AI isn’t just disrupting classrooms — it’s rewriting career pathways.

In this episode, Kevin Cirilli spoke late last year with Michael Hansen, CEO of Cengage, about the rise of “Education for Employment” and how adults are using AI to reskill, pivot, and compete in a rapidly shifting labor market. With more than 3.5 million people already trained through Cengage Work programs — and hundreds of thousands enrolling each year in allied health, cybersecurity, and high-demand fields — the future of work is becoming modular, digital, and skills-first.

Hansen shares lessons from transforming a legacy print publisher into a modern edtech portfolio company — and why affordability, accessibility, and speed now define workforce education. We discuss how AI tools are accelerating upskilling, how employers are reevaluating degrees versus demonstrated competencies, and why lifelong learning is no longer optional.

If the first industrial revolution reshaped factories, AI is reshaping human capital. The question isn’t whether workers will adapt — it’s whether institutions can move fast enough to keep up.

AI isn&rsquo;t just disrupting classrooms &mdash; it&rsquo;s rewriting career pathways.
In this episode, Kevin Cirilli spoke late last year with Michael Hansen, CEO of Cengage, about the rise of &ldquo;Education for Employment&rdquo; and how adults are using AI to reskill, pivot, and compete in a rapidly shifting labor market. With more than 3.5 million people already trained through Cengage Work programs &mdash; and hundreds of thousands enrolling each year in allied health, cybersecurity, and high-demand fields &mdash; the future of work is becoming modular, digital, and skills-first.
Hansen shares lessons from transforming a legacy print publisher into a modern edtech portfolio company &mdash; and why affordability, accessibility, and speed now define workforce education. We discuss how AI tools are accelerating upskilling, how employers are reevaluating degrees versus demonstrated competencies, and why lifelong learning is no longer optional.
If the first industrial revolution reshaped factories, AI is reshaping human capital. The question isn&rsquo;t whether workers will adapt &mdash; it&rsquo;s whether institutions can move fast enough to keep up.

HELLO, FUTURE with Kevin Cirilli is the daily podcast where tomorrow’s biggest questions come alive. Are aliens already visiting us? Could your next job be in space? What if satellites could find lost cities, or stop the next wildfire? What happens if America loses the space race… or if every satellite went dark tomorrow? From Mars to UFOs, from flying cars to “civilization starter kits,” each episode blends science, technology, and imagination with the real choices shaping our world. It’s smart, fast, and curious, built for anyone who’s ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what comes next. This isn’t science fiction. It’s the future, knocking on your door. 

Kevin Cirilli is the founder of meet the future™ (mtf.tv). Cirilli has advised some of the nation’s leading military nonprofit philanthropists and policymakers and he is an emerging playwright. As a journalist, he is the former Chief Washington Correspondent for Bloomberg Television and Radio, where he covered the White House, Congress, and global economic policy while anchoring a daily geopolitical business affairs program.

Before founding mtf.tv, Kevin appeared across nearly every major network — including CBS News, MSNBC, CNN, FOX News, C-SPAN, NPR, and Yahoo Finance — providing nonpartisan political and economic analysis and conducting exclusive interviews with some of the most influential figures of the 21st century. He was also a media fellow at the Atlantic Council in the Global China Hub.

He has reported from across the United States and around the world — including assignments in Israel, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia — covering pivotal moments in global affairs and the people driving change.

HELLO, FUTURE with Kevin Cirilli&nbsp;is the daily podcast where tomorrow&rsquo;s biggest questions come alive. Are aliens already visiting us? Could your next job be in space? What if satellites could find lost cities, or stop the next wildfire? What happens if America loses the space race&hellip; or if every satellite went dark tomorrow? From Mars to UFOs, from flying cars to &ldquo;civilization starter kits,&rdquo; each episode blends science, technology, and imagination with the real choices shaping our world. It&rsquo;s smart, fast, and curious, built for anyone who&rsquo;s ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what comes next. This isn&rsquo;t science fiction. It&rsquo;s the future, knocking on your door.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-cirilli-943b162a/">Kevin Cirilli</a>&nbsp;is the founder of meet the future&trade; (mtf.tv). Cirilli has advised some of the nation&rsquo;s leading military nonprofit philanthropists and policymakers and he is an emerging playwright. As a journalist, he is the former Chief Washington Correspondent for Bloomberg Television and Radio, where he covered the White House, Congress, and global economic policy while anchoring a daily geopolitical business affairs program.
Before founding mtf.tv, Kevin appeared across nearly every major network &mdash; including CBS News, MSNBC, CNN, FOX News, C-SPAN, NPR, and Yahoo Finance &mdash; providing nonpartisan political and economic analysis and conducting exclusive interviews with some of the most influential figures of the 21st century. He was also a media fellow at the Atlantic Council in the Global China Hub.
He has reported from across the United States and around the world &mdash; including assignments in Israel, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia &mdash; covering pivotal moments in global affairs and the people driving change.

HELLO FUTURE with Kevin Cirilli

AI isn’t just disrupting classrooms — it’s rewriting career pathways.  In this episode, Kevin Cirilli spoke late last year with Michael Hansen, CEO of Cengage, about the rise of “Education for Employment” and how adults are using AI to reskill, pivot, and compete in a rapidly shifting labor market. With more than 3.5 million people already trained through Cengage Work programs — and hundreds of thousands enrolling each year in allied health, cybersecurity, and high-demand fields — the future of work is becoming modular, digital, and skills-first.

HELLO FUTURE: Leveraging AI to Pivot Into Careers — Education for Employment

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b394ed37-6e3f-436d-9397-b4250139762c/transcript