Lumina Foundation

06/04/2026

There’s a lot of energy right now around workforce training, short-term credentials, and creating more pathways to good jobs, and that momentum matters. But are we making sure people have the basic math and literacy skills they need to succeed once they get there?

Too many adults are navigating these foundational skills gaps, and it’s making it harder for them to complete training, earn a credential, or move into a better job. Access alone isn’t enough.

Community colleges are helping lead a shift that deserves our attention. They’re treating literacy and numeracy as essential skills to develop along the way, not as a given by the time the student is already in the program.

That approach better reflects how people learn, work, and build careers. Link in the bio to learn more.

06/04/2026

There’s a lot of energy right now around workforce training, short-term credentials, and creating more pathways to good jobs, and that momentum matters. But are we making sure people have the basic math and literacy skills they need to succeed once they get there?

Too many adults are navigating these foundational skills gaps, and it’s making it harder for them to complete training, earn a credential, or move into a better job. Access alone isn’t enough.

Community colleges are helping lead a shift that deserves our attention. They’re treating literacy and numeracy as essential skills to develop along the way, not as a given by the time the student is already in the program.

That approach better reflects how people learn, work, and build careers.

Workforce education has inspired plenty of enthusiasm lately, but enthusiasm can't bridge foundational skills gaps.

06/03/2026

Students absolutely should be asking tough questions about college costs, debt, and whether a degree will lead to a good job.

Even students at institutions with strong placement rates and hands-on programs are still uneasy about what comes next, so the idea of "is college worth it?" isn't just a perception issue.

In this episode of PBS NewsHour's Rethinking College series, students at Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University described their very real anxiety about entering the workforce, with one student saying that college even set him back farther from his goals.

We have to face this by creating clear and affordable avenues in, through, and out of college. And we need systems that are designed to connect the talent that already exists to meaningful careers.

What needs to change so opportunity isn't left to chance?

This season's college commencement celebrations come at a sobering moment. Students are facing steep loans and dicey job prospects, especially in the AI era. That's led many to question whether a college degree is worth it anymore. Paul Solman visited Michigan to find out how some schools and studen...

06/02/2026

Preparing students for the future means more than giving them access to new technology.

They need support and training to learn how to use it thoughtfully, ethically, and effectively.

AI will continue to become part of the workplace, and we have the chance to connect learning with real opportunity by giving students hands-on experience with these tools while developing the critical thinking skills that technology can't replace.

NPR The California State University's AI initiative to balance both the promise and the challenges:

The California State University system offers an early look at what happens when an administration commits to a technology that its own community isn't convinced will improve education.

05/27/2026

In Pope Leo XIV's new encyclical on AI and human dignity, Jamie Merisotis sees a challenge to rethink what progress should mean.

"The future of AI should not be determined only by what machines can do," he writes in his latest for Forbes. "It should be determined by what human beings need in order to live lives of dignity, purpose, connection, and meaning."

If AI is reshaping work, then education and the workforce need to help people adapt, contribute, and thrive—not compete—with machines.

Pope Leo XIV's encyclical reminds us that a future in which millions of people feel economically unnecessary is a civic, cultural, and spiritual crisis.

05/26/2026

"Here is the part that actually matters for the rest of your life: The degree you just earned is worth a lot more than the headlines suggest."

In this USA TODAY piece, Lumina's Courtney Brown pushes back on the idea that today's graduates are entering a broken job market. The transition from college to career may be changing, but the long-term value of education beyond high school remains strong, especially when students can clearly see where learning leads.

https://lnkd.in/dkvCdMdh

The degree makes you more resilient when industries shift, more likely to get promoted and more able to move across sectors when you need to.

05/15/2026

"A degree is supposed to be an investment in your future, not a mortgage on it."

Michelle Singletary's final parting shot in her recent column in The Washington Post hits hard at the absurdity of placing the onus of affordability on students and their individual choices around school choice, loan amounts, or budgeting.

Students and families can't be forced to trade long-term financial stability for education. Affordability might be the buzzword of the day, but whatever you call it, it can't be a side issue. It shapes who gets access, who completes, and who can turn learning into economic security and mobility.

Read her full piece here:

By the time borrowers have paid off their education loans and can start saving, they’ve missed an early window to build wealth.

05/14/2026

If a job is essential to the economy, salaries should reflect that.

Child care keeps the workforce running, and yet, our systems price it like a luxury and expect it to fall on families. We're increasingly creating an economy where the people who make work possible can't afford to stay in it.

Fix that and more people can afford to work, learn, and stay in careers that communities depend on.

More from Washington Monthly:

New accountability rules could expose the childcare wage crisis and push states to fund early childhood work like the public good it is.

05/13/2026

Most students still believe education beyond high school is worth it. The challenge is whether our systems are keeping pace with what students and employers need now.

That was the major theme that emerged from this afternoon's webinar, "State of Higher Education: What Learners Say and Employers Want," featuring new national research from Lumina and Gallup alongside perspectives from leaders across higher education, workforce research, and policy.

Gallup's Stephanie Marken shared that students and graduates continue to see real value in earning a degree or credential. At the same time, confidence in higher education as a system has weakened as concerns about cost, affordability, transparency, and career connection grow.

"What we see in the data isn't a loss of belief, but a growing expectation," she said.

Laura Ullrich of Indeed brought a labor-market perspective, discussing how many graduates feel they did everything right and still face uncertainty, especially in fast-changing fields shaped by AI and shifting employer demand. Scott Fleming of SCHEV and Scott Pulsipher of Western Governors University pushed the conversation further, arguing that pathways should better align with real-world experience, durable skills, and lifelong learning.

We know learning matters, but what’s changing is what people expect it to lead to. Not just a credential, but a clearer path. Not just knowledge, but momentum.

We need to meet that standard.

05/13/2026

It's not too late to join this webinar, starting in just a few minutes at 1 p.m. EDT.

If a degree or credential says "you're ready" to the person who earns it, but employers don't see it, something needs to change in how we define and deliver value.

That's the gap this conversation takes on. What would it look like to align learning with real opportunity from the start?

Join here:

Ninety-three percent of college students in the U.S. say their school is teaching them the job-relevant skills they need. Only half of employers agree. So,