business

Are Entry-Level Jobs Going Away? The Hidden Workforce Shift — from forbes.com by Dr. Diane Hamilton; via Ryan Craig

The problem is that these new roles demand a level of expertise that wasn’t expected from entry-level candidates in the past. Where someone might have previously learned on the job, they are now required to have relevant certifications, AI proficiency, or experience with digital platforms before they even apply.

Some current and emerging job titles that serve as entry points into industries include:

Digital marketing associate – This role often involves content creation, social media management, and working with AI-driven analytics tools.
Junior AI analyst – Employees in this role assist data science teams by labeling and refining machine learning datasets.
Customer success associate – Replacing traditional customer service roles, these professionals help manage AI-enhanced customer support systems.
Technical support specialist – While this role still involves troubleshooting software, it now often includes AI-driven diagnostics and automation oversight.

Office tasks are being automated now, but nobody has answers on how education and worker upskilling should change. [Fain]

On 03/08/2025, in adult learning, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, business, career development, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, colleges, community colleges, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, disruption, economics, emerging technologies, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, intelligent systems, leadership, learning ecosystem, legislatures / government / legal, lifelong learning, new business models, organizational change, pace of change, policy, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, reinvent, research, skills, society, staying relevant, strategy, student-related, surviving, United States, universities, workplace, youth, by Daniel Christian

Blind Spot on AI — from the-job.beehiiv.com by Paul Fain
Office tasks are being automated now, but nobody has answers on how education and worker upskilling should change.

Students and workers will need help adjusting to a labor market that appears to be on the verge of a historic disruption as many business processes are automated. Yet job projections and policy ideas are sorely lacking.
…
The benefits of agentic AI are already clear for a wide range of organizations, including small nonprofits like CareerVillage. But the ability to automate a broad range of business processes means that education programs and skills training for knowledge workers will need to change. And as Chung writes in a must-read essay, we have a blind spot with predicting the impacts of agentic AI on the labor market.

“Without robust projections,” he writes, “policymakers, businesses, and educators won’t be able to come to terms with how rapidly we need to start this upskilling.”

Drive Continuous Learning: AI Integrates Work & Training — from learningguild.com by George Hanshaw

Imagine with me for a moment: Training is no longer confined to scheduled sessions in a classroom, an online module or even a microlearning you click to activate during your workflow. Imagine training being delivered because the system senses what you are doing and provides instructions and job aids without you having to take an action.

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) and wearable technology has made it easier than ever to seamlessly integrate learning directly into the workflow. Smart glasses, earpieces, and other advanced devices are redefining how employees gain knowledge and skills by delivering microlearning moments precisely when and where they are needed.

AI plays a crucial role in this transformation by sensing the optimal moment to deliver the training through augmented reality (AR).

These Schools Are Banding Together to Make Better Use of AI in Education — from edsurge.com by Emily Tate Sullivan

Kennelly and Geraffo are part of a small team at their school in Denver, DSST: College View High School, that is participating in the School Teams AI Collaborative, a year-long pilot initiative in which more than 80 educators from 19 traditional public and charter schools across the country are experimenting with and evaluating AI-enabled instruction to improve teaching and learning.

The goal is for some of AI’s earliest adopters in education to band together, share ideas and eventually help lead the way on what they and their colleagues around the U.S. could do with the emerging technology.

“Pretty early on we thought it was going to be a massive failure,” says Kennelly of last semester’s project. “But it became a huge hit. Students loved it. They were like, ‘I ran to second period to build this thing.’”

Transactional vs. Conversational Visions of Generative AI in Teaching — from elmartinsen.substack.com by Eric Lars Martinsen
AI as a Printer, or AI as a Thought Partner

As writing instructors, we have a choice in how we frame AI for our students. I invite you to:

Experiment with AI as a conversation partner yourself before introducing it to students
Design assignments that leverage AI’s strengths as a thought partner rather than trying to “AI-proof” your existing assignments
Explicitly teach students how to engage in productive dialogue with AI—how to ask good questions, challenge AI’s assumptions, and use it to refine rather than replace their thinking
Share your experiences, both positive and negative, with colleagues to build our collective understanding of effective AI integration

Market scan: What’s possible in the current skills validation ecosystem? [eddesignlab.org]

On 02/20/2025, in Alternatives, assessment, business, career development, change, changing business models, credentialing, experimentation, future, game-changing environment, ideas, skills, training / L&D, vendors, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Market scan: What’s possible in the current skills validation ecosystem? — from eddesignlab.org
Education Design Lab provides an overview of emerging practices + tools in this 2025 Skills Validation Market Scan.

