Expert Interview: Tips to Support Workforce Readiness and Career Success in Higher Education

There has been a shift over the past several years in higher education as a growing number of young people are considering foregoing traditional institutions and considering vocational schools that offer paid, on-the-job training. To support changing demands, many institutions are assessing their current credentials and offerings, seeking to increase their focus on workforce readiness and career and technical education (CTE) programs. The hallmark of these programs is industry certifications that better prepare students for the modern workforce. However, this shift has been challenging.

We spoke with Velina Lee, General Manager of Career and Technical Education at Vector Solutions, to discuss the shifting landscape of workforce readiness, the challenges institutions are facing in preparing students for careers, and the innovative ways they’re overcoming those obstacles.

1) What are some of the most significant challenges you’re seeing in higher education around workforce readiness and career and technical education?

Lee: In recent years there has been pressure for higher education institutions to redefine themselves, prove their value, and operate more and more as a business. This is happening for a few reasons. The price tag for a college education has been rising exponentially, but the cost hasn’t necessarily aligned with outcomes in terms of students’ placement in jobs. On top of that, there has been a discrepancy between the skills the industry wants from college graduates, and what colleges are producing. These things are putting pressure on higher education institutions to justify to students and their parents, industry, and the institution’s funding partners, what the institution’s return on investment is.

More recently the political environment has added additional pressure with research funding being pulled in some cases. There has been a fundamental shift in higher education which has resulted in some higher education institutions closing their doors.

2) What are some trends you’re seeing among higher education institutions as a result of those challenges?

Lee: We’re seeing a growing shift among higher education institutions toward industry-aligned, career-focused learning. This is being driven by persistent workforce shortages in high-demand sectors like healthcare, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, green energy, and engineering. In response, colleges are expanding programs that prepare students not just for degrees, but for employment—many through career and technical education (CTE) pathways, short-term credentialing, and skills-based training.

Policy momentum is reinforcing this shift. Federal funding streams like Perkins V and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) remain strong, and recent efforts to expand Pell Grant eligibility to short-term programs have opened new doors for students pursuing accelerated, job-aligned training.

We’re also seeing institutions rethink the value proposition of a degree. It’s no longer enough to graduate with a diploma—students need to demonstrate specific, stackable skills that align with real-world roles. That’s why many colleges are embedding microcredentials and industry certifications into academic programs—whether it’s LEED certification in sustainability or an OSHA 10 card for construction readiness. These credentials help bridge the gap between academic experience and workplace expectations.

Equally important are the foundational professional skills—like communication, collaboration, accountability, and problem-solving. Employers increasingly expect graduates to come equipped with these soft skills, especially as AI continues to automate routine tasks. That’s where work-based learning—through internships, apprenticeships, and hands-on experience—plays a critical role. Colleges are embracing these models as a way to cultivate not just technical talent, but also workplace fluency.

Finally, we’re seeing students and institutions alike focus on maximizing the education experience. That means helping learners get the most out of their time in school—understanding how to build relationships with professors, navigate student organizations, and translate classroom learning into long-term career success. It’s about equipping students with future-ready mindsets, so they leave not only with knowledge, but with the skills and agency to thrive in an evolving job market.

3) What are some of the biggest pain points institutions have in supporting workforce readiness and technical education programs?

Lee: Institutions often have a “compliance burden”, particularly when administering programs tied to both state funding incentives and industry-recognized credentials. Whether it’s a short-term workforce credential, a degree pathway, or a vocational certificate, institutions must collect, validate, and report student outcomes—like completion rates, job placements, and earnings—according to stringent state and federal requirements. That often includes eligibility for funding models or performance-based grants.

This compliance load is more than just a paperwork problem—it’s a significant administrative and financial strain. Many colleges and universities lack the internal infrastructure—robust data systems, compliance staff, or tech platforms—to manage reporting demands effectively. Building those systems requires substantial investment in staff, training, and technology, all while operating under tight budgets.

Institutions face a growing struggle to find and retain qualified instructors in industry-aligned fields. Specialized technical programs demand faculty with both academic credentials and current industry experience—creating a mismatch between available talent and institutional needs. High staff turnover compounds the issue, driving recruitment and onboarding costs up while increasing strain on existing faculty and diminishing student experience due to larger class sizes or reduced course offerings

Providing safety training—especially OSHA—is a challenge for many institutions. It’s costly and logistically difficult to bring certified trainers on campus and fit sessions into academic schedules. Vector simplifies this by offering fully virtual, self-paced OSHA training that’s both affordable and scalable. Students receive a Department of Labor–issued credential, making it a high-impact, low-friction solution for workforce readiness.

