Reimagining the Future of Work
Jane Swift Joins Panel Discussion at JFF Horizons 2025
At the 2025 JFF Horizons conference, Education at Work President Jane Swift joined a dynamic panel to discuss how Gen Z is reshaping the future of work. The conversation explored how skills-first learning, flexible pathways, and real-world experience are redefining the value of a college degree. Swift shared how Education at Work is helping lead this shift by connecting students to purpose-driven, paid work experiences that prepare them for long-term success.
At this year’s Horizons, a national education and workforce summit organized by Jobs for the Future, Education at Work President and former Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift took the stage alongside leading voices in talent engagement and workforce development to explore the evolving value of a college degree in a skills-first world. Held in New Orleans, the panel discussion—“Gen Z Career Paths: Renewing the Degree’s Value in a Skills-Driven World”— was a powerful cross-sector dialogue on how to empower Gen Z with flexible, purpose-driven pathways to quality jobs.
Moderated by The Wall Street Journal economics reporter Rachel Wolfe, the conversation featured Jane Swift, Valerie Capers Workman (Chief Talent Engagement Officer at Handshake), and Kevin Stump, Ed.D. (Vice President of Impact at Education Design Lab). The discussion centered around how Gen Z is reshaping traditional career trajectories and demanding new models of education and employment that emphasize skills over credentials, experience over theory, and purpose over prestige.
Swift, drawing from her leadership at Education at Work, emphasized the urgent need to bridge the gap between higher education and workforce demands through real-world, paid work experiences that build both soft and technical skills. She spoke passionately about the transformative power of experiential learning and the role of institutions like E@W in creating scalable, inclusive talent pipelines for employers -particularly those looking to reach new, diverse, tech-savvy talent.
Panelists also explored the rising popularity of career and technical education, the shifting influence of AI on the job market, and the importance of preparing students—especially young men—for meaningful, future-ready careers. When asked what single change she hopes to see in the next decade, Swift called for a radical rethinking of the student-employer relationship, where work-based learning becomes the norm rather than the exception.