In this episode, host Steven Bunker sits down with Mallory Palisch, president of Craft Education and a serial entrepreneur in the social impact space, to discuss the power of earn-and-learn pathways and the need to better connect education with real-world work experience. Their conversation centers on rethinking higher education, workforce development, and how apprenticeship-based models can unlock opportunity at scale.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why traditional education systems often undervalue real-world experience and how that impacts workforce mobility
• How Mallory’s personal background shaped her mission to bridge education and employment
• The concept of earn-and-learn pathways and why they are critical for modern workforce development
• Where the biggest growth opportunities lie in aligning employers with education providers
• Why the ROI of higher education is being reassessed, especially due to rising costs
• How AI is accelerating processes like credit for prior learning and reducing barriers to degree attainment
• The persistent challenge of changing institutional mindsets within higher education
• Why talent decisions are the most complex and consequential challenges for growing organizations

Mallory Palisch’s journey highlights a fundamental shift underway in how society thinks about education, credentials, and opportunity. By challenging long-held assumptions about where and how learning happens, she is helping to create scalable systems that recognize experience, reduce barriers to entry, and align talent with workforce needs. Her work underscores the idea that meaningful change requires both structural innovation and a long-term mindset, especially when navigating deeply entrenched systems.

To learn more about Mallory Palisch and her work, visit crafteducation.com.