Career Education Report

The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) has been the standard for nursing licensure for more than 40 years. So why would the nursing world need another credential? Dr. Tim Cunningham , Vice President of Business Development at the Professional Nursing Validation Company , joins host Jason Altmire to explain where the Professionally Validated Nurse (PVN) certification fits into nursing e...

How should student outcomes like earnings, debt, and job placement factor into program accreditation? WASC Senior College and University Commission President & CEO Maria Toyoda and National Accreditation Commission Founder & President Rebecca Busacca join host Jason Altmire to discuss how accreditation is evolving to cover programs outside the traditional four-year mold, including the shor...

Employers can't find workers, graduates can't find jobs, and too many students leave high school without a plan. Guilford County Schools Superintendent Dr. Whitney Oakley tells host Jason Altmire how the “Guilford Guarantee” aims to close that gap with a promise to its more than 66,000 students: every graduate leaves with college credit, an industry credential or meaningful work experience in addi...

Former Chicago mayor, ambassador to Japan, and White House Chief of Staff during the Obama administration, Rahm Emanuel has spent decades working at all levels of political office. He has made waves with his aggressive and innovative approach, challenging the status quo and pushing for reforms, especially in education policy. Now, he might be considering an even bigger role — presidential candidat...

The U.S. Department of Labor wants to add more than 300,000 registered apprenticeship positions nationwide, part of a bigger push to expand this kind of on-the-job learning. So how should employers, and the schools that support them, actually get started? Today’s guest is Jessica Desmond , the Regional Director of Career Services and Apprenticeships at ECPI University . Desmond tells host Jason Al...

After more than a decade in the U.S. Department of Labor, workforce development expert and the CEO/Founder of JOBS THAT WORK Solutions, Nick Beadle , has seen firsthand how billions of dollars in workforce funding gets allocated, and why those dollars don’t always reach the people it’s meant to help. Beadle tells host Jason Altmire about what he calls a "relatability gap" between policymakers and...

More than three years into the generative A.I. boom, higher education leaders are still asking the same question: how do we use this responsibly? Today's guest says it's time to shift from experimentation to practical implementation, and he revisits his own 2026 A.I. predictions to see how they're holding up. Cengage EVP & Chief Digital Officer, Darren Person , tells host Jason Altmire that A....

America's healthcare shortages across nursing and allied health roles are reaching a critical point, with a projected shortage of nearly three million workers across all healthcare roles in just the next few years. Today’s guest, Tess Michaels , the founder and CEO of Clasp , joins host Jason Altmire to discuss how her organization is working to address those shortages through scholarships and emp...

Billions of dollars in AI investment are reshaping the American economy, and the workers who will physically build that future aren't coming out of four-year universities. They're being trained at career schools like Midwest Technical Institute , where Founder and CEO Brian Huff has spent decades preparing skilled tradespeople for the jobs that keep the country running.  But cultural bias against...

While students and employers both wrangle with the best ways to use artificial intelligence in an evolving workforce, career colleges are well positioned to leverage the technology to better prepare students for today’s labor market and streamline how the colleges themselves operate.  Today’s guest is Lauri Kien Kotcher , the CEO & Co-founder of Different Day . Lauri tells host Jason Altmire t...

A masonry instructor in rural North Carolina pulled a quiet freshman aside and told him he saw something special in him. That student went on to earn two master’s degrees and eventually became Executive Director of the National Technical Honor Society . Peyton Holland knows what the right mentor at the right moment can do to help a student and he's dedicated his career to replicating it. He joins...

New findings from the National Bureau of Economic Research find strong relationships between America's community colleges and local labor markets, but what does that mean for higher education? Josh Goodman , Associate Professor of Education and Economics at Boston University and co-author of the report joins host Jason Altmire to discuss how strong labor markets drive down demand for education as...

