We live in a rapidly evolving world shaped by artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies, and we are preparing students for an uncertain future. These changes require educators to continue learning and exploring, to prepare students. We now have to focus on career-connected learning. This learning will help bridge the gap between education and the workforce, enabling students to develop adaptability, purpose, and the real-world skills necessary to thrive in jobs that may not yet exist.

Technology has been advancing at a rate faster than we could have imagined. From AI and automation to data analytics and immersive learning and working environments, the world of work is undergoing a significant transformation. As educators, we can no longer predict with certainty what future jobs will look like, but we can work to equip students with the flexibility and curiosity to succeed in any setting.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) provides valuable information and insights into in-demand skills. I refer to their Top 10 skills often as I work to prepare my students for the future. The WEF continues to emphasize the importance of transferable, human-centered skills. Its list of in-demand competencies, which include analytical thinking, creativity, resilience, and technological literacy, highlights how the focus has shifted from content memorization to capability building. To prepare our students, the best we can do is to always focus on connecting their learning to real-world experiences which will help them to experience authentic learning and develop skills in adaptability and many other essential skills.

What Does “Career Ready” actually mean today?

Traditionally, being “career ready” has referred to having strong academics and a set of soft skills such as collaboration and communication. While these are still essential skills, we have to also focus on skills in digital literacy, ethical reasoning, and the ability to navigate technologies increasingly powered by AI.

To truly prepare students, we must also help them use AI as a collaborative tool that enhances and does not replace their opportunities for learning. By leveraging platforms such as ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas, analyze information, and refine their thinking or using platforms such as Brisk Teaching, Kira Learning, Learning Genie, Magic School, School AI, and others, we can create opportunities for them or place AI in their hands. As more careers begin to require AI proficiency, classroom experiences that integrate generative tools responsibly will ensure students are well-prepared for the digital demands of the workplace.

Designing Spaces for Exploration and Purpose

Career-connected learning transforms classrooms into environments of exploration. Students need opportunities to dream big, test their ideas, fail, and iterate, and apply their skills in authentic contexts. Through hands-on projects and simulations that reflect real-world scenarios, we will foster curiosity while demonstrating the relevance of what students learn.

When we build intentional career connections into learning, we empower students to see themselves as the creators and innovators. By bringing in design thinking projects, project-based learning (PBL), place-based learning, community partnerships, or global collaboration, relevance and purpose become the driving forces behind engagement.

Elements of Career-Connected Learning

• Project-Based Learning (PBL): Develop projects that address community or industry needs.
• Emerging Tech Integration: Introduce students to AI, coding, and data science.
• Authentic, Real-World Tasks: Use simulations or case studies that are based on real-world issues.
• Partnerships: Collaborate with local businesses, universities, or nonprofits to provide mentorship or feedback.
• Skill Challenges: Incorporate AI, cybersecurity, or innovation competitions that mirror workforce skills.

An important focus of all of this is promoting student agency. When students see that their work connects to real-world possibilities, it boosts motivation and engagement in learning and promotes long-term retention.

The WEF’s Future of Jobs Report predicts that by 2027, 85 million jobs will be displaced by automation and AI—but 97 million new roles will emerge. These new opportunities will require high-level cognitive ability, digital agility, and ethical decision-making.

Roles like AI ethics consultant, digital twin designer, and data privacy advocate are already appearing—and most students haven’t even heard of them. Meanwhile, more than half of all workers will need reskilling within a few years. This shift highlights a crucial point: education must evolve to keep pace with innovation.

Strategies for Building Career-Connected Classrooms

1. Create Interdisciplinary Learning Experiences
   Combine subjects to reflect real-world problem-solving. For instance, collaborate math and art for data visualization projects, or integrate English and computer science to explore ethical storytelling with AI.
2. Leverage AI Tools to Design Career-Ready Tasks
   Platforms like Eduaide, Kira Learning, Knowt, MagicSchool AI, and Brisk Teaching can help educators design simulations or career-based challenges aligned with workforce trends without adding to planning time. Lack of time and resources are the top two reasons that bringing AI experiences into classrooms can be a challenge.
3. Partner with Industry and Community Organizations
   Collaborate with businesses, universities, and nonprofits to provide mentorship, guest speakers, job shadowing, and feedback on student projects. Even virtual connections can make a lasting impact. Not only do students benefit, but the greater school community learns from these experiences and it further solidifies the home to school connection and the sense of a supportive school community.
4. Empower Students to Lead
   Provide students with an opportunity to create and lead tech support programs, host digital wellness campaigns, or work with their teachers on technology developments.

Keeping the focus on human skills

Career-connected learning isn’t just about building skills. It is about skills, and it’s also about building identity and purpose. It helps students answer three essential questions:
Who am I? Where am I going? How can I make a difference?

As automation and AI reshape every industry, schools must prioritize technological fluency and human skills such as compassion, creativity, and ethical reasoning. Keeping humanity involved is essential, as this is what distinguishes us from machines and the technologies available.

Educators play a crucial role in striking a balance between innovation and humanity. By providing students with authentic opportunities to explore careers, solve problems, and apply their learning, we’re helping them become not just workers of tomorrow, but leaders, innovators, and changemakers.

About Rachelle

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle received her Doctorate in Instructional Technology, with a research focus on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!

Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader who served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. By EdTech Digest, she was named the EdTech Trendsetter of 2024, one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021, and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.

She is the author of ten books, including ‘What The Tech? An Educator’s Guide to AI, AR/VR, the Metaverse and More” and ‘How To Teach AI’. In addition, other books include, “In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” “Things I Wish […] Knew” and her newest “How To Teach AI” is available from ISTE or on Amazon.

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