We asked our WorkingNation Advisory Board to share their thoughts on the most important issues and challenges facing the workforce and the labor market in 2024.

Jill Buban is the chief growth officer for EdPlus at Arizona State University. She is one of the nation’s leading working learner experts and is passionate about increasing access to educational opportunities that make a concrete difference for these learners.

Here are her thoughts on The Future of Work 2024.

“When I think about going into 2024 and what some of the biggest challenges are to get workers going into high-paying jobs, I have to think about the connections between education and corporate America.

“How are we communicating to these employees the types of skills that they need for these jobs? Do they need a degree? Is it a micro credential? And what is that pathway to a higher-paying job?

“I think that we’re very good at building different opportunities, whether it be through some nonprofit consortiums or higher ed. We’ve built it, now how do we get them there?

“So, how are we communicating to the labor force? How are we bringing post-secondary ed and ed tech companies in this space together to identify the skills needed and demonstrate a pathway that can be communicated to employees?

We have to help adult learners succeed in their dreams of financial stability

We asked our WorkingNation Advisory Board to share their thoughts on the most important issues and challenges facing the workforce and the labor market in the coming year. Jill Buban is the chief growth officer for EdPlus at Arizona State University.

“I’ve always been focused on the adult working learner for the past couple of decades of my career and really seeing those adults be successful.

“I’m the one in the back of the Uber that talks to the driver and asks if they’re taking advantage of their benefits. I’m always asking people – my friends tell me to stop talking to the waitresses and waiters and telling them to go back to school – but I’m always thinking about how can we not only encourage the adult population to go back to school, but how can they be successful at that?

“The first step is getting an application in is the easiest step. But that success towards their dream, towards a new credential, towards more financial stability – that’s what I think about. Being able to talk about the array of offerings that are beneficial in the workforce and beneficial depending on the type of worker and their goals really keeps me going and passionate.

“So the more people we can upskill and get them situated towards a more stable life, lifestyle – the more I can feel I’m doing good in the world.”

Read more from our WorkingNation Advisory Board members on The Future of Work 2024.