The country’s understanding of success in postsecondary education has evolved dramatically during the past two decades. Leaders have come to more fully understand that access and completion don’t mean much if credentials don’t translate to good careers—and ultimately to equitable growth and economic advancement.
Yet our education and career systems, by and large, remain fragmented. Media coverage reflects that, treating college and the labor market like separate universes.
We aim to change that with the launch of Work Shift this week. It’s a digital hub for news, analysis, and opinion focused squarely on the intersection of education and work. You can read more about our vision and team here.
One of our first stories looks at how Indiana has become a proving ground for short-term credentials in high-demand fields, with Ivy Tech Community College doing the heavy lifting. Another article features a range of perspectives from people doing the real work of connecting education to career—counselors, leaders at staffing agencies, and students themselves. They talked with us about what’s working well, what needs to change, and what’s still uncertain as the Covid-19 recovery continues. The interviews made clear that the landscape—especially what people expect for their education and career—is shifting.
We’ll be building out our coverage over the coming months, and would love to hear your thoughts about:
- What you think of the first stories and what you’d like to see more of. Please take this short reader survey.
- Story ideas—email suggestions to workshift@opencampusmedia.org.
- Your perspective on how to improve connections between education and work. You can find out more about how to submit an op-ed or other commentary piece here.
Finally, we’d like to acknowledge our initial underwriters, Cognizant Foundation, ECMC Foundation, and Strada Education Network, whose support has been instrumental in getting Work Shift up and running. As a nonprofit newsroom in the Open Campus network, we’re committed to transparency about our funding and subscribe to the Institute for Nonprofit News’ standards for editorial independence.
Thanks for reading, and please be in touch!
Elyse Ashburn
Editor
