Written By: Jennifer McDaniel, Chief Operations Officer

The Workforce Isn’t a Future Problem. It’s a Right Now Problem

We tend to talk about the workforce as if it’s something we’re preparing for someday.

Future jobs. Future skills. Future talent pipelines.

But if you talk to employers today, the message is clear: the workforce challenge isn’t coming. It’s already here.

Across industries, organizations are struggling to fill roles that are critical to their operations. From healthcare and public utilities to skilled trades and technology, the gap between available jobs and prepared talent continues to widen.

At the same time, schools are being asked to prepare students for that workforce, often with limited time and resources and a growing list of expectations that somehow must all be met before graduation. No pressure.

Somewhere in the middle of those two realities is a disconnect that policy alone has not yet solved.

For years, the dominant strategy has been simple: push more students toward college, and the workforce will sort itself out. But recent data continues to challenge that assumption. Many graduates are entering the labor market without the experience, networks, or applied skills needed to transition smoothly into career-aligned roles.

In fact, research from the Burning Glass Institute and Strada Education Foundation shows that a significant percentage of college graduates are underemployed even years after earning their degree.

This is not a failure of students.
It’s a mismatch of systems.

Employers need experience-ready candidates.
Students are graduating with limited exposure to real work environments.
Schools are doing their best within structures that were not designed for today’s labor market.

And policy conversations, while important, often move slower than the pace of change.

So what actually works?

Proximity. Experience. Connection.

When students have the opportunity to engage with real employers, solve real problems, and see how their skills apply beyond the classroom, everything changes. Career decisions become more informed. Confidence increases. And the transition from education to employment becomes far more intentional.

For employers, the shift is just as important. Waiting for “qualified candidates” to appear is no longer a reliable strategy. Building talent early through internships, mentorship, and meaningful engagement is becoming essential.

Because here’s the reality: You can’t hire talent that hasn’t had the chance to become talent yet.

This is not about choosing between college and career.

It’s about recognizing that neither works well in isolation anymore.

The most effective systems are the ones that connect them early, often, and with purpose. Where students do not just learn about careers, they experience them. Where employers do not just recruit talent, they help shape it.

While national conversations continue, the most meaningful progress is happening locally. Schools, employers, and community partners who are willing to work together are creating solutions that are faster, more relevant, and far more aligned with real-world needs.

Because at the end of the day, workforce development is not just an economic issue.

It is a human one.

It is about whether students can see a future for themselves.
Whether employers can grow sustainably.
And whether communities can build something that lasts.

The workforce is not a future problem.

It is a right now responsibility.

And the systems that act like it will be the ones that win.