The Work Study Imperative: How Higher Ed Prepares Students for a New Labor Market

Only 3 percent of U.S. learners participate in apprenticeships, even as employer trust in degrees declines and AI disrupts traditional “first jobs.” Workforce Pell, federal reforms, and renewed employer demand create a pivotal moment for scale of employer aligned experiences for recent college grads. This session convenes university leaders, edtech builders, and policy architects to examine the fusion of work and study, the shift to competency-verified hiring, and the creation of durable industry ecosystems. Panelists will address structural barriers and outline a practical roadmap for building career and work pathways that move the labor market.