Higher Education's Push Toward a New Value Proposition

Higher Education's Push Toward a New Value Proposition

In this episode, Joe and guest co-host Doug Lederman, Principal of Lederman Advisory Services and Co-founder and former Editor of Inside Higher Ed, chat with Colleen Flaherty, Senior Editor of Special Content at Inside Higher Ed, and Sara Weissman, Senior Reporter at Inside Higher Ed. Together, they discuss the most important developments in higher ed today, how higher ed leaders are aiming to change the narrative surrounding higher ed's value, why higher ed is leaning into apprenticeships and other alternative career pathways, how alternative pathways can support access and affordability efforts for underrepresented populations, and much more. Read Colleen's recent Inside Higher Ed articles: https://www.insidehighered.com/author/colleen-flaherty [https://www.insidehighered.com/author/colleen-flaherty] Read Sara's recent Inside Higher Ed articles: https://www.insidehighered.com/author/sara-weissman [https://www.insidehighered.com/author/sara-weissman] Read Doug's recent "Tough Love" columns: https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/columns/tough-love [https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/columns/tough-love] Check out Inside Higher Ed's apprenticeship series collection: https://www.insidehighered.com/collections/apprenticeships-learning-work [https://www.insidehighered.com/collections/apprenticeships-learning-work] Music by Evgeny Bardyuzha [https://pixabay.com/users/evgeny_bardyuzha-25235210/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21761] from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21761].

Bonus Episode: A Supercut in Honor of National Apprenticeship Week

In honor of National Apprenticeship Week, Joe tees up a handful of memorable clips from past episodes of Apprenticeship 2.0. Hear insights from Kathleen deLaski, Founder and Board Chair of the Education Design Lab; Dr. Mallory Dwinal-Palisch, Co-Founder of Reach University and Oxford Teachers Academy, and current President of Craft Education at Western Governors University; Alison Griffin, Principal Consultant at FutureRise; Ryan Craig, Author and Investor behind Achieve Partners and Apprenticeships for America; Jeff Selingo, higher education thought leader and longtime higher ed journalist; and Shalin Jyotishi, Founder and Managing Director of New America's Future of Work and Innovation Economy Initiative. Listen to the full episodes: * deLaski: Examining Alternative Higher Education Pathways [https://apprenticeship2dot0.libsyn.com/examining-alternative-higher-education-pathways] * Dwinal-Palisch: In Pursuit of a More Viable Career Pathway [https://apprenticeship2dot0.libsyn.com/in-pursuit-of-a-more-viable-career-pathway] * Griffin and Selingo: Rethinking the College-to-Career Pipeline [https://apprenticeship2dot0.libsyn.com/rethinking-the-college-to-career-pipeline] * Craig: Reframing the Conversation Around Apprenticeship Degrees and Higher Ed [https://apprenticeship2dot0.libsyn.com/reframing-the-conversation-around-apprenticeship-degrees-and-higher-ed] * Jyotishi: The Convergence of AI and Apprenticeship [https://apprenticeship2dot0.libsyn.com/the-convergence-of-ai-and-apprenticeship] Music by Evgeny Bardyuzha [https://pixabay.com/users/evgeny_bardyuzha-25235210/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21761] from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21761].

Breaking Down Hiring Standards, AI, and Evolving Talent Pathways

In this episode, Joe and guest co-host Dr. Anastasia Wickham, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Reach University, chat with Matt Sigelman, President of the Burning Glass Institute, and Mark Schneider, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Stony Brook University. Together, they discuss the intersection of labor and education market data, why employers are dropping bachelor's degree requirements and what that signals for the value of the degree, whether admissions standards truly matter in today's education landscape, barriers to scaling skills-based hiring, how AI is playing into all of this, and much more. Music by Evgeny Bardyuzha [https://pixabay.com/users/evgeny_bardyuzha-25235210/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21761] from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21761].

Rethinking the College-to-Career Pipeline

In this episode, Joe chats with Alison Griffin, Principal with FutureRise, and Jeff Selingo, higher education strategist and longtime journalist. Together, they discuss whether higher education and the workforce are due for radical realignment, what's driving the shift toward apprenticeship and work-based learning, evolving student perspectives on career pathways and how institutions are responding, what needs to happen with higher ed and workforce policy, what a more aligned education-to-workforce system could look like moving forward, and much more. Read these recent articles from Alison: * The Jobs Report Tells A Story About The Future Of Work: Are We Listening? [https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisongriffin/2026/02/16/the-jobs-report-tells-a-story-about-the-future-of-work-are-we-listening/] * The Postsecondary Crossroads: Why America Needs More Than College For All [https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisongriffin/2025/09/24/the-postsecondary-crossroads-why-america-needs-more-than-college-for-all/] * Here's How The Dual Mission College Model Works [https://www.highereddive.com/news/dual-mission-colleges-students-higher-ed/686590/] Check out Jeff's book, Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DZY713KP?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_EF9NP0AT838DH54A5PFE&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_EF9NP0AT838DH54A5PFE&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_EF9NP0AT838DH54A5PFE&bestFormat=true]. Music by Evgeny Bardyuzha [https://pixabay.com/users/evgeny_bardyuzha-25235210/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21761] from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21761].

The Apprenticeship College of Health: Reimagining the Healthcare Career Pathway

In this episode, Joe and guest co-host Laura Hopkins, Executive Director of the Healthcare Training Fund, chat with Dr. Metoka Welch, Executive Dean of the Apprenticeship College of Health (ACH); Dr. Anastasia Wickham, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Reach University; and Melody McKee, Director of Behavioral Strategy at the Healthcare Training Fund. Together, they discuss the impetus and origins of the ACH, why apprenticeship degrees are needed in behavioral health, how the ACH differs from other healthcare apprenticeship pathways, how the ACH will maintain a rigorous curriculum while supporting workers from all walks of life, how the ACH is reinventing how behavioral health employers develop and retain talent, and so much more. Learn more about the ACH at www.healthapprenticeship.org [https://www.healthapprenticeship.org]. Music by Evgeny Bardyuzha [https://pixabay.com/users/evgeny_bardyuzha-25235210/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21761] from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21761].