Work In Progress

In this episode of the Work in Progress podcast, we're talking about the critical role paid and unpaid home caregiving workers play in our society, and the economic, physical, and emotional toll they face on a daily basis. Importantly, we talk about what can be done to support them as they support us. Joining me in the conversation is one of my favorite guests, Paul Irving, a senior advisor to the Milken Institute, a distinguished scholar in residence at the USC Davis School of Gerontology, and the consulting producer for the new documentary Caregiving from executive producer Bradley Cooper. There are more than five million paid home caregiving workers. Many of these workers arewomen and many are immigrants. The days can be long and physical. The pay can be low and the work doesn't always come with benefits. Additionally, nearly 106 million U.S. adults provide unpaid caregiving for children and for ill, aging and disabled family members and friends, often at the cost of their own jobs and careers. As the overall population ages, the American home caregiving system is under more and more stress, tipping toward a crisis. The documentary Caregiving, now streaming on PBS, takes a closer look at the challenges and the triumphs caregivers face every day. It makes the case that they are part of an "invisible army" that is providing a public good and they need our support. Irving – who also appears in the film – tells me that for people taking care of a loved one and trying to hold down a job, the challenges can be particularly difficult. "About 60% or so of family caregivers are also working, and their care responsibilities lead to absenteeism and presenteeism, and it affects their productivity," says Irving. "It affects their personal health in many, many ways. The stresses and strains of this responsibility that often go on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, have impacts across their lives. And we have nowhere near enough support from employers and from policymakers for the challenges that they face." He explains that only about 24% of employers in the private sector offer paid family leave. A relatively small but increasing number also provide other support such as mental health assistance, care navigation assistance, some additional supplemental compensation, and remote or hybrid working arrangements that facilitate care. Irving points out that direct, paid care workers – oftentimes immigrants, women, and women of color – are equally stressed. "They are under-compensated, under-recognized, operate in lonely environments without the kinds of services, and supports, and encouragement, and recognition that they so deserve for taking on these incredibly important roles." "It's easy for any of us to brush this off and say this is somehow unimportant until it affects us and our families, and it inevitably does. So, this is an issue that every single one of us, democrats, republicans, independents, those from all regions of the country, every religion, every race, every gender, you name it, we should all be thinking about it, all be striving to try to address and to address quickly." In the podcast, Irving and I talk about how he thinks we need to address this growing need for caregivers and how we can better support them economically and emotionally. He has a lot to say on the subject and I believe it's something everyone should hear. You can listen to the full conversation here or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Actor, director, executive producer Bradley Cooper decided to bring this important issue to light after he became a caregiver to his father. Irving observes that Cooper is "a highly-educated, smart guy, in addition to being a movie star. And I think he recognized that if the challenges were so significant for him – the frustrations, the loneliness, the learning that needed to be done and all the rest – ...

In this episode of the Work in Progress podcast, Dr. Angela Jackson joins me fresh off the Win-Win Workplace Summit in Chicago. The Summit, co-founded by Jackson and Jamai Blivin, brought together business leaders from around the country to discuss how, as employers, you can better engage your workforce and give them a sense of purpose and dignity. The reason to do so? Thriving employees are good for business. Here's some of what we learned at the Summit and Jackson and I discuss in the podcast: Employers are increasingly focused on getting more out of their existing workforce rather than just hiring new talent, recognizing employees as a powerful but underutilized asset. Leading companies are using data and analytics to deeply understand their workforce, identify skills and growth opportunities, and create personalized development and support for employees. Engaging and empowering frontline managers is crucial, as they have the biggest impact on employee experience and retention. Employers that address employee needs beyond just compensation, such as commute times, caregiving responsibilities, and work-life balance, see benefits in terms of higher productivity, engagement, and loyalty. Measuring the return on investment of investing in employees, through metrics like turnover rates and asset growth, is key to justifying these strategies at the business level. WorkingNation was a media partner on the Win-Win Workplace Summit. You can listen to the entire podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Dr. Angela Jackson's new book is Win-Win Workplace. She is also the founder of the Future Forward Institute Episode 365: Dr. Angela Jackson, author, Win-Win WorkplaceHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episode

