AI is reshaping the skills employers demand and the way students learn, according to findings presented at the NC Chamber's Education and Workforce Conference on Aug. 3 in Raleigh. Business, higher education, community college, K-12, and government leaders gathered to discuss how each sector must take ownership of workforce development efforts as emerging technology changes job availability and as North Carolina's economic growth coexists with rising poverty rates.
Erik Leiden, managing director of workforce strategy at The Burning Glass Institute, told attendees that AI's impact on the labor market can be understood by whether the technology is augmenting workers or automating their work entirely. Since ChatGPT's public introduction, job postings show a 7.6% increase in demand for augmented skills such as decision-making and leadership, while demand for automated skills such as data entry and customer service has dropped 16.4%.
"The entire frontier of this work is changing, and so education systems are going to have to keep up," Leiden said.
Schools must adapt what they teach
Vera Cubero, a member of North Carolina's AI Leadership Council, said K-12 schools have not historically measured durable skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and leadership - which employers increasingly value. If schools continue teaching and testing skills that can be "automated away," she said, students won't be able to "go out into the workforce and augment, which is what they need to be doing."
The N.C. Department of Public Instruction released guidelines for incorporating AI into classrooms two years ago. The state budget signed by Gov. Josh Stein in July directs the State Board of Education to adopt age-appropriate standards for AI literacy instruction for grades K-12. The N.C. Community College System also released an AI Guidance Handbook last year as a practical roadmap for integrating AI into teaching, learning, and operations.
Andrea Crowley, executive director of the N.C. Student Success Center at the community college system, said work-based learning and project-based learning can translate classroom education into workplace skills. For educators seeking structured AI training resources, the AI Learning Path for Teachers provides practical guidance on classroom integration.
Employers and community colleges build healthcare talent pipelines
Niki DaSilva, executive director of workforce at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, said employers should lead and co-design their own talent supply chain. But a common challenge, she added, is that many struggle to articulate their labor force needs to educational partners.
In healthcare, the N.C. Health Talent Alliance proved coordinated engagement can work. Dr. Steven Hill, vice president of talent pipeline at the alliance, said the group held multiple meetings over several months to surface individual employer needs and find common challenges to bring to educational partners.
"When we formed ourselves and came together as one group, I think that's made us go a lot further, a lot quicker," said Amy Hill, vice president of nursing at Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
Monica Gemperlein, associate vice president of workforce development at Wake Technical Community College, said trust between educators and employers is critical. Wake Tech restructured by placing one provost over each career field, making it easier for employers to find a go-to contact. At Davidson Davie Community College, the creation of a community college's first nursing medical apprenticeship with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist has expanded into all health sciences programs since 2020.
The college has seen 100% retention of nursing apprentices with their local hospital employer, said Holly Mater, dean of health sciences, saving employers the time and cost of recruiting new nurses.
Work-based learning goes beyond healthcare
The Careers & Training Network, primarily funded by the Siemens Foundation, creates accessible pathways into electrical careers. This summer, 12 N.C. community colleges hosted summer academies that gave 220 high school students hands-on electrical training, college credit, and completion stipends.
Local employers made that happen. Without the local employer and without the apprenticeship program, this work does not happen, said David Electrailer, CEO of the Siemens Foundation.
"Employers need to be developers of talent, not consumers of it," said Caroline Sullivan, executive director for the N.C. Office of the Governor.
Why this matters for educators
The conference data makes one point clear: educators can no longer treat AI as a future concern. The shift in employer demand - a 7.6% increase for augmented skills and 16.4% drop in automated skills since ChatGPT's introduction - means schools must begin measuring durable skills like critical thinking and leadership. North Carolina's already passed legislation requiring AI literacy standards for K-12. Teachers who invest time in understanding AI now will better prepare their students for a labor force that no longer value what it valued two years ago.
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