Work Shift

A new partnership between Podium Education and Upwork aims to bring freelancing into college education. The move is designed to help more students use and refine the skills they're learning in class, and make some money along the way. + More than 70 universities, including Georgetown University and the University of North Texas, are involved. + Students can learn marketing, data analytics, or coding skills for credit through Podium and then get customized access and support on the Upwork freelancing platform Freelancing experience won't replace internships, but will give students another tool in their toolkit as they look to launch careers, says Adam Fein of UNT. He likens it to giving students more options with microcredentials and certificates. “We’re really working hard to not be a single-product industry anymore,” he says. Read it on Work Shift: https://lnkd.in/eHsQ59hd #highered #freelancing #futureofwork #goodjobs

Multiverse—one of the U.K.'s leading apprenticeship providers—recently paused its registered #apprenticeship programs in the U.S., raising questions about the access and effectiveness of the system. In the latest Work Shift op-ed, I argue for increasing public funding, refining success metrics, and streamlining administrative processes to help ensure that all employers and workers fully realize the promise of apprenticeships. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/evXyg-vd    

A dozen tech hubs in often-overlooked places aim to take $500M+ in seed money from the U.S. Department of Commerce and develop advanced industries and good jobs. 💡 “What’s really important and exciting is the marriage of economic growth and economic mobility,” says Jon Schnur, CEO of America Achieves, the lead champion for funding the tech hubs. https://lnkd.in/e6HD-B5p

Multiverse is hitting pause on registered apprenticeships in the U.S. The U.K.-based apprenticeship company made a big splash when it entered the American market in 2021, but now says its business here hasn't grown fast enough to support its model. Paul Fain talked with leaders at Multiverse about what hasn't worked for them in the U.S., and to experts in the field about what this high-profile exit might mean for the growth of apprenticeship more broadly. #apprenticeship #nondegree #highered Read it: https://lnkd.in/eTSnU6mv

📣 📣 We’re thrilled to announce new funding from Cognizant, GitLab Foundation, Kapor Foundation (Kapor Center), and Walmart. This support will scale Work Shift’s coverage of AI and economic opportunity, deepening our coverage of how new technologies are reshaping learning and work. You’ve already seen some of this expanded coverage—whether it’s Margaret Moffett digging into the potential reach of ChatGPT Edu or Colleen Connolly reporting on dozens of community colleges building AI programs with a boost from Big Tech. The new funding also has supported the launch of The Cusp, a podcast hosted by Paul Fain and featuring interviews with decision-makers, experts, and innovators at the forefront of how AI is transforming the ways we learn and work. And there’s much more to come as we continue to expand our coverage of #AI and economic #opportunity. It’s hard to get beyond the hype and 30K-foot views of AI’s impact on students and workers, especially people of color and those who are historically underserved. Investments in independent journalism are essential to ensure that these stories are told with depth, accuracy, and integrity—and we can’t wait to continue producing stories that inform conversations and drive meaningful change. We’re grateful for supporters who understand the value of independent, nonpartisan journalism, and who are committed to letting us pursue stories with no agenda other than to find what’s notable and newsworthy. #independentnews #highered #work https://lnkd.in/d4NnwtsG

Will AI further erode the human networks that are critical to landing #goodjobs? Or can it be a tool to help #students develop the insights and connections that build #careers? That’s a billion dollar question. It’s also an experiment that is already playing out. Colleen Connolly took a look at one nonprofit, BASTA, that is already leaning on AI to bridge the networking divide. An AI-powered assessment helps underrepresented students explore their interests and where they are on their career journey, and then gives them guidance on next steps and opportunities for making real-world connections. #highered #socialcapital #AI https://lnkd.in/eujhFcB9

💡 Gen Z is set to overtake Boomers in the workforce this year. And they're much maligned as colleagues and employees. But what if adopting their values was actually better for business and for worker well-being? That’s what Elisa Villanueva Beard, CEO of Teach For America, and Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University, argue in a recent op-ed for Work Shift. They write that older generations can and should learn from Gen Z’s priorities — their desire to make a meaningful #impact, their prioritization of mental #health, and the high value they place on financial #stability. Read it: https://lnkd.in/e5WrnGYT #genZ #goodjobs #opportunity

The Commerce Department announced the much-awaited "tech hubs" this week. They are the latest in big investments from the CHIPS and Science Act meant to boost overlooked cities and regions. Elyse Ashburn sat down with leaders at the National Science Foundation (NSF) recently to talk about how they're using CHIPS funding to bring #colleges, #employers, and #community leaders together. The goal is to build high-tech business clusters and workforces outside of superstar cities. Places like Winston-Salem, N.C., and Osceola County, Fla. The total investment of up to $1.6B over 10 years is big. “You have to go all the way back to the Land Grants Act to really see something that’s comparable," says Erwin Gianchandani, assistant director for technology, innovation and partnerships at the NSF. #highered #skills #tech #goodjobs #opportunity Read here: https://lnkd.in/eAsVcrHK Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/ecKq9wT2

📣 Work Shift has a new look and web address — workshift.org. After months of work, we're thrilled to roll out our revamped website. The new workshift.org has a clean new design and provides easier access to all our news, opinion pieces, issues of The Job newsletter, episodes of The Cusp podcast, and more. Be sure to update your bookmarks and favorites to workshift.org. Please explore the new site and let us know what you think. And consider supporting our agenda-free, independent journalism by donating: https://lnkd.in/eEyacAeg As always, thank you for reading. —Elyse Ashburn and Paul Fain

New in The Job: North Carolina community colleges have seen success in attracting working #learners and former #students by focusing on skills rather than credentials. Also: + 📈 Nationally, wages grow for workers without four-year degrees, but questions mount about whether that will continue. + 🏫 And a large proportion of associate degree and certificate programs aren’t aligned with local labor market demand. #highered #communitycolleges #skills #jobs #wagegrowth Read: https://lnkd.in/eC76dtAJ Subscribe: https://lnkd.in/eD7rdF_x