EdGate Powers Podcast #36- with Jane Swift
As the workforce changes, students face growing challenges entering the job market. Employers increasingly expect graduates to bring both technical knowledge and practical experience, yet many students struggle to access the paid internships and early-career opportunities that help them develop those qualifications. Bridging this gap requires closer connections between education, employers, and real-world learning.
In this episode of the EdGate Powers Podcast, Rich Portelance speaks with Jane Swift, CEO of Education at Work, a national nonprofit that connects students with paid work-based learning opportunities. Drawing on her experience in public service and education leadership, Swift discusses how students can gain meaningful workplace experience, develop durable skills, and prepare for a rapidly evolving economy.
The conversation examines how generative AI is changing entry-level employment, why employers value skills such as communication, adaptability, and problem-solving, and how students can demonstrate those abilities through actual work experiences. Swift also explores the role of employers in career exploration, the importance of connecting classroom learning with workplace opportunities, and the responsible use of AI in developing students’ writing and critical-thinking skills.
In this episode, you will learn:
- How AI can support writing and information processing without replacing independent thinking.
- How generative AI is changing entry-level hiring and the skills employers expect from new graduates.
- What durable skills are and why communication, adaptability, resilience, and problem-solving matter across industries.
- How students can use the STAR method to communicate their experiences and demonstrate their abilities in interviews.
- How work-based learning can help students build professional confidence, cultural awareness, and transferable skills.
- Why career exploration and employer partnerships should begin before students reach college.
Why This Conversation Matters
For education leaders, the discussion highlights the importance of helping students connect academic learning with practical experiences. Career exploration, work-based learning, and opportunities to develop durable skills can help students better understand their strengths, recognize transferable abilities, and prepare for different career pathways. These experiences also provide opportunities to develop resilience and learn from mistakes.
For employers and education partners, Swift's perspective points to opportunities to expand access to meaningful early-career experiences. Employers can contribute through career exploration, paid student roles, and partnerships with existing educational programs rather than expecting schools or colleges to anticipate every workforce change independently. Stronger collaboration can help students gain relevant experience while giving organizations a more effective way to develop future talent.
Join Rich and Jane Swift as they explore how work-based learning can help students navigate a changing employment landscape and build the skills employers increasingly value.
Learn how the integration of work-based learning into education can help students successfully transition to the workforce.
Jane Swift is a talent development leader and the creator of innovative systems that connect education with the needs of today’s workforce. As a leader at Education at Work, she has focused on empowering students through career readiness, employer engagement, and stronger connections between education and employment. Her work brings a practical perspective on how education and industry can work together to build a skilled, adaptable workforce.
Rich is passionate about eEdTech and helping people discover pathways to successful careers. He leverages his many years of business experience in strategy, product development, brand creation and sales & marketing as a frequent industry speaker and sought after consultant.
Beginning his career in digital marketing and web development, Rich was recruited into the private, independent school market to help usher in digital technologies and social media. During this time, Richard served as a student advisor and was nominated to serve on the CAIS (Connecticut Association of Independent Schools) Technology Commission. In 2012, Rich joined York & Chapel, a brand and digital transformation agency where he began working with secondary and higher ed clients, developing strategies for student engagement and pathway creation. In 2014, Richard founded CareerPath, a SaaS engagement platform. Over the past ten years, Rich has given back to the industry as an advisor to numerous EdTech startups, and generally has had a blast doing what he loves to do — help others succeed.
Questions Answered
During the podcast, we tackle critical questions that many school leaders are asking as the education and technological landscape rapidly changes.
- How has Jane Swift's background shaped her committment to improving education?
- How does Education at Work connect students with work experience and career readiness?
- How can education publishers align curriculum across different state frameworks?
- What skills are employers asking students to develop to become job-ready?
- How can durable skills be incorporated into education standards earlier?
- Where is the gap between how colleges prepare students and what employers expect?
- Should schools begin teaching durable skills in the K-8 years?
- Is strong reading and writing ability more essential today than it was 30 to 40 years ago?
- How can schools connect AI prompting skills with standards and curriculum?
- How are résumés changing, and how are employers evaluating them?
- How can students recognize and communicate the skills they gain through work experience?
- Can schools teach resilience and grit within an A–F grading system?