In this episode of Work in Progress, I'm joined by Casie Wise, senior program manager for the National Indian Education Association (NIEA), a nonprofit advocating and advancing comprehensive, culture-based educational opportunities for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. Native Americans have the highest unemployment rate of any racial or ethnic minority group in the U.S.,and lower graduation rates and achievement gaps compared to their white peers. There are manyreasons for this, including long-term and systemic disparities. The NIEA was founded in 1969 to advocate for Native education at the federal, state, and tribal levels, particularly working to ensure appropriate funding and tribal consultation, develop culturally-relevant education programs, and support the sovereignty of tribes to control their own education systems. 95% of Native students are attending public schools. While some are on reservation land, the majority of students are not attending school in a tribal community. Whether public or tribally-controlled, the school is a critical base in the community. Despite progress, Native Americans continue to face disparities in educational outcomes and economic mobility compared to their peers. Casie Wise explains that the NIEA works to address these gaps through policy advocacy, community partnerships, and programs that reconnect students to their cultural heritage and languages. Successful initiatives highlighted include career pathway programs, language immersion, and school-community collaborations. Overall, the NIEA's work is critical to empowering Native students, preserving cultural identity, and building sustainable economies in more than 574 federally recognized tribes. You can listen to the entire podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 359: Casie Wise, senior program director, National Indian Education AssociationHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this episode of Work in Progress, we discuss the impact of closing the digital divide, how it can connect learners, workers, and jobseekers to new opportunities for economic mobility, and how it could can new jobs around the country. Joining me in the conversation recorded at the Connected America conference in Dallas are Gary Bolton, president & CEO, Fiber Broadband Association; Eric Frederick, chief connectivity officer, State of Michigan; and Robin Olds, broadband program officer, Cisco. Millions of Americans lack reliable or affordable broadband access, which puts them at a disadvantage for education, work, and health care. Closing the digital divide is critical to enable economic mobility and growth, especially in rural and underserved areas. Without reliable, affordable broadband access, many will continue to be left behind, according to my guests. The federal government has allocated over $42 billion to help states build broadband infrastructure and create adoption/training programs. For example, Michigan is using these funds to connect unserved communities, while also focusing on digital inclusion by making broadband affordable and teaching people how to use it. Expanding broadband will create economic opportunities, boost rural GDP, and enable access to remote work and telehealth. However, there is a shortage of trained fiber optic technicians needed to build the infrastructure. Companies like Cisco are helping to fill this workforce gap by providing training programs and working with communities and service providers to deploy broadband solutions. Listen to the conversation here or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 362: Closing the Digital Divide with Gary Bolton, Eric Frederick, and Robin OldsHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this episode of Work in Progress, I'm joined by Dane Linn, senior vice president of corporate initiatives for the Business Roundtable, to discuss second chance hiring and how opening the door to people who are justice-impacted is good for the individual, society, and the economy. More inclusive hiring is a powerful way to break the cycle of poverty for many Americans. When people are given a fair opportunity to participate in the workforce, our economy and society are stronger. For the 70 million people in this country who have been touched by the justice system, having a criminal record often makes it harder for them to find employment. For some, a conviction, and even a brush with the law without a conviction, can become the equivalent of a life sentence when it comes to trying to reenter the workforce. "We're talking about more people than those who've been in jail. Some of these individuals have a minor offense and that minor offense has crippled their ability to seek any employment opportunity," says Linn. The Second Chance Business Coalition – an initiative of the Business Roundtable – is committed to second chance hiring, expanding opportunities to jobs, careers, and greater upward mobility for this population. There are more than 2.3 million people currently behind bars in the U.S. Once released, more than two-thirds of these individuals will likely end up as repeat offenders because they can't find jobs once released. Barring individuals who are justice-impacted from the workforce means they have a greater risk of ending up in poverty. It also decreases the amount of federal, state, and local taxes being added to the economy. "The cost to the U.S. economy, between $78 and $87 billion, is not insignificant. But let's make no mistake about it, this Second Chance Business Coalition is not just a charitable endeavor. This is a business imperative, important for companies to meet the [talent] supply problem they have. "It's important to provide individuals with an equal opportunity to work in corporate America and advance in corporate America. And it's important to ensure our ability as a country to maintain our economic competitiveness and in some cases not depend or not have individuals depend on public assistance in some cases for which they don't want to depend on. "They want to be contributing members to society just as much as anyone else and giving them an opportunity to work in corporate America is one way to do that." JPMorgan Chase and Eaton were among the founding members of the Coalition which now totals 52 large companies. "We've all been given second chances. When you talk about it that way with employers – 'You may not have a criminal record, but at some point along the way you've been given a second chance' – there's interest in hiring individuals with records. "We illuminate or illustrate that idea by bringing in individuals to [our] convenings who have actually have a criminal record and hear about the struggles they've had, but also that an employer took a chance on them and gave them an opportunity to have a job and what that meant to them and the contributions they've made." Linn says in addition to making the case for impact of second chance hiring, they provide employers with the tools and resources so they can effectively implement second chance hiring within their own companies. He says this approach is making a difference. "Eighty percent of the companies who participate in the coalition now review individual candidates individually without hard stops on certain conviction types and 60% partner or contract with reentry or other organizations to administer the hiring or the support programs for employees with criminal backgrounds. "I think that's pretty impressive for four years." In our conversation, Linn and I go into details on how companies are implementing second chance hiring and the impact itis having for people who are justice-...