Employers and opportunity seekers are excited about the possibilities of a skills-based ecosystem, but this new process for codifying a person’s experiences and abilities into skills requires one significant, and missing, piece: Trust. Employers need to trust that the credentials they receive from opportunity seekers are valid representations of their skills. Jobseekers need to trust that their digital credentials are safe, accurate, and will lead to employment and advancement.

Our hypothesis
We posit that the trust needed for the validation of skills to be brought into a meaningful reality is established through a network of skills validation methods and opportunities. We also recognize that the routes through which an individual can demonstrate skills are as varied as the individuals themselves. Therefore, in order to equitably create a skills-based employment ecosystem, the routes by which skills are validated must be held together with common standards and language, but flexible enough to accommodate a multitude of validation practices.

The Learning & Development Global Sentiment Survey 2025 [Taylor]

On 02/20/2025, in 21st century, adult learning, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, Augmented Reality (AR), Australia, business, Canada, change, CMS/LMS, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, digital learning, education technology, elearning, emerging technologies, Europe, experimentation, faculty/staff, game-changing environment, generational differences, global / globalization, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, learning preferences, lifelong learning, microlearning, personalized/customized learning, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, skills, technology (general), training / L&D, trends, UK, United States, universities, vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, XR - extended reality, by Daniel Christian

The Learning & Development Global Sentiment Survey 2025 — from donaldhtaylor.co.uk by Don Taylor

The L&D Global Sentiment Survey, now in its 12th year, once again asked two key questions of L&D professionals worldwide:

What will be hot in workplace learning in 2025?
What are your L&D challenges in 2025?

For the obligatory question on what they considered ‘hot’ topics, respondents voted for one to three of 15 suggested options, plus a free text ‘Other’ option. Over 3,000 voters participated from nearly 100 countries. 85% shared their challenges for 2025.

The results show more interest in AI, a renewed focus on showing the value of L&D, and some signs of greater maturity around our understanding of AI in L&D.

Like it or not, AI is learning how to influence you — from venturebeat.com by Louis Rosenberg

Unfortunately, without regulatory protections, we humans will likely become the objective that AI agents are tasked with optimizing.

I am most concerned about the conversational agents that will engage us in friendly dialog throughout our daily lives. They will speak to us through photorealistic avatars on our PCs and phones and soon, through AI-powered glasses that will guide us through our days. Unless there are clear restrictions, these agents will be designed to conversationally probe us for information so they can characterize our temperaments, tendencies, personalities and desires, and use those traits to maximize their persuasive impact when working to sell us products, pitch us services or convince us to believe misinformation.
.

The Anthropic Economic Index

On 02/11/2025, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business, career development, change, corporate / business world, data related items, economics, research, vocational / trades, workplace, by Daniel Christian

The Anthropic Economic Index — from anthropic.com; via George Siemens

In the coming years, AI systems will have a major impact on the ways people work. For that reason, we’re launching the Anthropic Economic Index, an initiative aimed at understanding AI’s effects on labor markets and the economy over time.

The Index’s initial report provides first-of-its-kind data and analysis based on millions of anonymized conversations on Claude.ai, revealing the clearest picture yet of how AI is being incorporated into real-world tasks across the modern economy.

We’re also open sourcing the dataset used for this analysis, so researchers can build on and extend our findings.

Degree in hand, jobs out of reach: Why recent grads are struggling in a competitive market [Jaramillo-Plata]

On 02/07/2025, in business, career development, colleges, community colleges, corporate / business world, curriculum, expectations, faculty/staff, higher education, parents/guardians, skills, staying relevant, student-related, surviving, United States, universities, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Degree in hand, jobs out of reach: Why recent grads are struggling in a competitive market — from cnn.com by Nayeli Jaramillo-Plata; via Ryan Craig

Bellebuono’s story isn’t unique. A recent study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported the widest unemployment gap between new graduates and experienced degree holders since the 1990s.

