Human-Centered Labor Force Development in an Age of Advanced Technology
A Q&A with Marc Booker
Ever since computer and communications technologies ended up being common in the office, educators have explored the very best uses of those technologies– not just to improve speed and efficiency, however to utilize the latest innovations with human-centered skills that really empower students as they take their locations in the labor force. How can we feature those abilities in labor force education programs in our colleges and universities?
Here, Marc Booker, vice provost of method at the University of Phoenix examines how to recognize and promote human-centered workforce development in college.
< img height="368" alt="University of Phoenix logo design" width="644" src="https://campustechnology.com/-/media/EDU/CampusTechnology/2026/07/20260713Humancenteredworkforce.jpg"/ > The University of Phoenix has supported human-centered labor force advancement for 50 years. (Image Courtesy University of Phoenix)
Mary Grush: Is it reasonable to state that in its 50 years, the University of Phoenix has prioritized curricula that support labor force development and student success?
Marc Booker: Mary, I think it’s beyond a reasonable declaration given that our organization was created specifically since there weren’t a great deal of programs for working adult trainees to learn to browse and be successful in the labor force or to change careers. So workforce development is part and parcel of who we are, and it is deeply rooted in our DNA.
Grush: Are we heading into a time when what the workforce really needs is the development of brand-new skill sets that are distinctively human– skills that institutional leaders utilize to create efficient, human-centered programs even in highly technological environments? Is this a brand-new vital in reaction to AI or any other current or emerging innovation?
Booker: Actually, labor force development has actually always been a human-centered venture at the University of Phoenix. You see this when you look back– over years– at what we’ve done to foster the very best employees who serve their companies well and eventually serve society better.
Labor force development has constantly been a human-centered venture at the University of Phoenix.
In labor force development efforts the very best place to begin is with the person– the human who has the understanding or teachable skill– because even in the world of progressing and advancing innovation, people personalize and include their own imagination and insights to the technical capabilities we already have.
Advanced technology and tools need to make us more effective and enable us to work faster and produce more; there’s no argument with any of that. But the human-centered nature of drawing connections and making those connections personal, relevant, and available to other people constantly delivers more. It’s here where you discover the magic of any innovation– when it operates through a human lens. And human-centered workforce development is how you offer the skills that effect and represent not just the item and the practice, but likewise the individual.
The human-centered nature of drawing connections and making those connections personal, pertinent, and available to other individuals constantly delivers more. It’s here where you discover the magic of any innovation.