In this episode of the Work in Progress podcast, Sara Vander Zanden, director of Jobs for the Future (JFF), joins me to discuss the Climate-Resilient Employees for a Sustainable Future (CREST), a green jobs creation initiative funded by the Ares Charitable Foundation in partnership with JFF and World Resources Institute (WRI). Earth Day marks the third anniversary of CREST, which aims to train and place 25,000 people in quality green jobs by 2027. The program emphasizes working with community-based organizations to create these jobs, particularly in regions experiencing challenges created by climate change. Key goals include increasing awareness of what constitutes a "quality green job" and leverages regional expertise to match job opportunities to local climate risks and needs. "Essentially, a green job is anything that integrates green skills. You can think of any traditional industry, you can think of construction, you can think of manufacturing, you can think of textiles or energy. There are ways to make all of these industries and all of these jobs green through the integration of green skills," explains Vander Zanden. The jobs are being created through partnerships with six community organizations that were chosen from a pool of 101 applicants through the JFF Quality Green Jobs Regional Challenge. They will include training programs and earn-and-learn opportunities. "They know their communities. They know the climate risks. They know the job opportunities, the industries, the employers, who's looking for workers. They know what workers need in terms of wraparound supports. The regions are telling us here is where we need to lean in," she explains. The focus is on creating high-wage, benefit-rich jobs that provide flexibility and dignity. In the podcast, Vander Zanden describes a quality green job, as defined by JFF' job quality framework. "Some of those main components are high wages where you can sustain a family. We think about benefits, comprehensive benefits that allow you to take care of yourself and your family and your health. We think about growth opportunities within a company or organization. "We think about flexibility to shape your schedule. Knowledge of what your schedule and hours are going to be a couple of weeks in advance, you can plan your life around that. And we also think about dignity. Does this job make you feel more whole as a person? Does it honor who you are and the skills that you bring?" What is at stake for the communities trying to battle the negative impact of climate change by creating quality green jobs? Which communities and regions are in the CREST initiative? What progress have CREST and its job-creation partners made so far? And where do they hope to be in the next few years? Find out in the podcast, which you can listen to here or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Read, watch, and listens to more stories about the CREST initiative in our WorkingNation digital magazine produced in partnership with Jobs for the Future: Quality Jobs, Green Future Episode 361: Sara Vander Zanden, director, Jobs for the Future (JFF)Host & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this episode of Work in Progress, Dr. Sally Saba, vice president and global chief inclusion and diversity officer for Medtronic and president of Medtronic Foundation, joins me to discuss the organization's Medtronic Spark initiative, a ten-year global committment to introduce one million students from low-income households into high-paying health tech careers. Technology has transformed the health care sector for the past few decades, from robotics to wearable technology, to telemedicine, and, of course, artificial intelligence. This is creating a huge and growing talent gap in health tech, both in the U.S. and around the world. And the way you do those jobs is also changing. "They say between around 11 million of shortages just within the next four to five years. You add onto that how AI is going to transform and evolve the landscape of education faster than people can keep up," says Dr. Saba. The Medtronic Spark initiative intends to prepare one million workers for those jobs today and in the future. "They say that 65% of students in schools today will work in jobs that don't even exist yet, and 45% of the workforce today will need new reskilling to even be able to keep up with that future." Saba adds. In the podcast, she explains that initiative will focus on students through high school, right before they start looking at their careers. 'We don't want to touch lives, we want to change the trajectory of lives,' Saba says. Medtronic Spark will be a combination of online and hands-on training, with a focus on making it accessible for low-incoming families. It will include three main components: innovation labs for students to tinker with technology, scholarships to help students graduate, and job-ready credential programs in high-demand health care technology roles like clinical mapping and pacemakers. Medtronic employees will be able to get involve by sponsoring students, providing mentorship, and helping designing credentialling programs. Medtronic is in 150 countries and 40% of the initial programing will be in the U.S. Find out more details of the initiative in the podcast, which you can listen to here or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 360: Dr. Sally Saba, VP Chief Global Inclusion and Diversity Officer, Medtronic; President, Medtronic FoundationHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this episode of Work in Progress, we dive into the significant contribution that immigrants and foreign-born workers already make to our economy and explore ways to create better pathways to economic mobility through education and training. In March, at SXSW EDU in Austin, WorkingNation brought together business, education, and nonprofit