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...

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...

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....

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 Fr...

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 g...

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 an...

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 from SXSW EDU 2025 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. Techno...

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 s...

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 acces...

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 educati...

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,...

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 betw...

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 developm...

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 f...

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 ab...

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 an...

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 som...

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....

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 ind...

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 harassme...

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 ye...

In this episode of Work in Progress, Joshua Wright, EVP of Growth for Lightcast, discusses The Rising Storm, the labor research group's forecast of a massive labor shortage over the next eight years and how we can fix the problem before it hurts the economy. According the Lightcast report, the workforce will face a labor shortage of six million workers between now and 2032, the largest shortage in...

In this episode of the Work in Progress podcast, GitLab Foundation president & CEO Ellie Bertani joins me to discuss whether AI will eliminate jobs or will AI unlock economic opportunity for workers and the human potential in all of us? The impact of AI on workers and business was a big part of the conversation at the Human Potential Summit in Denver earlier this fall. GitLab Foundation is on a mi...

How do you fix the disconnect between work and learning? In this episode of Work in Progress, I'm joined by Taylor McLemore, entrepreneur and founder of the Human Potential Summit, and Ryan Stowers, senior vice president of Stand Together and the executive director of the Charles Koch Foundation, organizations that were founding sponsors of the summit. In this conversation from the Human Potential...

In this episode of Work in Progress, Katy Knight, executive director and president of Siegel Family Endowment, and Allison Scott, CEO of Kapor Foundation, discuss the underrepresentation of women and people of color in the high-tech jobs and what to do about it. High-tech jobs include software engineering, data science, and other technical roles, but it's not just the pure tech companies that are...