Navigating the New Frontier: Elevating Workforce Development in the Digital Age

March 5, 2025

By Tracy Huebner

At WestEd, we continue exploring generative AI’s transformative role in education systems. In this second installment of our blog series, we examine AI technologies in workforce development and their vital role in shaping the future of the workforce, with a focus on how college administrators can harness the technology to better support learners.

What Role Does Generative AI Play in Workforce Development? 

Generative AI (Gen AI), with its ability to create and innovate based on patterns found in vast data sets, is well poised to revolutionize workforce development. As industries evolve at breakneck speeds, the need for a workforce that can adapt and grow with technological advancements has never been more pressing. Gen AI can analyze labor market trends, identify skill gaps, and tailor training programs that meet the precise needs of the evolving job market. 

Strong partnerships between community colleges, universities, and local industries are critical for bridging the gap between education and employment, ensuring that training programs align with real-world workforce demands. Gen AI can play a key role in fostering these collaborations by streamlining communication, facilitating data-driven decision-making, and helping institutions and employers codesign curricula that address emerging skills. By using Gen AI to predict emerging skills and trends, educational institutions can work more closely with employers to ensure training programs are agile and responsive, helping students acquire the skills most in demand in their local job markets.

For example, Gen AI can forecast emerging sectors and the associated skills required, enabling educational institutions to adjust their curricula in real time. This ensures learners are equipped with the knowledge and competencies necessary to thrive in new and future job roles.

Realizing the Potential of Gen AI in Workforce Readiness 

There is enormous potential for a Gen AI system that can sift through millions of job postings to identify common requirements and desired skills across industries. This system could then assist career counselors in providing students with targeted advice on which courses and certifications would most effectively boost their employability. 

To demonstrate the potential of Gen AI in workforce readiness, picture a local community college using Gen AI to tailor career guidance based on real-time labor market data. In this hypothetical, imagine an experienced home health aide and busy mother of three who recently enrolled at the community college to transition into a more advanced health care role with flexible hours and a predictable schedule. 

The Gen AI system could analyze local job trends, income potential, and the student’s specific needs to suggest suitable career paths, such as medical coding, health information management, or telehealth support. These roles align with the student’s experience, offer competitive wages, and are in high demand locally. This demonstrates how Gen AI could help ensure that students receive tailored, data-driven advice that matches their goals and the current job market.

Furthermore, Gen AI–driven platforms can offer personalized learning experiences, adapting in real time to the learner’s pace and style, ensuring that each individual achieves mastery in critical competencies. This personalization is key to engaging and retaining students in workforce development programs, especially adult learners who may be balancing education with work and family responsibilities.

Key Points for College Administrators: Why Leverage Gen AI in Workforce Development?

• Gen AI Can Enhance Career Guidance and Job Readiness: AI can provide personalized career advice by analyzing labor market data and tailoring recommendations based on students’ skills, experience, and local job trends. This helps students make informed decisions and boosts employability.
• Gen AI Aligns Education With Industry Needs: By predicting emerging skill requirements and trends, Gen AI enables colleges to adapt curricula in real time, ensuring that students are learning the skills that are in demand by local employers and industries.
• Gen AI Can Improve Student Engagement and Retention: Gen AI–driven platforms offer personalized learning experiences, adjusting to students’ individual needs and schedules, making it easier for adult learners or those balancing multiple responsibilities to succeed in workforce development programs.

Partnerships for a Future-Ready Workforce 

WestEd’s Center for Economic Mobility supports initiatives that foster partnerships between community colleges, universities, and local industries. These collaborations are vital for developing training programs that are responsive to the needs of the workforce.

Your experiences and insights are invaluable to this dialogue. We encourage you to engage with us, share your stories, and join the conversation as we shape a future in which Gen AI not only complements but also elevates workforce development strategies. Together, we build a more adaptive, skilled, and competitive workforce.

Are you interested in using Gen AI to improve how your institution approaches workforce readiness? Contact Tracy Huebner, [email protected], Director of Special Projects and Initiatives for the Center for Economic Mobility, to explore how WestEd can help you develop a future-ready workforce.

What’s Next? 

Our next blog post will explore real-world applications for postsecondary staff and leadership. We’ll highlight how Gen AI–driven strategies can enhance student engagement, improve retention, and create learning experiences that are more personalized. 

Tracy Huebner, Director of Special Projects and Initiatives for the Center for Economic Mobility (CEM) at WestEd, has an extensive background in supporting intersegmental pathways, program design, and strategic planning. She actively maintains relationships with outside funders and presents CEM work in public settings.