leaders for a discussion on the subject. Joining me on stage at the conference were Katie Brown, founder and chief education officer for EnGen; Jina Krause-Vilmar, CEO of Upwardly Global; and Arturo Cázares, CEO of Latino Business Action Network. There are 47.8 million immigrants in our country. That's about 14% of the population. One in five workers in our country is an immigrant. Immigrants and foreign-born workers generate trillions in economic activity and tax revenue. Economists argue that reducing immigration could have a major negative impact on GDP growth. The immigrant workforce is diverse, touching every industry and community. Immigrants have a range of educational and skill levels, from low-wage workers to entrepreneurs to highly-educated professionals. And there are barriers to economic mobility for all levels of the immigrant population. These hurdles include lack of English skills, difficulties getting professional credentials and qualifications earned in other countries recognized in the U.S., lack of access to capital, and lack of access to career navigation and support services. My conversation with Brown, Krause-Vilmar, and Cázares looks at those barriers and what is being done to break them down for the contribution by immigrants to our economic growth can be even greater. The podcast here also includes the lively discussion with the audience members who joined us in the room. My thanks to the panelists and the audience, and to SXSW EDU for giving us the stage for this important conversation. I also want to share my gratitude and thanks to my colleague Laura Aka for bringing this panel together and sharing her insights and knowledge with us on the subject. I encourage everyone to take the time to listen. You can listen to the full podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 359: From SXSW EDU: Katie Brown, Jina Krause-Vilmar, and Arturo CázaresHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this episode of Work in Progress, I'm joined by Jamie Merisotis, president & CEO of Lumina Foundation, to discuss the foundation's goal to help more Americans obtain a credential beyond high school, one that leads to lifelong economic stability and prosperity. One of the core principals of Lumina Foundation's mission is the idea that "education should remain accessible, valuable, and align with today's workforce needs." In 2008, Lumina set a goal of 60% of working-age adults with college degrees, certificates, or industry-recognized certifications by 2025. Today, the number of adults with one of those credentials of value has risen from 38% to 55%. "It's one of the greatest social progress examples that we can see in the last 20 years," says Merisotis. "That's led to literally millions of adults being able to get more education training, get new and better jobs in their field, earn more money, and, in general, become better citizens and participants in their community." While Lumina celebrates the progress made over the last two decades, Merisotis says the demand for talent in the American labor force has never been higher, with most jobs soon requiring some form of post-high school credential. He points to several studies, including one from Georgetown University forecasting that 72% of jobs by 2031 will require a post-high school credential of some type. So, Lumina has set a new goal: 75% of adults with a credential of value by 2040. Whether its a college degree or an industry-recognized credential, it needs to ultimately lead to a career with financial stability. Lumina's new goal focuses on increasing access, completion, and ensuring credentials have real value in terms of higher wages, career growth, and adaptability. "The truth is you do earn more and you have more stability and greater long-term security and ultimately prosperity if you get higher credentials. But it doesn't mean that everyone should start aspiring to a bachelor's degree. It could be that they need this industry-recognized credential to get them into the labor force or to get them onto the ladder of opportunity. "What's really important, in our view, is that people are able to earn family-sustaining wages that allow them to have stability in their lives, but that also gives them a chance to continue to grow. "We believe that these shorter term credentials, the quality ones, certainly do provide that. The ones that add the wage benefits, et cetera, do that. And at the same time, they create pathways for further learning, which leads to greater advancement," Merisotis tells me. In the podcast, we discuss some of the challenges that still exist for Americans trying to obtain those credentials that lead to economic prosperity. "Access is a combination of things. It's like a three-legged stool of things that create barriers to access – finance, social, and academic. We tend to focus a lot on the finance side – because costs are high – but we tend not to focus on the real-life circumstances of the students or their shortcomings academically. "For these students who are low-income, or rural, or coming from communities of color, creating more assurance that the process itself is simpler and easier for them to get through, so that admissions isn't difficult, is really important." Merisotis says that for students who feel marginalized, there needs to be more awareness that there is tutoring, mentoring, and other supports that provide "opportunities for them to be successful when they get in, but also to help them get through." Merisotis and I also go deeper into what makes a credential valuable in today's workforce – yes, we do talk about AI – and how Lumina Foundation intends to achieve its goal of 75% of working-age adults having those credentials in our conversation. I encourage you to listen! You can listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode of Work in Progress, we're talking