Parents Have Come Around. Now They’re Asking Questions We Can’t Answer.

by padilla.edgar1@gmail.com | Sep 30, 2026 | Workforce Strategy & Leadership

Back in 2019, what share of parents said career and technical education was a good fit for a high-achieving student? 13 percent. That’s a shocking number, and it jumped off the page to me because at the time, I was working in technical higher education and spent much...

AI Learned the Cheap Half of Our Curriculum First

by padilla.edgar1@gmail.com | Sep 2, 2026 | Workforce Strategy & Leadership

Quick question before the data. Do you know why the federal government built a job training system in the first place? September is #WorkforceDevelopmentMonth, created by the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) in 2005. Last year was...

Workforce Innovation Comes with a Learning Curve, and Why Many Organizations Still Feel Stuck

by padilla.edgar1@gmail.com | Jan 13, 2026 | Workforce Strategy & Leadership

America’s workforce and education landscape is moving in the right direction, and it’s happening with real momentum. Across the country, employers, educators, and public partners are building better systems to connect people to opportunity. The conversation has...

Why a Fractional Workforce Strategist Belongs on Your Team (Right Now)

by padilla.edgar1@gmail.com | Sep 2, 2025 | Workforce Strategy & Leadership

As the Founder & Chief Strategist at @Padilla Futures Group, a former workforce strategist, and nostalgic higher ed administrator, I’ve spent years helping education systems, private employers, chambers, economic development organizations, and state agencies align...