneur and executive at Kaplan and Gallup, Brandon brings a wealth of experience to his current role. He's a recognized thought leader in education and workforce development, having founded a successful ed tech company and authored numerous articles and publications, Brandon is also a sought after speaker and serves on the boards of several organizations dedicated to improving education and workforce outcomes. We're thrilled to have him join us today for a deep dive into the exciting intersection of learning and work. So welcome to the Work Forces podcast, Brandon. Brandon Busteed: Yeah, thanks that to me is the most exciting intersection to be in the middle of, and I know you guys in your podcast have sat at that intersection as well, so I'm glad that we had an opportunity to meet up virtually here. Thanks for having me. Julian Alssid: Well, yeah, it is great to have you Brandon. And yes, we often use the that analogy of the intersection and what a messy intersection it is, but for people like you who help help us all trying to make sense of this crazy intersection. So yes, welcome. Kaitlin gave a little bit of your background, but we'd love to hear in your own words -- about your background and your current role at BrandEd. Brandon Busteed: Yeah. So you know, as you guys noted, I started down this education path literally right out of college as an undergrad. If you had asked me my senior year in college whether I was going to be in the education space, I would have probably told you no, really wasn't on the radar. And then, you know, I started a company. I started an education company that was focused on addressing a really important issue of college binge drinking, which at the time was, you know, at the top of the list of concerns among college leaders. And so that was, you know, kind of my first run as a founder and CEO of outside the classroom and in a very specific space, trying to address dangerous drinking and other drinking related behaviors on campus. And you know, when the organization was acquired, I had an opportunity to go help Gallup build an education and workforce development division. And that really in terms of, you know, where, where I am at. BrandEd is a bit of my origin story to why BrandEd. Because you guys may recall that during that time, Gallup issued this massive study on the outcome of college graduates. It was, you know, under the heading of the Gallup-Purdue Index, and to this day, still the largest ...
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    35 mins
  • Siya Raj Purohit on AI in Education

    Siya Raj Purohit on AI in Education
    Dec 17 2024
    Siya Raj Purohit is an education leader, author, and investor who works on education at OpenAI and is a General Partner at Pathway Ventures, an early-stage fund investing in the future of learning and work. Siya joins us to discuss the transformative role of AI in education and work. The conversation explores significant applications of OpenAI in education, including personalized learning experiences, dynamic content engagement, and AI-assisted knowledge work. We delve into the practical aspects of implementing AI in educational settings, addressing misconceptions, and highlighting the evolving skills needed for effective AI utilization. Transcript Julian Alssid: Welcome to Work Forces. I'm Julian Alssid. Kaitlin LeMoin: And I'm Kaitlin LeMoine, and we speak with the innovators who shape the future of work and learning. Julian Alssid: Together, we unpack the complex elements of workforce and career preparation and offer practical solutions that can be scaled and sustained. Kaitlin LeMoine: Work Forces is supported by Lumina Foundation. Lumina is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. Let's dive in. Can you believe it? Julian, it feels like just yesterday we were kicking off season three with Kermit Kaleba. Julian Alssid: I know time flies when you're having fun and exploring the future of work. This season has been a whirlwind of insights and inspiration, and it's the gift that keeps on giving. It's the best seminar I've taken and with no final exam. Kaitlin LeMoine: Absolutely And speaking of gifts, the richness of this podcast season comes from the recurring themes that weave throughout each episode. We've seen how these themes are shaping the thinking of our listeners and informing our own consulting work. Julian Alssid: Yeah, one of the most powerful themes has been the undeniable connection between education and the evolving needs of the labor market. And Kermit really emphasized the importance of building high quality credentialing programs and aligning education with those needs. Kaitlin LeMoine: Right. And then Sasha Thackaberry opened our eyes to the innovation and flexibility happening and Workforce Solutions, especially with technology driven upskilling. We also had insightful discussions with Michael Horn about career development in a changing job landscape, and Matt Marino on addressing healthcare talent gaps through tech. And an undercurrent throughout our conversation in Season 3, and really over the past year and a half since we started this podcast, has been the impact of artificial intelligence on education and work. Julian Alssid: Yeah, it certainly seems like all roads these days are leading to AI and technology and education, and it's clear that technology is playing a pivotal role in reshaping the entire educational landscape. Kaitlin LeMoine: Which brings us to today's guest Siya Raj Perohit is an education leader, author, and investor. She works on education at OpenAI and is a general partner at Pathway Ventures, an early stage fund investing in the future of learning and work. Siya was an early employee at Udacity and Springboard an investor at GVB Ventures and the founding edtech workforce category lead for AWS Marketplace. She's the author of Engineering America, a book on the country's job skills gap. We're thrilled to have her insights as we wrap up this season. So welcome to the workforces podcast, Siyal. Siya Raj Purohit: Hi. Thanks so much for having me. I really enjoyed your conversation with Michael Horn a few weeks ago. Julian Alssid: Yes, we appreciate that. So Siya, Kaitlin's given a little intro, but we'd love to have you tell us about your background and your