Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Matt Wilkerson, Founder & CEO at Extern; Heather Stefanski, Partner and Chief Learning and Development Officer at McKinsey; Stephanie Veck, Strategic Partnerships Lead, Economic Opportunity at American Institutes for Research (AIR); John Koelliker, CEO & Co-Founder at Leland; and Raymond Sass, Senior Vice President at Lightcast.

The speakers explored how the so-called entry-level jobs crisis has shifted from a headline-driven problem to an urgent opportunity for redesign. They challenged the assumption that early-career talent must arrive fully “ready” and instead examined how leading employers are transforming real work into the primary engine for learning.

The session discussed how embedded learning cultures, hands-on experience, and learning in the flow of work are helping close the experience gap by rethinking how people start, grow, and thrive in their first roles. From redefining what it means to be qualified to redesigning entry-level roles so contribution is immediate and learning is continuous, the panel highlighted how companies can build capability from day one while delivering real business value. Rather than reviving outdated models, the conversation focused on creating new frameworks where potential compounds over time.