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Mindset Over Skillset: Preparing Students for an AI-Powered Future with Tara Chklovski, founder and CEO of Technovation Episode 147

The Future Of Work

Release Date: 06/10/2025

Transcript- Episode 147: Mindset Over Skillset: Preparing Students for an AI-Powered Future with Tara Chklovski, founder and CEO of Technovation Episode 147

The Future Of Work

Tara Chklovski [00:00:00]: I would recommend to everyone, firstly, learn how to code, play along, and actually build technology. Don't just do the chatbot like prompt engineering, but actually build something with code so that you build your own confidence. Honestly, number two, I would say read more about all of this stuff of what is happening, because the more you know, the less you're afraid of what's coming, because you have time to process it. And trying to look ahead takes so much energy, but that's a very important thing to be doing right now. Christina Barsi [00:00:33]: The...

Mindset Over Skillset: Preparing Students for an AI-Powered Future with Tara Chklovski, founder and CEO of Technovation Episode 147

The Future Of Work

What if the biggest barrier to success in tech isn’t access, but mindset? In this episode of Future of Work, Dr. Salvatrice Cummo talks with Tara Chklovski, founder and CEO of Technovation, about what it truly takes to thrive in an AI-driven world. Tara unpacks why resilience and adaptability are just as vital as technical skills, how simulation-based learning can reshape education, and why women are most at risk of being left behind. Together, they explore how community colleges, mentorship, and real-world problem-solving can unlock opportunity for all. The future of work isn’t just about...

Transcript- Episode 146: Workforce, Reimagined: Building Inclusive Economies, Region by Region with Parina Parikh, Associate Vice President at Jobs for the Future Episode 146

The Future Of Work

Parina Parikh [00:00:00]: Right now, we do have an incredible opportunity to build programs that integrate learning and work, and we must help our students build these relational skills and give them credit for mastering material that might not be mastered or developed in a traditional college classroom. As workforce leaders, as education leaders, we need to start thinking in an innovative way on where does this mastery of material happen, and can students get credit for mastery if it didn't necessarily happen in that traditional classroom setting? Christina Barsi [00:00:38]: The...

Workforce, Reimagined: Building Inclusive Economies, Region by Region with Parina Parikh, Associate Vice President at Jobs for the Future Episode 146

The Future Of Work

What if volunteering, raising kids, learning on the job, and real life experience counted just as much as a college degree? In this episode of Future of Work, Dr. Salvatrice Cummo talks with Parina Parikh, Associate Vice President overseeing Job for the Future’s strategic presence in California, about what it really means to create a workforce that works for everyone. Parikh shares how community colleges, competency-based learning, and credit for real-world experience can help close opportunity gaps. She also redefines what makes a “quality job,” stressing equity, mobility, and...

Transcript- Episode 145: Careers After Incarceration: How Entrepreneurship Drives Successful Reentry with Quan Huynh

The Future Of Work

00:00:00 - Quan Huynh Usually my pitch to an employer is like, look, I'm not here asking you to give a job to anybody. What I'm here asking you to do is do your round of interviews. Settle on the best possible candidate. If this candidate happens to have a background, one, either be willing to look past the criminal conviction, or two, be willing to bring them in and have a conversation with them and ask them about their prison journey. Ask them about their process of transformation. Ask them about their perspective. 00:00:31 - Christina Barsi The workforce landscape is rapidly...

Careers After Incarceration: How Entrepreneurship Drives Successful Reentry with Quan Huynh Episode 145

The Future Of Work

The school-to-prison pipeline is a complex and damaging system that disproportionately affects marginalized communities, particularly people of color. This pipeline refers to the policies and practices that push students out of school and into the criminal justice system, creating long-term impacts on individuals and communities. Quan Huynh, Executive Director of Southern California at Defy Ventures, exemplifies the power of second chances. While in prison, he discovered his entrepreneurial spirit and started Jade Janitors after his release from a 22-year prison sentence in 2015. Formerly...

Transcript- Episode 144: How Educators Can Guide & Inspire Students to Thrive In An Evolving Workforce with Jasmine Star

The Future Of Work

00:00:00 - Jasmine Star Do you want to catch a big vision and do the impossible? It matters less that you got straight As. I want to have straight vision. How do we assess for that? And into the future? Embrace technology and embrace storytelling. Clap our children up for being creative. Strip off their socks and shoes. Your students out here, make them get uncomfortable and sit under a tree and do something different that will be more valuable for them in the workplace than any academic book that you can put it in front of them. 00:00:32 - Christina Barsi The workforce landscape is...

How Educators Can Guide & Inspire Students to Thrive In An Evolving Workforce with Jasmine Star Episode 144

The Future Of Work

What will it take to prepare today’s students for leadership in a workforce that’s evolving faster than ever before? Jasmine Star, CEO of Social Curator, challenges educators and leaders at the Pasadena City College Future of Work Conference to rethink traditional teaching methods and embrace a paradigm shift. She underlines the importance of equipping students with the skills, mindset, and adaptability needed to navigate rapid technological and cultural transformation. In a world where resilience, belief in one’s vision, and a willingness to embrace change are key, she highlights how...

Transcript- Episode 143: Contracts, Crises, & the Cost of Survival: LA’s Hospitality Fight with Kurt Petersen, Co-President Unite Here Episode 143

The Future Of Work

Kurt Petersen [00:00:00]: These Olympics are an opportunity where we can leverage lots of money from lots of different folks to try to build housing, to make a commitment for housing. And right now, as it stands, there's no vision to do that. But we think we need to turn the corner, turn it hard, and set in motion, you know, a path. And if we don't get what we want, well, 2028 is right around the corner. We're going to strike. We're going to disrupt. There's never been a strike during the Olympics. We're ready to do it if we don't get what we want. Christina Barsi [00:00:27]: The...

Contracts, Crises, & the Cost of Survival: LA’s Hospitality Fight with Kurt Petersen, Co-President Unite Here Episode 143

The Future Of Work

What if the 2028 Olympics didn’t just bring medals, but a housing revolution? In this episode of Future of Work, Dr. Salvatrice Cummo sits down with Kurt Peterson, Co-President of Unite Here Local 11, to explore the mounting pressures facing hospitality workers in Los Angeles, and the explosive opportunity that the 2028 Olympics might represent. Peterson doesn’t mince words. From natural disasters like wildfires to economic disruptions like COVID-19, hospitality workers have repeatedly borne the brunt of crisis after crisis. And while tourism is rebounding, the industry’s recovery has...

More Episodes

You’ll learn:

Why AI literacy starts with confidence, not code, and how to build both.
How educators can move beyond “toy problems” and toward real-world innovation.
What emotional and cognitive resilience look like in a rapidly evolving workforce.
How women are being left behind in fast-growing tech sectors, and how to fix it.
Why simulation learning may be the most powerful classroom tool we’re not using.

About the Guest:

Tara Chklovski is the founder and CEO of Technovation, a global nonprofit dedicated to empowering girls and underserved communities through technology education. With a background in physics and aerospace engineering, she transitioned from academia to social entrepreneurship to address the gender and racial disparities in STEM fields. Tara has helped over 130,000 students across 100+ countries build confidence, tech skills, and purpose. Her work has been recognized by Forbes, the UN, and the White House, and she continues to lead global conversations on how education and innovation intersect to shape a more inclusive future of work.

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