For decades, much of America’s workforce development system has followed the same pattern– employers identify a shortage, institutions respond, funding is assembled, training programs are created, and people are recruited into occupations that are already difficult to fill. By the time all of that happens, the economy has often moved again. That approach is increasingly inadequate in an economy being reshaped by artificial intelligence, automation, advanced manufacturing, robotics,...

When most Americans think about national security, they naturally think about our military, intelligence agencies, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, or advanced technologies. Few stop to consider one of the most important factors supporting all those capabilities: our workforce. Every day, organizations responsible for protecting our nation face increasing competition for highly skilled talent. From geospatial intelligence and artificial intelligence to engineering, advanced...

For generations, we have viewed workforce development as something that begins after high school. Students graduate, enroll in college, earn a credential, and then prepare for a career. While that model may have worked in the past, the world is changing and our approach to workforce preparation must change with it. The reality is that the future workforce will be built long before students ever set foot on a college campus. Today's students are growing up in a world shaped by artificial...