4) Tell us about the new Vector courses for higher education and how they solve some of these challenges.

Lee: Vector Solutions offers workforce readiness and career success courses focusing on a wide variety of industries, from food services to electrical skills to mine safety, as well as OSHA certification courses. The courses help institutions with several of the challenges above.

• Vector’s CTE courses are modular and can be used by curriculum providers to assign them as they see fit. Often, curriculum providers can only fill in 40 of the 90 hours required, or a professional may bring in offline resources that don’t meet the requirements. Vector’s courses serve as the connective tissue to fill the gaps.
• We help with the need for safety training with 140+ courses that are safety-related. We offer training aligned with OSHA standards that instructors can assign to both students and staff as they see fit – for instance, maybe as a refresher before students go to do their internships.
• Students are seeking more than just a diploma. They are wanting microlearning and micro credentialing. Micro-credentials show they have successfully completed the materials. This helps students whether the credential is foundational or specific to an industry like food production, or electrical. Vector’s courses help institutions meet this demand.
• In times when institutions are really struggling to prove their value, we are providing the training that the industry is using to train and retrain its workforce. A lot of the training is also used by our industry partners, who use it to train, retrain, and certify their workforce. So, students know that the skills they’re learning with Vector’s courses are the ones that industries are looking for. The courses are tangible and truly relevant and help bridge the gap between what colleges offer and what industry demands.

5) What differentiates what Vector offers compared to others in the market?

Lee: While there are several organizations offering training and certification—particularly in the credentialing space where competition is high—Vector stands apart in meaningful ways. We don’t just offer courses; we deliver industry-recognized credentials that are backed by regulatory approvals and used across both education and commercial sectors. For example, our federally approved OSHA certification is a credential that holds real weight in the workforce—and we’re one of the few providers that can deliver it virtually, at scale, and with Department of Labor-issued certification.

What truly differentiates Vector is the depth and relevance of our content. Many providers offer curriculum, but few offer the type of training that’s actually used in industry. Our content libraries include technical, safety, and workplace-readiness training that has been adopted by commercial employers to upskill their workforces. That means students aren’t just getting theory—they’re gaining exposure to the tools, safety standards, and skills that employers already rely on.

Moreover, we give institutions a way to integrate workforce-aligned content into existing academic programs, allowing students to earn stackable, transferable credentials alongside their coursework. That combination—certifications with practical value, self-paced delivery, and alignment to real workforce needs—is hard to find elsewhere in the market.

Vector isn’t just preparing students for graduation. We’re helping institutions prepare them for employment and advancement in high-demand sectors, making us a critical partner in supporting workforce readiness at scale.

About Vector Solutions Workforce Readiness and Career Success Courses

Vector Solutions equips Higher Education institutions with a robust suite of online courses that foster workforce development and prepare students for career success. Vector’s Comprehensive Workforce Readiness & Career Success Courses for Higher Education students equip students with highly desired skills and industry-recognized credentials that boost employability through Vector’s online workforce readiness and career success training. These industry-aligned courses combine foundational knowledge, practical applications, and advanced technical training across various industries to prepare students to excel in high-demand fields.

Courses include:

OSHA Training: OSHA 10-Hour General Industry Program, OSHA 10-hour Construction Program, and OSHA 30-Hour Construction Program

Workplace Safety and Microlearning: Bloodborne Pathogens, Personal Protective Equipment, Electrical Safety, Eye and Face Protection, Safety and Prevention Best Practices, Back Injury and Lifting, Slips, Trips and Falls, Forklift Operations, and Fire Safety

Workplace Compliance and Skills: General Workplace Ethics, Sexual Harassment, Human Resources, Cybersecurity, Customer Service, Quality Management, and Project Management

Career Readiness and Personal Development: Leadership and Career Exploration, Financial Literacy, Interview Skills, and Resume Writing.

Industry Skills: Food Services and Production, Electrical Skills, Mechanical Skills, and Industrial Skills, as well as Product Management and Lean Manufacturing.

All courses are self-paced and web-based, so content is available on any device connected to the internet. They include pre-and post-course assessments to measure retention and mastery on key topics, as well as reports to help institutions track progress and course completions. Courses are customizable and are available in multiple languages.