In this episode of Work in Progress, we're talking about the American Dream: What it means to young people and what they think is standing in the way of them achieving it. My guest is Dr. Yalda T. Uhls, founder and CEO of the Center for Scholars and Storytellers at UCLA, whose new study says the American Dream remains desirable but feels out of reach to most Gen Z Americans. Young people born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s fall into the demographic commonly called Generation Z, or Gen Z. Like any generation, they are diverse, coming from different economic, social, geographical, an ..read more

In this episode of Work in Progress, we're talking about one of the many weapons in the battle for talent in the U.S. – employer-paid education benefits. Joining me in the conversation is Bijal Shah, the CEO of Guild, which delivers customized workforce and skilling solutions for companies through online and in-person courses. Our discussion is centered around the critical need for talent development, especially in the face of rapid technological changes. "The problem that we see in the United States isn't just a U.S. problem; it's a global problem," says Shah. Analysis released by the Wo ..read more

In this episode of Work in Progress, we're talking about skills-first hiring, the policy of hiring based on talent and skills as opposed to a degree or job title. Opportunity@Work has been a long-time advocate for skills-first hiring as a pathway to good careers and economic mobility through its Tear the Paper Ceiling awareness campaign. Skills-first proponents are calling on employers to remove four-year degree requirements for thousands of high-wage jobs to open up opportunity to more people. The nonprofit's chief impact office Papia Debroy and its vice president of STARs policy Blair Corcor ..read more

Political rhetoric around immigration can be polarizing. In this episode of the Work in Progress podcast, we take a step back and look at the economic impact of the immigrant workforce and the jobs they fill. Joining me in the discussion is Jane Oates, senior policy advisor for WorkingNation. The U.S. is home to 47.8 million immigrants, about 14.3% of the population. The immigrant population is about 45% Latino from Spanish-speaking countries, 31% Southeast Asian, 12% from Europe and Canada, and the rest from other countries, based on U.S. Census data. One in five U.S. workers is an immigrant ..read more

In this episode of the Work in Progress podcast, we're talking about AI skills – there are more than you might think – and about the other must-have skills that employers are looking for today. I'm joined in conversation by Marni Baker Stein, chief content officer for Coursera, one of the largest online learning platform in the world. Through partnerships with more than 350 leading universities and companies – Google, IBM, Yale, and Duke, to name a few – Coursera has helped more than 168 million people learners build new skills. Stein says the rapid implementation of Chat-GPT and oth ..read more

In this episode of Work in Progress, I'm back at CES 2025, looking at the impact AI and digitalization are changing the workforce and shaping the future of industries like aviation and manufacturing. I stop by the booth of tech and manufacturing giant Siemens, where U.S. CEO Barbara Humpton shares how her company is using AI to create innovate products and projects with their partners. Here is some of what we discussed: Siemens is partnering with aviation startup JetZero to use AI to design a groundbreaking blended-wing aircraft that will reduce emissions by 50%. The plane will be made in the ..read more

In this episode of Work in Progress, I head to CES 2025 to explore how tech innovations are creating more job opportunities and economic mobility in Rural America, and how they are transforming farming. I caught up with Matt Dunne, founder and executive director of Center on Rural Innovation, and Jeff Runde, engineering director at AgTech giant John Deere, who share their insights in this episode. Rural America: Center on Rural Innovation is Creating Tech Companies The Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) is working to close the technology opportunity gap in Rural America by helping communities d ..read more

In this episode of Work in Progress, we're talking about the important role apprenticeships play in preparing people for careers with good pay, benefits, and opportunities for advancement. You might be surprised to learn that these amazing earn-and-learn opportunities – yes, you get a paycheck as you learn! – are not just in the skilled trades. They're in a growing number of diverse, in-demand industries. John Colborn is the executive director of Apprenticeships for America and joins me in conversation. He makes a strong case for why apprenticeships are so valuable. "An apprenticeshi ..read more

In this episode of the Work in Progress podcast, Wendy Chun-Hoon, director of the Women's Bureau at the U.S. Department of Labor, joins me to discuss the progress the century-old bureau has made when it comes to creating equality, fairness, and safety for women in the workforce. While more women than ever before are working, many still face lower wages than their male counterparts, sexual harassment, and lack of support around childcare and family care. Chun-Hoon describes herself as a longtime advocate for women in the workforce. She says she feels the Bureau has made many strides, but there ..read more

In this episode of Work in Progress, we check in from CES 2025 in Las Vegas, "the world's largest tech event." Guest Gary Shapiro, Consumer Technology Association (CTA) CEO and vice chairman, says AI remains the buzz word at this year's CES and he discusses the impact artificial intelligence and other emerging tech will continue to have on the workforce. "AI has been around for many, many, many years. It flies 95% of the flights we take on airplanes. What changed a little over a year and a half ago was this shift to ChatGPT where anyone with a computer could actually use generative AI that cou ..read more