about the integral role adult basic education plays in helping working-age adults achieve literacy and numeracy, increasing their employability. My guests are Sharon Bonney, CEO of Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE), and Jacqueline Aguilera, project manager for Houston Mayor's Office for Adult Literacy. Adult basic education covers a range of literacy skills beyond just reading and writing, including numeracy, critical thinking, digital literacy, and contextual skills for careers and life. COABE works to inspire educators and help adults succeed, with national, state, and local partnerships to provide education and skills training for adult learners. Bonney says it is a vast network. "We work with many different partners, over a hundred national partners such as IBM SkillsBuild, Google, Amazon, and Tyson Foods. There's 49 state partners that we work with called State Associations. We have over 2,300 local programs and then we also have 60,000 individual members," she explains. Bonney adds that adult education programs serve a diverse population with significant barriers to employment and economic mobility, including migrants, those who have aged out of foster care, the homeless, formerly incarcerated, and immigrants. The Houston Mayor's Office for Adult Literacy is one of those local programs. "Some individuals need language skills. They need career prep. They need pre-skilling or upskilling. There are different types of programs that actually help to connect the learners to career opportunities. That is very important because adult ed is a talent pool developer," says Aguilera, who manages that program. Bonney continues, "They're working with learners with the most barriers to life and employment, and they have a great success rate. Helping get people to work, and helping to break generational curses. We're helping to feed these learners into the workforce and into community college." Adult education matters and it makes a difference to the community, says Aguilera. "Passion, commitment, and the dedication to the success of not only the individuals, but of the community and the families, and then the impact that they can have, again, returning to the economic health of the city, which benefits the states, which benefits the nation." Bonney, Aguilera, and I discuss how, despite their enormous impact, these programs are often significantly underfunded and how they try to overcome that. You can listen to the entire podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 357: Sharon Bonney, CEO, COABE, and Jacqueline Aguilera, Houston Mayor's Office for Adult LiteracyHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

In this episode of Work in Progress, I'm joined by Jane Swift, president of Education of Work, for a discussion on the importance of work-based learning in preparing college students for careers and how the national nonprofit is championing the mission. Recent grads trying to launch their careers sometimes find they don't have the experience that employers are looking for to fill their open jobs, even entry-level jobs. Education at Work is trying to bridge that gap between academics and the workforce by connecting college students with top employers to give them valuable work experience. Swift explains that Education at Work is hired by these employers to fill specific roles and are given a certain number of hours to cover. She says there are other organizations out there providing contract workers, but "the real magic happens because we are one of the few, maybe the only provider who is doing this at scale with college students in a part-time role. "Our students actually prefer the times that many full-time employees do not want to work. We'll work on weekends. We will work evenings, and the definition of evenings is even different for our students. That also allows us to schedule them in hours that don't conflict with their academic responsibilities." Swift says that while some employers have been initially hesitant to hire young adults in college, but they are persuaded by the data that shows these college students are exceptional employees. "We have super ambitious, hardworking students and that I think is a surprise to them. We can show them that 'yes, you can use college students in a part-time role to fill a job, you're already struggling to fill with a full-time worker.' "And having that data is really why we think we're growing so fast right now because folks are like, 'Whoa. Your students perform better than seven other outsourced providers who are using the traditional model.'' Swift says this model has been shown to help students, many of whom are from underrepresented backgrounds, develop the skills and experience needed to secure good first jobs after graduation. Listen to the entire podcast to learn about the types of jobs these college students are working in, and how Education at Work is working to support students holistically to help them navigate their transition to the professional world. You can listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 356: Jane Swift, President, Education at WorkHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

