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AT&T and school counselors urge work-based learning, apprenticeships and tech training to fill jobs
Summary
AT&T and the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association told the Keystone Education Report that businesses should partner with schools on paid apprenticeships, internships and AI-ready skills; AT&T singled out cybersecurity as a major hiring need.
Industry and counseling leaders on the Keystone Education Report said stronger school-business partnerships, paid apprenticeships and focused tech training are essential to meeting current employer demand — especially in cybersecurity.
David Kerr, president of external affairs for AT&T in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, said the company hires across retail and engineering roles but is aggressively recruiting cybersecurity and network-security staff. "Probably we're hiring thousands of cybersecurity employees, on a regular basis," Kerr said, calling the need "intense." He urged students and schools to emphasize abilities and adaptability alongside formal qualifications and encouraged employers to consider paid apprenticeships so mid-career workers or adults can reskill without losing income.
Emilio Matucci, executive director of the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association and a former secondary-school counselor, said counselors organize career fairs, job shadowing and internships and that increasing student exposure to local career opportunities helps build interest in skill-based pathways. "Students now are more looking for hands-on things that they can do, fairly quickly," Matucci said, and he emphasized soft skills — team work, project management and communication — as critical complements to technical training.
Both guests recommended practical steps: businesses should "get past the walls" of their facilities and schools by identifying local partners within a one- or two-mile radius and volunteering or mentoring; schools should expand work-based learning; and employers should consider stipends or paid apprenticeships to support trainees. Kerr framed AI as a tool students will need to work alongside: "Students in the future need to learn how to work beside AI, know its limitations, know how it can be beneficial," he said, adding that adaptability will be a key hiring trait.
The segment included no formal announcements of new apprenticeship programs or funding commitments. Hosts and guests urged local businesses and school leaders to strengthen partnerships and increase student awareness of non–four-year degree pathways as near-term steps to boost the pipeline.
