Employability in the Age of AI: Why Work-Based Learning Models Deserve Closer Attention

Rooted in industry, responsive by design, and grounded in real-world skills, Work-Based Learning offers insights that can inform how we prepare learners for a future that’s arriving faster than anyone expected.

A Generation in Crisis

Jisc put out their ever-enlightening annual Student Perceptions of AI Report recently, and announced it via a blog with the headline:

Students Worried About the Impact of AI on Future Employability

A possible alternative headline that they could have chosen could be:

Sailors on Leaky Boat Worried About Circling Sharks

Of course students in FE and HE are worried about the effect of AI on their future employability. If they aren’t, they’re not paying attention.

Just as they are preparing to step into their chosen careers, along comes a spanner in the works that few saw coming. A spanner which fundamentally changes the landscape of work and employment, in ways that even the experts can’t fully grasp yet.

All of a sudden, the work that they’ve been doing in school, in college, in university, can be completed by a piece of software. In seconds. And usually, it does a damn good job at it.

And that entry-level job they’ve been considering as a route into the career they’re aiming for? I’m afraid that’s been automated. And increasingly, these entry-level tasks just need oversight from a manager who is already knowledgeable and experienced in the field, as an AI agent completes the work, rather than a young person just cutting their teeth.

AI First

We are beginning to see that some CEOs are implementing hiring freezes unless teams can prove that they have tried to solve the problem with AI first. Young people will of course be disproportionately affected by this emerging trend.

And we’re not imagining it. There are far fewer jobs available today than even this time last year. The ONS Labour Market Overview shows that total vacancies dropped by a whopping 131,000 compared to the same period last year. Recent statistics state that up to 8 million jobs across the UK are at risk from developments in generative AI.

Doors for graduates and the recently qualified are closing, fast.

It’s as though the first few rungs of the career ladder are being sawn off. And for students, of course this amounts to anxiety. Who can blame them?

Education for a Changing World

As if that wasn’t enough, the skills that employers are looking for today are often vastly different to when they started their studies. For many undergrads who are graduating in 2025, their course predates ChatGPT landing in the world by only two months.

The course they are on was not designed for today’s world, let alone tomorrow’s.

For some lucky few, their course leaders will have kept on top of these developments, and updated their delivery and assessment strategies. Many colleagues I speak to in HE and FE are doing some incredible work in innovating and updating their delivery to meet the changing needs of a new economic landscape.

I have met with several providers who are finding creative ways to adapt despite these hurdles, such as embedding AI literacy modules, updating assessment criteria, or collaborating with industry to review skills alignment.

But we all know many more have buried their heads in the sand and relied on snake-oil AI detectors, to ‘catch’ their students using AI, rather than considering the technology’s implications on the students’ motivation to study in the first place.

And I sympathise, I really do. Institutions are navigating through rigid Quality Assurance processes and dwindling budgets, not to mention jumping through hoops set out by awarding and regulatory bodies, as well as having to stay on top of day-to-day delivery. Keeping up with something as fast-moving as emerging technologies is no easy feat.

But in order to retain relevance, and to ensure a valuable learner experience, this is what all of us are tasked with.

So, what can institutions do?

How Work-Based Learning Models Can Provide Solutions

Given these evolving challenges, it’s essential to explore adaptive educational models. Work-based learning offers practical solutions that align closely with industry needs and the dynamic nature of today’s job market.

In Work-Based Learning, we lean into authentic assessment methods to better demonstrate learner understanding and skills development, in ways that are much more demonstrative of learning, and much more difficult to fake with technology.

We work closely with our employers to ensure that the qualifications and their delivery are fit for purpose, and where possible that they meet the specific needs of that employer, or at least the sector at large.

We adapt and evolve quickly, keeping our fingers on the pulse of industry. Our practitioners complete regular CPD in their specific areas, to ensure that they maintain vocational competence, and stay up to date with any industry changes.

Ultimately, the nature of Work-Based Learning and our direct ties to industry means that we can be flexible in our approach, and embed emerging technologies in real-time, based on feedback from the employers that we work with.

And at a time when the world of work is changing so quickly and so fundamentally, these factors are of HUGE benefit to young people, and to industry.

Vocational qualifications are not the perfect solution for everyone, but I firmly believe that work-based learning is ideally placed to address these changing needs quickly and effectively. If you’re an employer, a policymaker, or a curriculum leader, now is the time to look at how WBL principles (authentic assessment, embedded technology, employer co-design) can strengthen your offer.

I also believe that colleges and universities can learn a lot from apprenticeships and WBL providers, and that a more active collaboration would result in a much-improved approach to education as a whole. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but if we’re serious about meeting learners where they are, then HE, FE, and WBL need to start sharing more than just ideas.

We’re all out here working to make a better world for our young people, and the best way that we can do that is by working together, and aligning our approach. Let’s stop trying to retrofit old models to a new world. Let’s build something that works, for learners, employers, and society as a whole.

And let’s do it together.

By Sam Holland, a digital learning specialist working in work-based learning (WBL) in South Wales, with a focus on embedding emerging technologies in vocational training environments.