We’re excited to bring you Crystal Clear: A Vision for the Future of California Higher Ed, a new season of Degrees of Change marking our organization’s 15th anniversary—our crystal anniversary.

For our second episode, California Competes CEO Su Jin Jez speaks with journalist Paul Fain about aligning higher education and workforce systems to build a strong, inclusive economy. Together, they explore what system alignment looks like in practice, the opportunities and risks of Workforce Pell, how AI is reshaping education and work, and what it will take to build an inclusive economy for all Californians.

Key Topics

• What aligning higher education and workforce systems actually means in practice, and where California stands relative to the rest of the country
• Workforce Pell's opportunities and risks, and why tuition is only part of the affordability equation
• How AI is reshaping education and work, and the need to cut through the hype to focus on what students and institutions need to prepare for

Our Guest

Paul Fain is a journalist who covers the connections between education and work. He is co-founder of Work Shift, editor of the newsletter The Job, and host of The Cusp podcast, which explores how AI is changing the ways we learn and work.

A veteran higher education reporter, Paul spent a decade at Inside Higher Ed as a senior reporter and news editor, where he led coverage of low-income and first-generation students, college completion, community colleges, and federal policy. 

In This Episode

• California Competes report, Insights from the Field: Barriers & Opportunities for Building Higher Education–Employer Partnerships: https://californiacompetes.org/resources/insights-from-the-field-barriers-opportunities-for-building-higher-education-employer-partnerships/ 
• California Cradle-to-Career Data System: https://c2c.ca.gov/ 
• California Alliance for Streamlining Public Investments and Resources for Every Student (California ASPIRES): https://californiacompetes.org/california-aspires/ 
• Georgetown Center on Education and Workforce report, Missed Opportunities: Credential Shortages in Programs Aligned with High-Paying Middle-Skills Jobs in 55 US Metro Areas: https://cew.georgetown.edu/cew-reports/high-paying-middle-skills/ 
• Pew Research report, Interest Surging in Nondegree Credentials but How Do Students Finance Them?: https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2025/10/23/interest-surging-in-nondegree-credentials-but-how-do-students-finance-them 
• Harvard's Project on Workforce: https://pw.hks.harvard.edu/ 
• California Competes report, From Institutions to Individuals: A Paradigm Sh

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