How Higher Ed Can Actually Prepare Students for Work with Brandon Busteed of Edconic

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Nov 24, 2025

Brandon Busteed, CEO of Edconic and a leader in work-integrated learning, discusses vital gaps between higher education and the workforce. He highlights why many graduates are deemed unprepared by employers and the shortcomings of traditional internships. Busteed advocates for integrating liberal arts with practical skills and suggests innovative solutions like micro-internships. He also emphasizes the role of AI in bridging academic knowledge with job skills, while showcasing successful models like student-run businesses to enhance career exposure.

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INSIGHT

Work-Integrated Learning Doubles Long-Term Success

Gallup-Purdue research found a few college experiences double odds of long-term work engagement and thriving.
Work-integrated learning and relationship-rich experiences are the key predictors of those outcomes.

INSIGHT

Internships Haven't Scaled To Meet Demand

Demand for internships far exceeds supply: 8.2M wanted one, 3.6M got one, 2.5M had quality experiences.
Classic internships haven't scaled, requiring new 'derivative' models to expand access.

ADVICE

Use Internships To De-Risk Hiring

Employers should use internships as 'try before you buy' to evaluate culture fit and reduce bad hires.
Build internship programs to train around culture and increase long-term hiring success.

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Brandon Busteed is the CEO of Edconic and a nationally recognized leader in work-integrated learning. Formerly President of Kaplan University Partners and Head of Education & Workforce Development at Gallup, he has spent his career building bridges between higher education and industry through research, innovation, and large-scale partnerships.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

Why work-integrated learning matters
Why employers say grads aren’t work-ready
Why internships don’t scale
How colleges can merge liberal arts with career prep
How AI bridges academic and job skills

✨ Episode Highlights
[00:00:00] The power of work-integrated learning for long-term outcomes
[00:02:49] How the education–workforce gap emerged
[00:05:54] Why so few students get quality applied learning experiences
[00:07:28] Debunking the liberal-arts vs. careerism divide
[00:13:51] The internship shortage and rise of “derivative internships”
[00:18:56] Edtech’s role in expanding work-based learning
[00:20:53] How virtual and industry immersion programs reshape higher ed
[00:24:44] Employers’ low confidence in graduate readiness
[00:26:17] Faculty externships as a bridge between academia and industry
[00:30:01] Co-designed learning between teachers and industry experts
[00:33:24] AI as a translator between academic and career skills
[00:42:12] Saxbys’ model of student-run campus businesses
[00:46:07] Expanding student awareness of career paths beyond the “top 10”

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