Michael Newsome talks about what he has learned about apprenticeships from discussions with business and education leaders. As an illustration, Melissa Stowasser shares how Trident Technical College partnered with smaller employers to develop an apprenticeship program for the Charleston, S.C., region. Newsome is community development regional manager for workforce pathways in North Carolina and South Carolina at the Richmond Fed, while Stowasser is vice president for community and continuing education at Trident.

Erik Hurst discusses his research on the potential impacts of AI adoption on the labor market, in particular entry-level workers and their human capital development over time through the acquisition of new skills and knowledge. Hurst is the Roman Family Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and John E. Jeuck Faculty Fellow at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.

Jay Langston discusses how rural communities in western Virginia have diversified the region from agriculture into pharmaceutical and other forms of manufacturing. Key ingredients of this economic progress include developing the local workforce, building relationships between local and state economic development organizations, and addressing quality-of-life issues. Langston is executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Partnership.