EdVenture Podcast

Apprentice Nation: Why Work-Based Learning Is the Future of Careers | Author & Investor Ryan Craig

In this episode of Edventure, Ahmad Mansur sits down with Ryan Craig, Managing Director at Achieve Partners, a venture investment firm focused on edtech innovation and new models for developing skills in the future of work. Ryan has been a leading voice advocating for work-based learning, which includes internships, apprenticeships, and cooperative education as a more effective path for preparing talent. In this conversation, he makes a bold case: institutions that fail to adapt to shifting workforce demands risk becoming increasingly irrelevant in a rapidly changing economy. Drawing from his latest book, Apprentice Nation, Ryan outlines the growing importance of “earn-and-learn” models as viable alternative to traditional higher education. He also shares insights into how Achieve Partners is investing in a new category of intermediaries, what he calls “InternshipService Providers,” a delivery model designed to better connect learners with meaningful, paid work experiences at scale. This episode is a candid and forward-looking discussion on the future of education, the changing nature of careers, and what it will take to build a more effective system for developing talent.

Inside Sierra College’s Workforce Partnerships with Bosch | Amy Shultz, Dean of Workforce Development

In this episode of Edventure, Ahmad Mansur sits down with Amelia “Amy” Schulz, Dean of Workforce Development at Sierra College, to explore how community colleges are redefining their role in preparing talent through a comprehensive workforce ecosystem approach. Amy shares how Sierra College has built a powerful network of partners including high schools, chambers of commerce, regional industry associations, and employers—to createlearning pathways from education to employment. coordinated across the full spectrum—from early exposure and training to job placement with participating companies. Amy provides compelling examples of this approach in action, including Sierra College’s partnership with Bosch to train workers for silicon carbide chip production in Roseville, and the college’s mechatronics programs, which preparestudents for careers in industrial automation and robotics with companies like Medtronic.

Being Career Ready In the AI Era | Christine Cruzvegara, Handshake

In this episode of Edventure, Ahmad Mansur sits down with Christine Cruzvegara, Chief Education Strategy Officer at Handshake, for a timely and insightful conversation on career readiness in the age of artificial intelligence. As entry-level roles continue to shift — and in some cases disappear — today’s graduates are navigating a rapidly changing career landscape. Christine shares why demonstrated capability now matters more than static credentials, and how students can intentionally build career capital before graduation. The conversation also examines the rising importance of judgment as a skill in an AI-enabled workplace, emerging trends, the power of networking, and the growing urgency for stronger partnerships between colleges and industry to close elusive skills gaps. This episode is packed with insight for educators, students, and higher ed leaders preparing for the future of work.

Lisbon's EDU Hub, a collaborative campus

In the heart of Lisbon, there is an ambitious development project underway that is focused on leading the future of education. It is aptly named the EDU Hub. This is 28,400 sqm campus anchored in a KS1 International School with world class facilities for academic and extracurricular endeavors, including - sports, arts, and technology, as well as renovated warehouses for office space for companies, exhibition, and events. EDU Hub led by the Elegant Group, one of Portugal’s most trusted luxury brand of hotel, commercial and residential properties. EdVen speaks with Luis Santos, EDU Hub’s Business Manager, about the current state, vision and its impact the future of education. application of new learning.

A Conversation with "The Godfather" of workforce development | Bernard Ashcraft, Business Roundtable

Special Edition: In his episode, EdVenture speaks with Bernard Ashcraft, CEO of the Business Roundtable in Oakland, CA. EdVenture have proclaimed Bernard as “The Godfather” of workforce development. Bernard’s legend starts with his unflappable commitment to creating real opportunities for people who are often overlooked and undervalued in the labor market. For decades, Bernard operated the Regional Training Technical Center, in partnership with the largest companies in the San Francisco Bay Area that trained people and secured well-paid jobs for his graduates. Bernard’s highly skilled ability to mobilize leaders across industry sectors is a superpower that consistently produced results envied by better resourced incumbent institutions. To understand why The understand why “The Godfather” stands above the crowd in workforce development is to know his incredible narrative as a Navy serviceman, UC San Diego lab technician, a city council chief of staff, as a Jim Crow survivor, political organizer, and always as the best dressed cat in the room.