The struggle to find work
The unemployment gap is partly due to the increase in competition and changing employer expectations, said David Deming, professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.
…
Skill requirements for entry-level roles are higher today than a decade ago, he said. But the change has been gradual from year to year.

A Practical Framework for Microlearning Success: A Guide for Learning Leaders [Defelice]

On 01/22/2025, in adult learning, business, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, instructional design, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, microlearning, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, training / L&D, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

A Practical Framework for Microlearning Success: A Guide for Learning Leaders — from learningguild.com by Robyn A. Defelice

Gaining insight from the framework

Goals or Measurable Outcomes

Key question: What business results do you expect from your microlearning strategy?
Why it’s valuable: Clear, measurable outcomes create a foundation for alignment and accountability.

Purpose

Key question: Why does this microlearning initiative exist?
Why it’s valuable: L&D needs to know if they are solving a specific problem, supporting a broader strategy, or providing foundational knowledge.

Potential

Key question: What opportunities exist if the purpose is actualized?
Why it’s valuable: This helps to put into focus the measurable outcomes or if it is a true need for L&D to address.

Evaluation

Key question: How will you measure success?
Why it’s valuable: Defining metrics that track learner progress and link to business impact ensures that the design of these pieces is part of the overall solution and implementation plan.

…and more

By focusing on short-term wins, auditing for gaps, and planning strategically, L&D leaders can create initiatives that deliver meaningful, sustained results.

Advice for students: Be adaptable. Be agile. Be lifelong learners. [Christian]

On 01/22/2025, in business, career development, change, changing business models, corporate / business world, Daniel S. Christian, ideas, lifelong learning, productivity / tips and tricks, reinvent, skills, society, staying relevant, student-related, surviving, training / L&D, United States, workplace, by Daniel Christian

‘Lazy and Mediocre’ HR Team Fired After Manager’s Own CV Gets Auto-Rejected in Seconds, Exposing System Failure

On 01/21/2025, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), business, career development, corporate / business world, Daniel S. Christian, intelligent systems, IT in HE, UK, United States, workplace, by Daniel Christian

‘Lazy and Mediocre’ HR Team Fired After Manager’s Own CV Gets Auto-Rejected in Seconds, Exposing System Failure — from ibtimes.co.uk by Vinay Patel
The automated system’s error highlights the potential for bias and inefficiency in technology-driven HR practices

An entire HR team was terminated after their manager discovered and confirmed that their system automatically rejected all candidates — including his own application.

The manager wrote in their comment, “Auto rejection systems from HR make me angry.” They explained that while searching for a new employee, their HR department could not find a single qualified candidate in three months. As expected, the suspicious manager decided to investigate.

“I created myself a new email and sent them a modified version of my CV with a fake name to see what was going on with the process,” they wrote. “And guess what, I got auto-rejected. HR didn’t even look at my CV.”

When the manager reported the issue to upper management, “half of the HR department was fired in the following weeks.” A typographical error with significant consequences caused the entire problem.

The manager works in the tech industry and was trying to hire developers. However, HR had set up the system to search for developers with expertise in the wrong development software and one that no longer exists.

From DSC:
Back in 2017, I had survived several rounds of layoffs at the then Calvin College (now Calvin University) but I didn’t survive the layoff of 12 people in the spring of 2017. I hadn’t needed to interview for a new job in quite a while. So boy, did I get a wake-up call with discovering that Applicant Tracking Systems existed and could be tough to get past. (Also, the old-school job replacement firm that Calvin hired wasn’t much help in dealing with them either.)

I didn’t like these ATSs then, and I still have my concerns about them now. The above article points out that my concerns were/are at least somewhat founded. And if you take the entire day to research and apply for a position — only to get an instant reply back from the ATS — it’s very frustrating and discouraging.

Plus the ATSs may not pick up on nuances. An experienced human being might be able to see that a candidate’s skills are highly relevant and/or transferable to the position that they’re hiring for.

Networking is key of course. But not everyone has been taught about networking and not everyone gets past the ATS to get their resume viewed by a pair of human eyes. HR, IT, and any other relevant groups here need to be very careful with programming their ATSs.

