AI and automation are reshaping the workforce at a pace that outstrips how quickly most schools can adapt. As industries evolve and new careers emerge, many of today’s students are preparing for jobs that don’t even exist yet. At the same time, employers are shifting focus—valuing adaptable, in-demand skills over traditional degrees.

This presents a critical opportunity for education solution providers to step in. By equipping schools with scalable, forward-thinking tools and programs, providers help prepare students not just for what’s now but what’s next in the ever-changing world of work.

Forbes notes that skills are quickly becoming more valuable than degrees, with employers focusing more on what candidates can do than on traditional credentials. According to NACE, 64.8% of employers already use skills-based hiring for entry-level roles.

At the same time, rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are creating entirely new job categories—many of which didn’t exist just a few years ago. Roles like prompt engineers, AI ethicists, and automation specialists are emerging across industries, signaling a shift in the very fabric of the workforce. This pace of change means students can’t just prepare for a single career—they need the agility to adapt, reskill, and evolve.

Even at the federal level, the growing importance of AI in education is being recognized. In one of its more forward-looking education initiatives, the Trump administration issued an executive order prioritizing AI literacy and workforce readiness for students. The order emphasized:

• Early exposure to AI concepts
• Support for teacher training
• The creation of public-private partnerships to expand access to AI tools and education

A New Model for Student Success

For schools and students, the one-and-done education model no longer fits. Learners today need flexible, verifiable pathways that support ongoing growth. Stackable credentials and micro-certifications offer a powerful way to build and showcase skills in smaller, targeted steps. This helps students stay adaptable, career-ready, and prepared for jobs that may not yet exist.

How Solution Providers Can Lead the Way

With AI and automation reshaping the workforce, schools need flexible, tech-powered tools that support critical thinking, adaptability, and lifelong learning. Providers can help colleges build career-aligned pathways and deliver the stackable credentials today’s students—and employers—demand.

Tools That Transform: Enabling Real-World Learning and Future-Ready Skills

To prepare students for a workforce shaped by rapid innovation, many colleges are rethinking how they deliver learning. Here are three key ways institutions are adapting—and how education solution providers can offer support:

1. Empowering Skills With Stackable Credentials

Colleges are increasingly turning to stackable credentials and micro-certifications to keep pace with the evolving job market. These flexible learning pathways let students build real-world skills in smaller, bite-sized segments—stacking them into certificates or degrees over time. Schools like Purdue and SUNY are already leading the way, helping students gain industry-aligned credentials they can put to work immediately.

For solution providers, this is a chance to step in with user-friendly platforms that help institutions issue, track, and validate these credentials. The key? Making it simple for schools to align learning with in-demand skills and show employers what students can do.

2. Bridging Classroom and Career Through Experiential Learning

Today’s students need more than theory—they need experience. That’s why colleges like Northeastern and Georgia Tech are embedding internships, co-ops, and hands-on projects into their programs. These real-world opportunities give learners a direct line to industry, helping them apply what they’ve learned while building career confidence.

Technology plays an important role here, from platforms that match students with work-based learning partners to tools that help schools manage employer relationships. Vendors can add value by offering systems that simplify coordination, track outcomes, and help colleges scale these experiences for more students.

3. Personalizing Career Readiness With AI and Automation

AI and automation are reshaping how students prepare for the future. At schools like Arizona State University, AI-powered tools are helping students map out personalized learning paths, suggesting the right courses, certifications, and even potential career moves based on real-time job market trends. Automation is also streamlining services like academic advising and job matching, giving students faster, smarter support.

For education solution providers, this is a chance to bring AI-driven insights and automation into student support systems—helping colleges deliver personalized, future-ready guidance at scale.

How To Connect With Career-Focused Institutions

To support career-readiness priorities, you need more than a strong product—you need a smart strategy. Here are six best practices to build meaningful partnerships and show real value in a changing education landscape:

• Lead with impact, not features: Show how your solution helps institutions tackle real challenges, like closing skills gaps or improving job outcomes. Make it clear how you support both student success and institutional goals.
• Let data guide the way: Use education data to focus your outreach on schools leaning into innovation (i.e., those launching skills-based programs or prioritizing workforce alignment).
• Ensure flexibility: Highlight how your offering adapts to different school sizes, systems, and priorities. Institutions need tools that evolve with them, not ones that lock them in.
• Showcase tangible results: Back up your pitch with results. Share measurable wins, such as improved student outcomes, faster credential delivery, or stronger job placement rates.
• Tailor your message by role: Customize your approach for deans, tech leads, or career services staff. Speak to what each group cares about most.
• Keep the conversation going: Stay top of mind with consistent, timely content that reflects what schools are navigating now—from AI integration to shifting learner needs.

The Role of Providers in Shaping Tomorrow’s Workforce

Education solution providers have a powerful opportunity to reshape how institutions prepare students for the future. And by delivering AI-driven tools, credentialing support, and platforms for real-world learning, you can help schools build more flexible, future-ready pathways.

Agile Education Marketing supports this mission by providing comprehensive education data and actionable insights. With a clear view of institutional priorities and decision-maker behavior, providers can design innovative solutions that address real needs—and reach the right audiences at the right time through strategic, omnichannel marketing.

Ready to drive change where it matters most? Explore higher education data licenses, or reach out to connect.