The Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) recently brought together Fortune 500 companies and college leaders who share a commitment to higher education as America’s leading solution for hiring and training America’s workforce. Key themes? Immigration policy and its impact on both business and higher education, data transparency investments and policy alignment, and regional partnerships and AI integration.

State governments and companies claim to be moving away from degree requirements, but what do labor market trends reveal?

Our latest blog post shares more about our 2025 impact agenda and key goals. We envision a future where higher education and business collaborate seamlessly to develop a skilled, adaptable workforce—one that drives innovation, fuels economic growth, and empowers individuals to thrive in meaningful careers. While we’re not there yet, the Business-Higher Education Forum is proud to support those in both sectors who are leading the way!

The report highlighted four key skill clusters: Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML), Cloud Computing, Product Management, and Social Media. These skills were predicted to impact a diverse set of industries and job roles. Two years later, our prediction about AI/ML has certainly proven accurate...

The skills-based hiring movement is gaining well-deserved momentum for several compelling reasons. Yet, despite considerable enthusiasm, recent research reveals that skills-based hiring influenced fewer than 1 in 700 hires last year, with most of the change attributed to a small subset of companies. BHEF is working to ensure that we marry the best of skills-based approaches with ensuring that all Americans also have access to affordable, high-quality, credential pathways into the economy of the future.

The Business-Higher Education Forum's fall convening addressed the challenges we face connecting talent to opportunity and focused on co-designing solutions to meet the fast-evolving needs of learners, industry, and our economy. Read more about what's next.

Our research identifies five key criteria indicating which occupations are most susceptible to AI-driven transformation.

Earlier this year, BHEF launched its first-ever Faculty Innovation Fellowship. The fellowship brings together a curated network of faculty members – nominated by the presidents, chancellors, or deans of BHEF-member institutions and strategic partners – to launch or enhance new or innovative employer-aligned concepts on their campus as capstone projects. 

We looked at the current demand for AI skills across various career fields to understand which occupations are seeing the most need for AI skills.

The time is ripe for business to partner with higher education on models for upskilling and reskilling. Higher education can demonstrate its value in developing upskilling initiatives in partnership with business in three compelling ways.

Employment in the U.S. is projected to increase to over 4.6 million jobs by 2032. What are the current occupational trends and which jobs are expected to see the most growth?

This roundtable session focused on “Green Jobs of the Future.” Buoyed by hundreds of billions of federal investments, corporate strategies focused on sustainability, green jobs, and green skills are among the fastest growing in the economy. The discussion centered on how we can address skills needs and cultivate the next generation of green talent.

In a competitive and fast changing global economy, we must build for relevance and impact by aligning education with business and industry needs. So what have decades of experience bridging the working and learning gap taught us about the key, replicable ingredients for success?

The term “green skills” isn’t a new one. But its presence as a driver for policy, workforce investment, job demand, and higher education alignment is roaring back.

The Business-Higher Education Forum convened education and business leaders at Miami Dade College in March 2024 to distill the latest insights on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the workforce and to share and develop proactive and collaborative strategies to address worker and learner needs.