Utah educators and industry leaders push human-centered AI training to upskill incumbent workers

SALT LAKE CITY — Higher-education and workforce leaders told a Utah Business and Commerce panel that preparing workers for AI means starting with people, not just tools. "Human centered. It's never about the tech. It's about the people," said Astrid Tominez, president of Utah Valley University, summarizing the panel's central theme.

The discussion centered on a Talent Ready Utah employer study and concrete steps institutions are taking to embed AI skills. According to the panel, Talent Ready Utah gathered input from about 700 employers statewide and received 603 responses to the study's AI section; an official with the agency said employers repeatedly flagged skill gaps among the incumbent workforce — the employees already on the job who may have AI installed but are not confident it is being used effectively.

"We have to continue to invest in AI training — in accelerating the way that we train our incumbent workforce," said the Talent Ready Utah official (referred to in the panel as Vic). He described the state's approach as a "total talent continuum," spanning K‑12 CTE pathways, credentials, apprenticeships and employer upskilling programs, and said some state programs will fund up to 50% of employer training costs.

Universities detailed program-level responses. Tominez said UVU launched an applied AI institute and received a $5,200,000 grant from the Kollert Foundation to serve as a "policy laboratory" and "practice laboratory," including 24/7 teaching assistants for large courses, faculty training and industry partnerships that supply teaching kits and cloud workshops. "It involves training for faculty because if your faculty are scared, they're not gonna use it," she said.

Greg Peterson, president of Salt Lake Community College, described embedding "tool‑agnostic, competency learning" across programs so students learn durable skills rather than a single product. He gave examples: physical-therapist assistant students using AI tools for daily treatment notes, lab technicians using simulation tools to troubleshoot chemical equations, and aviation-maintenance students using technology to predict wear and safety issues.

Scott Pulsipher of Western Governors University said WGU is aiming to become "AI native," using AI to personalize learning, accelerate curriculum development and update programs more frequently. He noted WGU's large enrolled population and said more than three quarters of its programs now incorporate AI-specific or AI-native skills.

Panelists also raised concerns and disputed figures from the industry: Trina Limpert, CEO of RISE Next Corp and co‑founder of TechMoms, said entry-level positions have "dropped by 22 to 28%" and that "95% of AI implementations are failing," comments she used to underline the importance of people-first rollout and industry‑education partnerships. Those numbers were presented by Limpert as findings or impressions shared in her work; the panel did not provide additional documentation during the session.

Limpert described TechMoms' approach as teaching people "how to learn," and urged project-based, hands-on partnerships between universities and employers to convert existing staff into AI‑enabled workers. "AI is a people initiative," she said.

Panelists closed with practical advice: lean into AI while developing emotional‑intelligence skills, build bench strength so organizations can redeploy staff as jobs change, and create time and space for employees to apply AI to new products and processes.

Astrid Tominez declined to summarize a UVU press release on a separate NVIDIA partnership during the session and instead returned to the human-centered theme; in the same response she referenced campus violence in personal terms to underscore the limits of technology for human problems. That anecdote was presented by Tominez as personal context rather than as a policy proposal.

The panel highlighted Talent Ready Utah programs, new university grants and apprenticeship pathways as immediate steps state leaders are taking to close skills gaps. Panelists said industry involvement — including serving on grant-scoring committees and committing to hire graduates of funded programs — is a required element of many state workforce awards.

The event ended with panelists urging employers, educators and individuals to invest in training and to prioritize human-centered approaches as AI becomes more widely embedded in workplaces.