Two trends are of note, according to education investor Ryan Craig, managing director of Achieve Partners. Tech investing and education to employment.

Even with the growing focus on improving digital skills for all, many are still being left behind in the digital economy. Achieve Partners invests in technologies and business models “to bolster skill development and secure the future of work for millions of Americans.”

Says Craig, “We have a fund that we’ve just launched where we’re building apprenticeships into business services companies that operate in skill gap sectors of the economy.”

“But with all of these sorts of intermediaries that help bridge the gap between the education ecosystem and employers, and employment, we’re seeing a ton of interest in those companies and companies similar to ed tech companies that have achieved some scale in that space are trading at a significant premium.”

He continues, “Last mile training is the term that we’ve coined to reflect what we think the gap is between what employers are currently demanding and what our education ecosystem is providing. It’s primarily a combination of specific tech skills, tech stacks, platform skills that really colleges and universities don’t train on much, if at all.”

“And the second element is understanding the landscape of business and business processes and how these companies and industries work, which is not something that even business schools do a very good job.”

Click here to learn more about Achieve Partners.

WorkingNation—a collaborating partner of the ASU+GSV Summit—spoke with Craig in San Diego as part of our #WorkingNationOverheard social media series.

Hear from more innovators in education and tech in the public, private, and nonprofit spheres attending the ASU+GSV Summit 2021 here.

Follow the conversation on social media: #asugsvsummit #workingnationoverheard