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, and cultural backgrounds. What they all have in common is that they spent their formative years growing up in the digital world of social media and smart phones. And this seems to have played a major role in how they view the American Dream. More about that in a moment. The American Dream: We Want It, But Will We Ever Get it? The study from the Center for Scholars and Storytellers at UCLA finds that young people say economic and financial challenges – including the high cost of education – are making achieving the American Dream feel increasingly unattainable to them, Dr. Uhls tells me. According to the study, 60% of the young people surveyed say "the American Dream is realistic and achievable for most people in today's society, but 60% also say it would be difficult to achieve it themselves personally." "We thought maybe they were redefining the American Dream and thinking perhaps the American Dream meant clean air or community stuff, but in fact they still believe in the American Dream. Maybe not believe in it, but they want the American Dream," Dr. Uhls tells me. "Everybody wants to succeed in the way that their family did or even more than their family did, but they don't believe that they can achieve it. And that is based on the reality of their lives. There is such income and inequality; it is just increasing. They also don't believe that the system works. They don't believe that politics work, education is broken. "The things that are meant to be able to lift us up and get you on a path of economic stability, unfortunately is not really prevalent in today's society, in particular from those from lower-income families," says Dr. Uhls. I ask her what she believes is driving that idea that other people are achieving financial and career success, but it is going to pass me by.. That's where social media plays a big role. How Social Media Is Shaping Gen Z's View of the American Dream Among the study's finding, Gen Z are forming their perceptions about the American Dream from social media, with 50% saying Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube – and to some extent Facebook and X – are the biggest influences on how they view the American Dream "There's so many get-rich-quick schemes on social media. Everybody is portraying themselves as having more than they really do. And when you're young and you don't have the life experience to think, 'Well, is that real, or maybe they are putting on a game face?,' you may believe it more. "It's nothing new. It's just more accessible and it's all over and in many different domains because everyone can do this and they can look at it all the time on their phones anywhere. So it can really influence the way someone feels about themselves and the way that they feel about their ability to be like someone else. "I'm a developmental psychologist. We have a term called social comparison. Not a very complicated term, but it is a theory that was developed 70 years ago about how we compare ourselves to others to understand how to be in the world, and there's upward social comparison and downward social comparison. "Upward social comparison where you're looking at someone that's achieved a great deal can often make you feel worse because you feel that you can never get there. Every once in a while it can inspire you, but a lot of times it can make you feel worse and you...

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 World Economic Forum in January concludes that by 2030, 92 million jobs will be displaced. But the number of new jobs will be almost double that in the same time period. And they predict that the United States will soon face the tightest labor market in more than six decades. That means employers will be competing with each other for talent. The employer-provided education benefit could be a deciding factor for a job seeker or for an employee trying to decide whether they want to stay with the company or leave. What makes it attractive to potential and current workers? The idea that your employer is paying for you to learn important skills, which could lead to industry credentials which could lead to economic mobility. "Accounting for the diverse needs of an employee population means offering a mix of learning programs through the education benefit: foundational learning programs (high school completion and English language learning), short-form (certificates and bootcamps), and degrees (associate’s and bachelor’s) — all suited to the needs of working adult learners," according to Guild. "We optimize our learning for working adult learners," Shah explains. "That is the population that we are most focused on. Any kind of asynchronous and online learning you can do is just really helpful when you think about the flexibility that these individuals need, when you think about the fact that they sometimes work on nights and weekends, and they don't usually have traditional hours or traditional jobs." In the podcast, Shah and I discuss some of the types of training in specific industries that employers are adding to their education benefits and where she is seeing the biggest demand. You can listen to the entire conversation here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 354: Bijal Shah, CEO, GuildHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

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 Corcoran de Castillo join me on the podcast to discuss a new study of the impact of prioritizing skills over degrees in hiring in state government. Skills-First Hiring = More Opportunity for STARs "There are about 60 million workers who have a bachelor's degree or a higher level of educational attainment. Obviously, these workers have traversed a critical pathway in our U.S. labor force," explains Debroy. "But, in addition to them, there are 70 million who have a high school diploma, do not have a bachelor's degree, but have been bringing extraordinary skills to work. These are workers who are skilled through alternative routes, or STARs." Those alternative routes could include community college, military service, or on-the-job experience. "A lot of skills-first hiring is really about how do we surface this population of talent to really understand skills instead of pedigree when we consider who is qualified for different jobs in the United States," Debroy adds. So far, according to Opportunity@Work, 26 states have signed on to the idea of hiring or promoting state employees based on their skills, knowledge, and abilities, regardless of