Last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act set into law a new framework for holding higher education responsible for graduates’ earnings. While the framework is set to roll out soon, today’s guests say the guidelines are a flawed “one size fits all” approach that’s too broad for America’s cosmetology sector. Today’s guests are Brenda Scharman , owner of Cameo College of Essential Beauty; Lynelle Lynch...

With nearly 200,000 registered nursing job openings annually, the U.S. nursing shortage is reaching a critical point. On this episode of Career Education Report, host Jason Altmire speaks with Susan Mayer , Chief Learning Officer of Achieving the Dream , which supports over 300 community colleges to create opportunities and remove barriers to learning. Mayer explains how innovations like part-time...

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the workforce, while career and technical education is evolving alongside it. As employers integrate AI into more industries, educators are exploring how to prepare students for jobs that increasingly rely on these technologies. In this episode, host Jason Altmire speaks with Michael Connet , Associate Deputy Executive Director of the Association for Ca...

For perhaps the first time in American history, the United States is facing the prospect of a decline in its working age population. As various trades and health care industries face mass worker shortages and artificial intelligence disrupts some entry-level job fields, how can employers and workers thrive?  Today’s guest, Burning Glass Institute Chief Economist Gad Levanon , tells host Jason Altm...

On this episode of Career Education Report, former Massachusetts Governor and current Education at Work CEO Jane Swift joins host Jason Altmire to explain why experience has become the real gatekeeper to career success. She outlines why internships, work-based learning, and competency-based models are increasingly essential as degrees alone no longer guarantee workforce readiness. She also discuss...

As Career Education Report embarks on its next one hundred episodes, host Jason Altmire sits down with Colorado’s Governor Jared Polis to discuss how states can better align higher education systems with workforce and economic outcome. Drawing on his experience as Colorado’s governor and Chair of the National Governors Association, Polis outlines a bipartisan approach to workforce development that...

For Career Education Report’s 100th episode, host Jason Altmire is joined by Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent for an in-depth conversation on the direction of higher education and what it means for students, institutions, and taxpayers. A first-generation college student himself, Under Secretary Kent reflects on how his personal experience shapes his approach to higher education policy a...

Artificial intelligence is changing how jobs are done, but will it replace people or transform the trades? In this episode, author, public speaker, and Future of Work and AI advisor Kelly Monahan joins host Jason Altmire to explain how AI is amplifying human skills rather than eliminating them. She introduces the rise of gray-collar roles that combine hands-on expertise with technology across skil...

Higher education is operating in a more competitive, consumer-driven environment than ever before, and new data shows what actually moves the needle. In this episode, Patrick Patterson , CEO of Level Agency, and Prithwi Dasgupta , President of LeadSquared North America, join host Jason Altmire to unpack national benchmarking data, analyzing more than 500,000 student inquiries and $100 million in h...

At a time when middle-skills jobs can offer salaries over $55,000 annually without requiring a bachelor’s degree, the U.S. still isn’t producing enough workers to fill these roles. Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) Director of Research, Zack Mabel , joins host Jason Altmire to discuss CEW’s recent report, Missed Opportunities: Credential Shortages in Programs Alig...

America’s shortage of skilled construction workers isn’t just an industry issue; it’s a problem for communities nationwide. Today’s guest, Building Talent Foundation CEO Branka Minic , tells host Jason Altmire that without enough framers, roofers, electricians, and other tradespeople, the entire housing market and economy feel the strain. And with 40% of the industry expected to retire by 2031, so...

Torrie Jasuwan has held many titles over the years – hairdresser, businesswoman, millionaire matchmaker, real estate agent, and more. But the throughline of all of those careers and experiences, she tells host Jason Altmire , are the trades. Jasuwan shares her passion for supporting women in the skilled trades and discusses how hands-on careers can lead to a six-figure salary with the right traini...

Today’s college students are more diverse than ever, hailing from every background, region, and stage of life. American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) President Dr. Charles Welch tells host Jason Altmire how regional public universities are meeting the needs of this new student demographic. Representing more than 500 campuses in nearly every state and educating about 70% of...