Which Industries, Occupations, and Sectors Will See the Highest Demand for AI Skills?

For decades, the relationship between higher education and employers rested on a primary handoff: colleges prepared students, employers hired them and taught them the job, and one launch carried a career. That model no longer holds. AI is reshaping work, and most people will need to reskill multiple times across their working lives. Read on for key themes and actions to move us forward coming out of the BHEF Fall Convening: A New Talent Compact for a Changing Economy.

A partnership pitch isn’t a script that everyone at an institution needs to memorize. It’s a shared set of messages that answer a few fundamental questions. These messages can be adapted for nearly any business engagement setting or industry context: a one-on-one conversation, outreach email, introductory meeting, one-pager, slide deck, website, or even an unexpected conversation with a business partner at an event. Read on for tips and examples from Tech Talent Accelerator 3.0 participating institutions on creating a partner pitch.

In practice, there is limited agreement on the minimum characteristics that define work-integrated learning models, and without greater consistency in how these experiences are defined and communicated, it becomes more difficult for employers, higher education institutions, and learners to understand the value of these experiences. A shared common language is needed.

What’s driving the investment of time, attention, and resources in business and higher education partnerships? These five reasons and actionable recommendations are grounded in insights gathered from our sixteen Pilot Grant Tech Talent Accelerator 3.0 industry partnerships in Connecticut, with far-reaching implications for other states, businesses, and higher education institutions across the country. 

AI and critical minerals are converging, and higher education is rising to meet the moment.

Fewer than 1 in 5 higher education leaders are fully executing on an industry partnership strategy. That gap is costing learners, employers, and regional economies. That's why BHEF developed Industry Partnerships that Last: A Playbook for Higher Education — a practical guide to building, structuring, and sustaining partnerships that actually work. Here are 7 actionable strategies.