From The Chronicle of Higher Education: In Conversation with Brandon Busteed
Brandon Busteed, CEO of BrandEd, was featured in How Colleges Can Thrive in the Skills Economy, a new report from The Chronicle of Higher Education sponsored by Workday. The report highlights key strategies for aligning higher education with the evolving demands of the workforce.
In the report, Busteed emphasized the importance—and scarcity—of experiential learning in higher education. “When students have good internships, it doubles the odds of their being engaged in work later,” he noted, calling it “the secret sauce of higher education.” However, Busteed pointed out that only about a third of students gain access to these transformative experiences, often due to a lack of availability or financial feasibility.
Drawing on BrandEd’s leadership in delivering experiential, career-focused programs through partners like The School of The New York Times, Vogue College of Fashion, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, and the Manchester City Sports Business School, Busteed advocated for scalable solutions that combine liberal arts and job-specific skills. “Employers want students who are both broadly educated and specifically skilled,” he said.
The full report explores the challenges and opportunities facing higher education in a rapidly shifting job market, with Busteed’s insights reinforcing the critical need for programs that bridge the gap between education and employment.