Preparing Students for the Future of Work
A VCU course explores how work is changing and how Interdisciplinary Studies and Innovation is helping students build the skills to navigate it.
As emerging technologies reshape industries, educators are asking an important question: How do we prepare students for careers that may not exist yet?
A recent story from VCU News highlights “The Future of Work,” a course taught by associate professor Virginia Wray Totaro that invites students to explore how work has evolved over time and how technological change continues to transform the workforce.
Through historical and interdisciplinary perspectives, the course examines major shifts in labor from industrial automation to the rise of digital technologies. By studying these patterns, students gain a broader understanding of how disruption shapes careers and why adaptability matters.
The course also emphasizes the importance of transferable skills. While tools and technologies will continue to evolve, abilities such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creative problem solving remain essential across industries.
Within Interdisciplinary Studies and Innovation, these ideas are beginning to take shape through new learning opportunities.
A new general education course, IDST 210: Microinternships and Career Design, currently being planned for spring 2027, will build on the concepts explored in “The Future of Work.” In the course, students will practice these transferable, AI-resistant skills through three short microinternship experiences.
Working in interdisciplinary teams, students will collaborate on industry hosted projects that mirror real world challenges. These experiences give students the opportunity to apply what they are learning while exploring potential career paths.
By combining interdisciplinary learning with hands on experience, initiatives like IDST 210 help students connect academic knowledge with the evolving demands of the workplace.
This story is adapted from a feature originally published by VCU News.
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