How Will California Educate Its Future Workforce?

With the largest population of public school students in the country, and an even larger workforce, California has a lot riding on educating its future workers. Pressed by economic and technological shifts and facing enrollment declines, how will the state think outside the box—employing non-traditional learning approaches to remain competitive? Will this mean reimagining the state’s mission to provide quality public higher education, or devising new ways to leverage “cradle-to-career” data to drive student and worker success? Will AI be student, teacher, or aide in our classrooms? And how will regions like the Inland Empire forge strong career pathways for future workers who want to join booming healthcare, manufacturing, and green technology sectors? Health workforce manager Vicky Bocanegra, higher education and workforce policy leader Su Jin Jez, and Growing Inland Achievement president and CEO Ashish Vaidya discuss how best to prepare California’s students for the big, bright world ahead. Moderated by Adam Echelman (Higher Education and Workforce Reporter, CalMatters) Co-presented by Zócalo Public Square and Inland Empire Community Foundation, in partnership with California Humanities, with generous support from The James Irvine Foundation. This program is part of Zócalo's series “What Connects California?,” marking the 175th anniversary of California’s statehood.