current role with open AI. Siya Raj Purohit: So, I started working in education when I was 18 as a student in college, I quickly recognized like the job skills gap that exists, like American universities were not teaching the skills that students needed to land jobs in the industry, especially in the technology industry. So I did this research project that became the book that you mentioned, Engineering America, that was published when I was 19. So I was a sophomore, and at that point, I'm like, okay, I want to help fix this problem, because I felt so deeply about people getting locked out of their potential careers and like new socio economic classes because they weren't learning skills in the way that made sense to them. So since then, they've been trying to bridge the job skills gap in some ways, and trying to make education more accessible. So that led me to the startups, to venture capital, to AWS, and I joined Open AI, because honestly, in the 12 years I've been in education, personalized learning always seemed like the ultimate goal for the education sector. We always said that if we achieve personalized learning, we've made it. And I think with ChatGPT, we actually achieved it. Now I have a ...
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    27 mins
  • Julia Freeland Fisher & Luther Jackson: The Power of Networks

    Julia Freeland Fisher & Luther Jackson: The Power of Networks
    Dec 3 2024
    Career success requires more than just skills. Luther Jackson, workforce development expert and Non-Resident Fellow at Brookings Metro, and Julia Freeland Fisher, Director of Education Research at the Clayton Christensen Institute and author of Who You Know, join Work Forces to unpack the critical role of social capital in navigating today's turbulent labor market. They discuss the "network gap" and how intentional relationship-building can open doors to opportunity, especially for those from underserved communities. Tune in to learn practical strategies and discover how institutions can become catalysts for connection. Transcript Julian Alssid: Welcome to Work Forces. I'm Julian Alssid. Kaitlin LeMoine: And I'm Kaitlin LeMoine, and we speak with the innovators who shape the future of work and learning. Julian Alssid: Together, we unpack the complex elements of workforce and career preparation and offer practical solutions that can be scaled and sustained. Kaitlin LeMoine: Work Forces is supported by Lumina Foundation. Lumina is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. Let's dive in. Julian Alssid: Many of our conversations are about skills and different models of skill development and how we all need to carry our skills from one job to another along our career journeys. Kaitlin LeMoine: But we also recognize that career success is not driven by skill attainment alone. One area that we're excited to dive into today is the importance of social capital along an individual's career journey, and we're excited to have our guests on today to explore this topic further. Luther Jackson is a workforce development expert based in Silicon Valley with a focus on preparing individuals from underserved communities for careers in high growth sectors. With extensive experience at the NOVA Workforce Development Board, he has led initiatives preparing individuals from historically excluded communities for well being careers in high growth industry sectors including software development and zero emission transportation. His work also emphasizes the importance of lifelong learning, professional networks and broad access to career opportunities. A non resident Fellow at Brookings Metro. Jackson also serves on several boards, including Hack the Hood and the Everett Program. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and a former labor union leader and journalist. And Julia Freeland Fisher is the Director of Education Research at the Clayton Christensen Institute. The Institute's research educates policy makers and community leaders on the power of disruptive innovation in the K-12 and higher education spheres. Julia is the author of who you know, unlocking innovations that expand students networks. Her work focuses on innovations that deepen and diversify students stock of social capital by enhancing their access to and ability to navigate peer mentor and professional networks. Julia started her career at New Schools Venture Fund. She holds a BA from Princeton University and a JD from Yale Law School. Welcome to you both. We're so excited to have you on the workforces podcast today. Julia Freeland Fisher: Thank you. So excited to be here with Luther. Luther Jackson: Great to be here. Thank you. Julian Alssid: We get a twofer today, two experts for the price of one. Oh no, we don't charge for this podcast. I forgot. So to kick us off, would love to hear you talk a bit about your respective backgrounds and how you've connected in this work. And Luther, why don't you go first? Luther Jackson: Sure. Well, again, I'm delighted to be here, particularly because I'm such a big fan of the podcast. My interest in social capital started early on in my tenure at NOVA workforce development in Silicon Valley. Our director at the time, Khris Stadelman, asked me to focus on workforce trends in tech, which, of course, is Silicon Valley's hometown industry, I came to learn of job seekers who, in my mind, checked all of the boxes for career success. They had graduated with advanced degrees from prestigious universities, and they had many years of experience in software development and related tech disciplines, and yet some had been unemployed for many months. So clearly something was missing. So this started me on a quest to understand what I call the career success equation. In 2014 we at NOVA surveyed and interviewed 120 tech professionals to help inform this equation, and we basically wanted to know, how are they able to thrive in a chaotic economy when a given day, some tech companies are laying off and hiring. Based on our findings, we wrote a report called Bridge to Career Success, and subsequently identified what we call the Five Truths of Career Success, what it takes to remain relevant in a disruptive economy. And those truths are self awareness, networking, relationship management, organizational reading, ...
