Of all the trends emerging from the economic fallout of COVID-19, one of the most troubling has been the exodus of parents from the labor market. Declines in workforce participation have been steepest for mothers of color, who are disproportionately represented in low-wage and frontline jobs. Higher education is a key way to move up the economic ladder, but unlike previous recessions, we’ve also seen precipitous declines in enrollment, particularly at community colleges. Together, these trends pose a threat to equitable opportunity and economic recovery. How can postsecondary education better serve student parents? This session draws on qualitative and quantitative research to illuminate the experience of parents in postsecondary education and surface promising solutions to support their success. In addition to insights from researchers and innovators, this session will also feature perspectives from student parents speaking about their education and career journeys. Participants will leave with actionable strategies to engage, enroll, and support student parents — a population that is critical to serve if we are to achieve a more equitable economic recovery.

What do aspiring adult learners need in order to enroll in and complete a postsecondary pathway with purpose? And how has Covid-19 changed their needs and aspirations? Drawing on surveys, focus groups, and interviews with adult learners from 2019, 2020, and 2021, Strada Education Network will examine the challenges that adult learners face, what they seek to achieve with their education, and what supports they find most valuable.

Long Life Learning offers readers a glimpse into a future where the average working life has no beginning, middle, or end. Contemplating a shift from the educational all-you-can-eat-buffet of college and university to an “as-you-need-it” approach to delivering education, author Michelle Weise explains why and how worker education is overdue for momentous changes.

You can’t judge a job by its title. The same role can actually require different combinations of skills, called “skill shapes,” depending on the industry, employer and region. People have skill shapes too, formed by their work experience and training. Skills gaps emerge when the skill shapes that employers need don’t align with the skill shapes that local workers offer. Precise learning pathways, attuned to regional workforce demands, can close those gaps by helping people develop a skill shape that snaps into place in the local labor market. This 2-minute video reveals what a job title doesn’t tell you, and how skill shapes analysis can help connect more people with their perfect career match.