Episode 93: Who Needs College Anymore?

Sue Bethanis hosts Kathleen deLaski, Founder and Board Chair at the Education Design Lab, and author of the new book, Who Needs College Anymore? Imagining a Future Where Degrees Won’t Matter.

Drawing from her groundbreaking research with 125+ colleges and major employers, Kathleen outlines ten design principles to build a new system for getting people the skills they need for the jobs they want. From white-collar internships, hybrid high-school/college degrees, and boot camps to industry credentialing programs and even self-starters learning from YouTube, the future of work exists outside of traditional higher ed, and it’s time to scale up and out.

Sue and Kathleen discuss:

• The historical context of college degrees and how their perceived value is changing in
  today’s economy.
• How we center the needs of New-Majority Learners—the low- and moderate-income individuals, people of color, first-generation college students, veterans, and others who are underserved by traditional higher ed.
• Ten design principles to redefine college as a place where workforce training, corporate education, and traditional college paths merge and make a flexible and inclusive system for today’s learners.