JFF Chief of Staff David Soo was recently quoted in an Inside Higher Ed article about the need to increase the number of displaced workers who enroll in public colleges.
Soo told Inside Higher Ed that postsecondary leaders need to rethink some fundamental aspects of higher education in order to attract workers. For example, he said, displaced workers need more information about changes in the types of skills employers are seeking, along with information about how to prepare for multiple career paths.
He went on to say it’s time to update the way higher education is delivered.
“Some institutions and new providers are taking a user-centered design approach and developing programs that deliver education targeted to student needs. More programs should provide displaced workers the kinds of fast, flexible programs that can get them the skills they need—and the ability to continually return and learn as skills needs change,” Soo said in an interview conducted via email. “In the same way Amazon determines that you have a toddler at home and targets you with relevant ads, displaced workers should have a plethora of training options to get them back to work from which to choose.”
