Short-term credentials are booming in part because many promise an immediate payoff. The Workforce Pell program that launched this month introduces something else for learners and workers to get excited about: Eligible short-term programs must stack toward a degree.
New research from @João Souto-Maior at the @Burning Glass Institute and @Mitchell Stevens at the @Stanford Graduate School of Education introduces a new framework for understanding the Heckman Curve — one that accounts for both skill development and skill obsolescence in shaping the smartest approach to human capital investment.
The productivity numbers from generative artificial intelligence (AI) are remarkable, and they are real. Across knowledge industries, output per worker is rising in ways that would have been hard to imagine three years ago. The natural conclusion, drawn by many, is that we are at the early stage of a long economic boom, with the gains compounding as adoption deepens.
Rachel Lipson discusses how a lot of the AI policy debate uses the China trade shock as a key analogy. But if an AI disruption hits young workers the hardest initially, she worries that looking at manufacturing job loss might not be the right model…
David Soo is the former vice president of policy and engagement at Jobs for the Future (JFF), where he led key initiatives across JFF and JFFLabs focused on building external engagement and influence, including leadership of the Policy & Advocacy team. Soo’s experience across the policy and philanthropic space gives him a unique vantage point on the future of learning — and why it demands closer collaboration across sectors.
Field Notes from a Tough Year
The challenge is not any one force in isolation. Demographic shifts are shrinking the traditional college-going population just as learners of all ages are demanding more affordable, flexible and career-connected pathways. Artificial intelligence is reshaping the skills students need and how institutions deliver value—all while sweeping federal policy changes are altering the rules of the game.
This report examines the economic, regulatory, technological and demographic forces pushing the sector past mere recalibration of a familiar model.
Faye Sahai is a global healthcare and technology advisor, investor, founder, and executive with over 30 years of experience. Avanish Sahai is a retired technology executive. His career at the intersection of technology and enterprise gave him a distinct lens on systemic change — one he now applies to philanthropy, focusing on grants that strengthen the infrastructure of organizations working on education, poverty alleviation, and healthcare access. Together, Faye and Avanish are co-founders of the Sahai Family Foundation, where they lead a grant-making practice rooted in rigor, empathy, and long-term impact. Their focus on systems thinking reflects the Learning Society’s broader mission of building new systems for human capital development.
Baby boomers and the silent generation are attending classes at Goucher, part of a partnership meant to offset a steep decline in enrollment
Apprenticeships are growing. But experts say that without more funding, updated laws and better data, the U.S. is still far from the system they know is possible.