Ready to Work: How Higher Education Became (and Sometimes Denies Being) the World’s Largest Talent Development Function

Introduction: The Overlap We Don’t Acknowledge

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

For me, this question was a constant from my parents, particularly my mother, a special education teacher. The answer mattered less than how it sounded. “Doctor” or “lawyer” were the expected replies, not because my parents demanded those careers, but because they signaled preparedness, ambition, and promise.

Like many families, ours assumed that the pathway to any respectable future was clear: college. Not going was unthinkable. College meant opportunity, and more importantly, employability. Whether universities wanted to admit it or not, they had become the gateway to work.

This realization has shaped both my academic journey and my career. Today, as a Doctor of Education and certified professional in talent development, I see no contradiction between these identities. Somewhere along the way, higher education became the world’s largest talent development system. The only question is whether it is willing to embrace that role.

From Higher Ed to Talent Development and Back Again

I began at Loyola University New Orleans, studying political science with aspirations of becoming a lawyer. A business minor kept other options open. Yet, it was not until a work-study position tutoring adult learners that my passion clicked: helping others succeed through education. That led me to the University of New Orleans, where I pursued a Master of Education in educational administration with a focus on adult and higher education.

At first, my goal was to become a university president. But through early career experiences, I realized that what energized me most was not degrees themselves, but the outcomes—what those credentials enabled people to do and achieve in life. I wanted to help people succeed at work so they could build better lives, and I became determined to close the gap between learning and work. That realization led me to the Association for Talent Development (ATD), where I found a professional community focused squarely on developing adults at work.

My first role in the field came at Strayer University, an institution focused on working adults. There, I designed and delivered employee development programs in leadership, supervision, and compliance. I had the rare privilege of starting my talent development career in a setting where expectations were clear, processes were respected, and results mattered.

That experience revealed a larger truth—that higher education was already functioning as a massive talent development engine. What I saw at Strayer, preparing adults for immediate workplace success, is echoed in colleges and universities across the globe, even if institutions prefer to describe their mission in broader terms.

Higher Education as Talent Development, Whether It Admits It or Not

Despite lingering resistance, the parallels between higher education and talent development are undeniable. Both aim to prepare individuals for success in professional and civic life. Both are accountable for demonstrating their value in measurable terms. And both must evolve to meet the demands of rapidly changing workplaces.

Yet, while many institutions fully embrace their role in preparing people for work, community and technical colleges and adult-centered universities most prominently, some academic leaders and professors resist the “talent development” label, holding tightly to the liberal arts tradition or insisting that universities “educate, not train.” Meanwhile, employers highlight a persistent “skills gap,” while graduates insist they are prepared. The truth, as often, lies somewhere in the disconnect of mismatched expectations, unclear measures, and a lack of shared ownership.

The workforce reality is stark. According to ATD’s 2025 State of the Industry report, organizations average just one talent development staff member for every 212 employees. In other words, most TD functions are overstretched, under-resourced, and vulnerable to cuts in times of financial insecurity. Given those constraints, higher education is not just a feeder system—it is a lifeline. It develops foundational skills, opens career pathways, and prepares learners to engage in the lifelong upskilling that workplaces require.

And this is not only a US issue. Around the world, credential inflation has made higher education the default entry point to employment. In some countries, public funding or free tuition makes access easier. In others, rising costs mirror US debates. But across systems, from Germany’s apprenticeship-university hybrid models to Asia’s rapid university expansion, the result is the same: higher education functions as the first and often largest talent development provider.

A Both-And, Not Either-Or

This is not a debate about whether higher education or talent development is more important. It is about recognizing the shared responsibility. Higher education cannot deny its role in workforce preparation, particularly given the cost of attendance and the expectations of learners and employers. Talent development, in turn, picks up where higher education leaves off, contextualizing learning for specific roles, cultures, and organizational strategies.

The future depends on collaboration. Universities must continue to partner with employers, listening closely to industry needs and aligning curricula accordingly. Community colleges already model this collaboration, designing programs with direct input from employers and industry boards, often turning around new certificates and applied programs in months rather than years. Talent development functions must leverage these partnerships to focus on culture-specific skills, team effectiveness, and adaptive capacity, which are areas that formal education cannot address alone.

Practitioner Takeaways

For talent development professionals, embracing higher education as part of the ecosystem opens new opportunities:

• Partner, not compete: Build relationships with universities that supply your workforce pipeline. Explore co-designed internships, applied research projects, or industry panels that connect learners directly to work.

• Define the handoff: Clarify where higher education stops and your role begins. Universities provide credentials and broad skills; TD ensures translation into day-to-day performance.

• Advocate for alignment: Volunteer for industry advisory boards, connect with deans or program directors, and influence curricula that better reflect workforce needs.

• Maximize limited resources: With TD teams stretched thin, leaning on higher ed partnerships can extend your reach, freeing your team to focus on unique elements of organizational culture and performance.

• Think globally: Even if you operate locally, watch international models. Free and subsidized systems abroad show different funding and partnership possibilities—insights worth adapting to your context.

Ready to Work

The stakes are high. For learners, this is about employability, career mobility, and the return on their investment in education. For employers, it is about securing a pipeline of capable, confident, and collaborative professionals. For talent development leaders, it is about recognizing the interdependence of our work with higher education and designing systems that bridge, not compete.

If higher education institutions are not the world’s largest talent development system, then who is? Certainly not every institution denies this role, but the sooner we embrace that truth, the better we can prepare people, together, for the future of work.