how they attained those skills. "What's really exciting is the civil service, who many people thought were going to be the biggest barrier to public sector hiring change, are actually real advocates of this," says de Castillo. To determine if skills-based hiring is making progress in terms of expanding opportunities for job seekers and workers without four-year degrees, de Castillo and Debroy and others authored a study of its effectiveness in state government. "States are actually thinking more critically about what it means to access all of the talent in their communities, and they're thinking about what it means for representation in government, trusting government, and improved citizen services and just government efficiency," says de Castillo. "We've seen real action. We've seen bachelor's degree requirements decline by 2.5 percentage points year-over-year because of policy exposure. This has expanded access to the jobs for STARs tremendously. Right now with the 26 states, 570,000 STARs could gain access to jobs they couldn't yesterday or the year before this happened," she concludes. Debroy adds, "The Paper Ceiling represents an invisible barrier of degree screens, of biased algorithms, of stereotypes, of exclusive professional networking. These are all characteristics that block career opportunities for workers who are skilled through alternative routes. "The first set of actions [by the states] has led to an increased awareness of this population as a vast, overlooked, diverse, and skilled population of the workforce that had been historically overlooked for public sector jobs. What was so extraordinary was not just the number that Blair just shared, but also that we're starting to see shifts in precisely the types of jobs that STARs have the skills for but have historically not had access to obtain in a lot of these states. "We're excited to see the progress in roles like IT roles and management roles in health care roles, a lot of jobs that have historically offered economic mobility to the American workforce," Debroy tells me. There is a lot more in the podcast on the impact of skills-first hiring on workers and job seekers in the public sector,

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. From high-paying jobs in tech to low-wage jobs in agriculture and home health care, they are a vital part of our workforce and consumer shopping, contributing $1.6 trillion to the economy and paying more than $579 billion in local, state, and federal taxes, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. As Jane explains, for example, "the Latino labor market participation rate is 80%. The general average for the whole population is 62.5%. The Latino population in the United States represents a GDP that's greater than the GDP of India or the U.K.," says Jane. "So, losing any of that buying power is going to be really detrimental to the U.S." In the podcast, Jane and I discuss some of the misperceptions around immigrants and other foreign workers, and the work the are doing in the U.S. She explains how employers play a major role in bringing them to the country. "Know that before you can apply for a visa – whether H1B, H2B, H2A, it doesn't matter – an employer has to demonstrate that they have advertised locally for local talent. An employer has to promise you a job before you can get that visa," she says. There are caps on H-1B visas, these are for workers with bachelor's degree and higher. There are also caps on H-2B visas, which are visas for non-agricultural temporary workers. "They're doing construction. They're doing special manufacturing. They may be people doing masonry. "Then finally, the H-2A, which has no caps. That's ag workers. Every employer will tell you that they cannot get people to pick fruit, to pack fruit. They can't get them to mow lawns, pick apples. You can talk to employer after employer and they'll say, 'I tried to get local talent. I'd like to do that,'" she adds. There is a lot more in the podcast on the economic impact of immigrants, including their role in starting new small businesses. You can listen to the entire conversation here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 352: Jane Oates, Senior Policy Advisor, WorkingNationHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

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 other AI products is having a "cascading effect across all sectors, all job roles, and all skills across disciplines. The Future of Jobs report [from the World Economic Forum] found that 50% of employers plan to reorient their business in response to AI. "And 85% of those employers say they plan to upskill their workforce in response to these skills gaps," says Stein. She adds that a large number of those employers are saying that they prefer job applicants that have verified AI skills. Coursera's own analysis of the fastest-growing skills for 2025 confirms that demand. "There is no doubt about it that if you don't already have AI skills, you absolutely need to develop them. (Additionally), you absolutely need to develop them very specifically for the job that you're in and the job tasks that you're doing," she emphatically points out. In the podcast, we go into depth about what those skills actually look like – what you need to learn how to do. We also discuss the top non-tech skills all employers want. Of course, we talk about how jobseekers and workers can get those skills. You can listen to the entire conversation here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 351: Marni Baker Stein, chief content officer, CourseraHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