A Community College’s Guide to Building Strong Partnerships [eddesignlab.org]

On 01/21/2025, in Amazon, business, career development, collaboration, communications, community colleges, higher education, instructional design, leadership, learning ecosystem, skills, society, strategy, United States, vendors, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

A Community College’s Guide to Building Strong Partnerships — from eddesignlab.org

This November 2024 guidebook offers higher education practitioners actionable strategies for building and sustaining partnerships that both meet regional needs and support students, families, and communities. This work was based on the design and delivery of dual enrollment pathways as part of the Lab’s Designers in Residence 2.0: Accelerating Pathways project.
…
The practices and case studies shared here are informed by higher education leaders across six community colleges as part of the Lab’s Designers in Residence program.

We have organized the guidebook based on core elements of a strong partnerships strategy, alongside how to establish a strong foundation and sustain and maintain the partnerships you’ve built. Through our research, we’ve identified four key elements of strong partnerships:

+ Communication and collaboration
+ Shared vision
+ Adaptive and responsive
+ Action-oriented

You will find guiding questions, tools, and case studies within each of the four elements.
.

Also from The Education Design Lab:

Skills Validation Guidebook: 10 Steps to Design a High-Quality Skills Validator
The Skills Validation Guidebook (October 2024) aims to inform + empower designers of skill validators, such as educators, instructional designers, and hiring managers, to support stakeholders in the skills-based ecosystem.

10 Higher Ed Trends to Watch In 2025 — from insidetrack.org

While “polarization” was Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2024, we have some early frontrunners for 2025 — especially when it comes to higher education. Change. Agility. Uncertainty. Flexibility. As we take a deep dive into the trends on tap for higher education in the coming year, it’s important to note that, with an incoming administration who has vowed to shake things up, the current postsecondary system could be turned on its head. With that in mind, we wade into our yearly look at the topics and trends that will be making headlines — and making waves — in the year ahead.

#Highereducation #learningecosystems #change #trends #businessmodels #trends #onlinelearning #AI #DEI #skillsbasedlearning #skills #alternatives #LearningandEmploymentRecords #LERs #valueofhighereducation #GenAI

The Best of AI 2024: Top Winners Across 9 Categories — from aiwithallie.beehiiv.com by Allie Miller
2025 will be our weirdest year in AI yet. Read this so you’re more prepared.

Top AI Tools of 2024 — from ai-supremacy.com by Michael Spencer (behind a paywall)
Which AI tools stood out for me in 2024? My list.

Memorable AI Tools of 2024
Catergories included:

Useful
Popular
Captures the zeighest of AI product innovation
Fun to try
Personally satisfying

NotebookLM
Perplexity
Claude
…

New “best” AI tool? Really? — from theneurondaily.com by Noah and Grant
PLUS: A free workaround to the “best” new AI…

What is Google’s Deep Research tool, and is it really “the best” AI research tool out there?
…
Here’s how it works: Think of Deep Research as a research team that can simultaneously analyze 50+ websites, compile findings, and create comprehensive reports—complete with citations.

Unlike asking ChatGPT to research for you, Deep Research shows you its research plan before executing, letting you edit the approach to get exactly what you need.
…
It’s currently free for the first month (though it’ll eventually be $20/month) when bundled with Gemini Advanced. Then again, Perplexity is always free…just saying.

We couldn’t just take J-Cal’s word for it, so we rounded up some other takes:

Income Stream Surfers compared it to Perplexity …
Teacher’s Tech demo’d how prompt detail drastically affects results…
Olivio Sarikas used it to analyze tweet performance …

Our take: We then compared Perplexity, ChatGPT Search, and Deep Research (which we’re calling DR, or “The Docta” for short) on robot capabilities from CES revealed:

An excerpt from today’s Morning Edition from Bloomberg

Global banks will cut as many as 200,000 jobs in the next three to five years—a net 3% of the workforce—as AI takes on more tasks, according to a Bloomberg Intelligence survey. Back, middle office and operations are most at risk. A reminder that Citi said last year that AI is likely to replace more jobs in banking than in any other sector. JPMorgan had a more optimistic view (from an employee perspective, at any rate), saying its AI rollout has augmented, not replaced, jobs so far.

Learning Ecosystems

Market scan: What’s possible in the current skills validation ecosystem? [eddesignlab.org]

A Practical Framework for Microlearning Success: A Guide for Learning Leaders [Defelice]

A Community College’s Guide to Building Strong Partnerships [eddesignlab.org]

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