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    34 mins
  • Michael Horn on Navigating the Evolving World of Work

    Michael Horn on Navigating the Evolving World of Work
    Nov 19 2024
    Michael Horn, co-author of "Job Moves: Nine Steps for Making Progress in Your Career," joins us to discuss the changing landscape of job searching and career development. He introduces the "jobs to be done" theory, emphasizing the importance of understanding individual motivations and seeking progress in work and life. The conversation explores the distinction between career progression and career progress, highlighting the need for personalized approaches. Horn offers practical advice for job seekers, employers, and educators including reflective career planning for individuals and strategies for attracting and retaining talent, such as conducting "entry interviews" and creating more effective job descriptions. This episode provides valuable insights and actionable steps for job seekers and employers as they navigate the evolving world of work. Transcript Julian Alssid: Welcome to Work Forces. I'm Julian. Kaitlin LeMoine: And I'm Kaitlin, and we speak with the innovators who shape the future of work and learning. Julian: Together, we unpack the complex elements of workforce and career preparation and offer practical solutions that can be scaled and sustained. Kaitlin: Work Forces is supported by Lumina Foundation. Lumina is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. Let's dive in. Welcome back to the show. Today, we're diving deep into a topic that's been on our minds lately, how the changing world of work is impacting job seekers, and what it means for those of us who support them. Julian: You know Kaitlin, it used to be that career paths were pretty straightforward. You'd go to school, get a job in a specific field, and kind of climb the ladder, but now things are so much more dynamic, and job seekers really need to be the drivers of their own careers. Absolutely. Kaitlin: Absolutely Julian, and that's where our guest today comes in. Michael Horn, along with co-authors Ethan Bernstein from the Harvard Business School and innovator and entrepreneur Bob Moesta has been researching and testing a new approach to job searching, one that recognizes the need for flexibility, adaptability and a deep understanding of personal motivations. They've captured their learnings in the forthcoming book, job moves nine steps for making progress in your career, which is being released in November of 2024. Julian: I'm really excited to hear about this new approach. I think it's going to be incredibly valuable for our listeners, those leaders in education, workforce development and and business who are guiding the next generation of workers. Kaitlin: So let's get right to it. Please join us in welcoming Michael Horn to Work Forces. Michael: Thanks so much. It's great to be with you guys. Julian: Great to be with you as well, Michael. And before we dive into the conversation, we want to share some more about your background. So in addition to your forthcoming book, Job Moves, In addition to forthcoming Job Moves, Michael is the author of several books including From Reopen to Reinvent: (Re)creating School for Every Child; the award-winning Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns; Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools; Choosing College; and Goodnight Box, a children’s story. He is the co-founder of and a distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, a non-profit think tank, and teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Michael co hosts the top education podcasts Future U and Class Disrupted and is a regular contributor to Forbes.com and writes the Substack newsletter, The Future of Education. Michael also serves as an executive editor at Education Next, and his work has been featured in outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Harvard Business Review, and NBC. Michael serves on boards and advisory boards of a range of education organizations, including Imagine Worldwide, Minerva University, and Guild Education. He was selected as a 2014 Eisenhower Fellow to study innovation in education in Vietnam and Korea, and Tech&Learning magazine named him to its list of the 100 most important people in the creation and advancement of the use of technology in education. Michael holds a BA in history from Yale University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. Michael: Yeah, I'm thrilled to be here, too. Don't hold the bio against me, I guess, but it's been, it's been a fun ride getting do a lot of things with a lot of you know. You both know a lot of these organizations. There's some great companies out there, great nonprofits doing some really cool work. So it's been fun to be affiliated and connected with them in different ways. Kaitlin: Absolutely. Well. And we really appreciate you taking the time to join us today, Michael, and as we get started, though we just gave your bio, we ...
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    37 mins