Media coverage
Teen Vogue. 8/15/2022. How are unpaid internships still a thing?
The New York Times. 6/11/2022. Why We Still Haven’t Solved the Unpaid Internship Problem.
Fortune. 3/16/2022. WFH has killed networking as we know it. Here’s how Gen Z plans to adapt.
Inside Higher Ed. 5/19/2021. Online internships fail to meet expectations.
The Conversation. 2/9/2021. COVID-19 shows why it’s time to finally end unpaid college internships.
The Washington Post. 6/8/2020. Corporate America is taking the internship online this summer. Some experiences can’t be replaced.
The New York Times. 5/22/2020.Another Casualty of the Coronavirus: Summer Internships
USA Today. 5/30/2020. Summer internship canceled? Not at these companies embracing virtual versions
Hechinger Report. 04/10/2020. What's lost and gained with online internships?
National Association of Colleges & Employers. 4/6/2020. Filling the void for students with academic projects.
Los Angeles Times. 02/19/2020. Op-ed: Sacramento's army of interns deserves to be paid.
Chronicle of Higher Education. 02/12/2020. Why internships can ease the path from college to career - and why they often don't.
Fast Company. 02/01/2020. Entry level workers can lost 6% of their wages without this.
The Conversation. 1/24/2020. Five obstacles that stop many students from taking an internship.
Sun Prairie Star. 11/12/2019. New online tool helps businesses start internship program.
Inside Higher Ed. 09/23/2019. Internships as a high-impact practice?
The University Network. 06/14/2019. Low internship participation indicates a need for change.
Inside Higher Ed. 06/11/2019. Study on barriers to student internships.
New Books Network. 08/17/2018. Beyond the skills gap: Interview with Matt Hora
College for America. 4/26/2017. Interview with Matt Hora.
Chronicle of Higher Education. 1/22/2017. The idea that launched a thousand strategic plans.
Inside Higher Education. 10/26/2017. Beyond the skills gap.
Evollution. 1/06/2017. The skills gap: Redefining the problem.
WIScontext. 4/26/2016. Researcher discussed WI skills gap findings.
2022 Invited Talks
December 6, 2022. Designing employability skills into the curriculum. Tuskegee University.
July 25, 2022. Designing Paid Work-Based Learning Opportunities for College Students. New America.
2020 Invited Talks
December 11, 2020. Virtual internships data and trends: Insights from the literature and preliminary data from a study of micro-
internships in 2020. Milwaukee Area College Internship Consortium. (keynote)
June 16, 2020. A cultural approach to workplace training in the “soft” skills. Creating a learning organization to develop the technologists of the future. UW-Madison E-Business Consortium Information Technology Peer Group Web Meeting.
March 5, 2020. Improving access to internship opportunities: Insights from a study on obstacles to internship participation. 36th Annual – 2020 Wisconsin Technical College Information Technology Faculty and Administrators Conference. University of Wisconsin-Madison.
February 12, 2020. Outline of CCWT’s research portfolio. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Equitable Futures Team.
January 17, 2020. Designing meaningful tasks for interns. 2020 Intern Bridge Thought Leaders Symposium.
January 16, 2020. Why culture and the disciplines are essential for teaching “soft” skills to college students. United Negro College Fund – Career Pathways Initiative.
2019 Invited Talks
October 14, 2019: The Ohio State University Sesquicentennial Celebration
January 24, 2019: Association of American Colleges & Universities Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
2017-2018 Invited Talks
December 12, 2018. Ann Arbor, MI. University of Michigan. A Cultural and Critical Perspective of College Students’ Employability Skills: Implications for Higher Education.
December 7, 2018. Madison, WI. Madison College - Presentation of Results from the College Internship Study
November 15, 2018. Elgin, IL. Beyond the skills gap book talk. Illinois Council of Community College Administrators.
September 10, 2018. Beyond the skills gap book talk.Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
April, 27, 2018. Racine, WI. Beyond the skills gap book talk.Wisconsin Career Development Association.
January 24, 2018: Washington, DC. Beyond the skills gap book talk. Association of American Colleges & Universities
June 27, 2017: Atlanta, GA: Beyond the skills gap book talk. United Negro College Fund Career Pathways Initiative.
May 16, 2017: Heritage University. Beyond the skills gap book talk.
May 15, 2017: Cascadia Community College. Beyond the skills gap book talk.
May 12, 2017: University of Oregon. Beyond the skills gap book talk.
May 11, 2017: Portland State University. Beyond the skills gap book talk.
May 11, 2017: Oregon State University. Beyond the skills gap book talk.
April 28, 2017: Fox Valley Technical College. Beyond the skills gap book talk.
February 16, 2017: Community College League of California. Beyond the skills gap book talk.
February 24, 2017: University of California, Santa Barbara. Beyond the skills gap book talk.
February 14, 2017: University of Wisconsin, Madison: Career Services Council.
February 13, 2017: Credo Webinar. Bridging the skills gap
December 16, 2016: University of Wisconsin, Madison: WISCAPE Book Launch.
Current & Future Teaching
University of Wisconsin-Madison. Department of Educational Policy Studies (EDPOL202) . Education at work: A practical and theoretical review of the future of work. Fall 2022 (Syllabus)
Synopsis: In this course you will explore three distinct yet interconnected topics related to careers in education. First, the course involves an examination of the different types of careers available in education and similar professions, and the practical skills required to succeed in these fields. Second, the course includes a review of theoretical perspectives on career development and workplace skills, and how contextual forces (e.g., the Covid-19 pandemic, inequality and racism, and climate change) are actively shaping these phenomena. Third, as a Communications B course, written is strongly emphasized with workshops and hands-on assignments designed to strengthen your writing process and mastery of the academic essay genre. Additionally, critical thinking and oral communication are emphasized throughout the course as both intellectual and career-related skills.. Taken together, these three foci will provide you with theoretical and practical tools for understanding the nature of the educational labor market and how to thrive in it.
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Liberal Arts & Applied Studies: Teaching "21st century skills" in face-to-face & online college courses. (Online course now available in English, Spanish, and Chinese Mandarin; Moderated & Unmoderated Versions).
Course being revised for EdX and Canvas platforms, with 8-week and 8-hour versions. Registration begins Spring 2023.