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 U.S. and create an estimated 10,000 U.S. jobs. Siemens is using AI and digital tools to make manufacturing and design processes more efficient, enabling workers to transition into higher-skilled, better-paid roles. Siemens is also leveraging AI and digitalization to address global challenges like water scarcity through partnerships like the one with Wayout, a company using technology to purify water in water-distressed areas. Siemens is demonstrating its transformation from a traditional manufacturing company to a tech leader driving sustainable innovation and economic growth in the U.S. Humpton goes into detail on all of this. It's eye-opening to see how much AI is changing the workforce and every industry. You can listen to the entire conversation here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 350: Barbara Humpton, CEO, Siemens USAHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

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 develop technology jobs and innovation-based companies. "The biggest challenge for rural founders and aspiring rural technologists is isolation," says Dunne. "It's really nothing else. It's not their capacity, their tenacity, or even their innovative ideas, it's being able to connect them to the advisors that can give them the information that they need to be able to be successful, as you might find in a Palo Alto or a Cambridge, Massachusetts." Dunne explains that for the past eight years CORI has been helping attract venture capital to founders in towns in Rural America. In the podcast, he details how that work has transformed Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Winston, North Carolina, creating good-paying tech jobs. Rural America: AgTech is Changing Farming At CES, I also saw firsthand how tech is changing the agricultural industry. The American Farm Bureau Federation estimates there are roughly 2.4 million farm jobs that need to be filled annually. Runde showed me John Deere's new driverless tractor, the Autonomous 9RX Tractor, which he says can help the American farmer plan, plant, and harvest their crops. It's huge and combines advanced computer vision, AI, and cameras to help the machines navigate their environments. In the podcast, Runde explains how farmers can operate the controls from a mobile device and what it means for productivity and the economy in Rural America. You can listen to the entire conversation here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 349: Matt Dunne, founder and executive director, Center on Rural Innovation, and Jeff Runde, engineering director, John DeereHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

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 apprenticeship is a job. It's one of the attractions of apprenticeship. You are very much engaged. This is not a theoretical exercise. You're very much engaged in the workplace," he explains. He adds, "An important feature of an apprenticeship is that there's mentorship involved. You have somebody in the workplace who is helping connect you to all those unwritten rules that are part of everybody's workplace, so that you can navigate those and have success there." At the end of the apprenticeship, says Colborn, you have a connection to the company – your bosses and co-workers know you – and many people continue working for the company. It's one of the benefits that go with that apprenticeship experience. We discuss how apprenticeships offer an alternative to a traditional college education, allowing people to earn a paycheck while learning on the job with a mentor. We also look at the other occupations beyond construction and the other skilled trades that are now using apprenticeships to develop their workforce, jobs like nursing and accounting. Colborn also talks about how, despite progress, the U.S. continues to lag behind other countries in the number of people in apprenticeships. He says there is an opportunity to expand use of the training model and explains how. He adds that community colleges play an important role in connecting employers to this undeveloped talent. You can listen to the entire conversation here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 348: John Colborn, executive director, Apprenticeships for AmericaHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here

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 is still much work to be done. There are more than 79 million women in the workforce, but in some fields they're still underrepresented in in-demand fields that pay well and overrepresented in jobs that pay less. Here's one example: the demand for both home health care workers and software developments are both growing. Women make up just 18.6% of all software developer jobs which have a median annual salary of $132,270. In contrast, nearly 88% of home health care workers are women. Those jobs have a median annual salary of $33,530. Chun-Hoon shares what the current administration and past administrations to address that imbalance. We also discuss the critical issue of childcare for working women and government-wide efforts to ensure women have the support they need for caring for their children so they can remain a part of the workforce or join the workforce. Also in the podcast, we talk about the creation of the Gender Policy Council which not only addresses the wage and childcare issues, but also addresses gender-based violence for women in the workforce. In summing up her time in office, which ends January 20, Chun-Hoon tells me, "I've seen breakthroughs that I wasn't expecting. I've seen some disappointments. I know that the Women's Bureau is also going to keep up that fight to really serve its enduring mission and the legacy that the Women's Bureau is, which is to represent the needs of working women." You can listen to the entire conversation here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel. Episode 347: Wendy Chun-Hoon, director, Women's Bureau, U.S. Department of LaborHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here