Ardine Williams

Preparing California for the Future of Work

Jane Oates, Jay Banfield, Rob Bonta, Ellen Junn, Phil Mathews, Eloy Ortiz Oakley, Ardine Williams

Aerospace Corporation and industry leaders at a California panel discussed record hiring trends while highlighting critical shortages of cleared engineers and the widening "middle skills" gap. Participants emphasized a strategic shift from traditional partnerships to deep integration among government, education, and employers to co-design curricula and expand apprenticeship models. The discussion concluded with a call to eliminate degree inflation, address soft skill deficits, and remove systemic barriers to build a scalable, diverse workforce capable of meeting future automation demands.