Vinz Koller
Apprenticeship Evangelist
Teaches:
The Future of Learning is Work: The Promise of Apprenticeships
Vinz Koller is the Vice President of the Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning at Jobs for the Future (JFF), where he leads efforts to expand equitable career pathways through inclusive, work-based learning models. With deep expertise in U.S. career education and workforce policy, Vinz is a national advocate for leveraging apprenticeships as a tool for economic mobility and community growth. His work centers on building scalable systems that connect skill development with real opportunity—particularly for those historically left out of traditional pathways.
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Prior to joining JFF, Vinz served as a senior strategist at Social Policy Research Associates, where he supported capacity building across workforce development ecosystems nationwide. Drawing on decades of experience, he continues to champion dual-professional education models and cross-sector collaboration to design sustainable, future-ready solutions. He holds a bachelor's degree equivalent in English and political science from the University of Zurich and a master’s degree in international policy studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.
masterclass DESCRIPTION
There is a belief out there, that education has to prepare young people for a job – or even the world of work itself. And though educators, at great expense, try to design work-like environments in their schools, employers still lament that education falls short of their needs. This is, at least in part, because the faster an economy changes, the harder it is to predict what skills individuals will need in a future workplace. Even the best-designed career academy is outdated very quickly.
Which leads us to this great paradox: At a time when many young people are looking for work - employers say they simply can’t find the talent they need. We all wonder what has gone wrong.
What if our premise had been wrong all along? What if it is not education’s job to teach work?
What if only work can teach work? And what if we had a way to solve the talent paradox and the skills gap all at once – and even make a profit while doing it? In this session, we get reacquainted with the timeless method of connecting work and learning: the apprenticeship, which by its very nature eliminates the need to predict the future of work.
MASTERCLASS TRAILER
Program
Work-Based Learning
Even when the US economy is humming along, it contains a strange paradox. Employers have a hard time finding workers, yet simultaneously many workers have a hard time finding appropriate employment. WBL helps learners enter and succeed in their first or next career, yet it remains a tiny percentage of our student experience. We’re proud to feature the most dynamic and sought-after speakers who are true Industry Thought Leaders at the forefront of career-connected learning.
It is time to solve our workforce paradox once and for all.
Program
Work-Based Learning
Even when the US economy is humming along, it contains a strange paradox. Employers have a hard time finding workers, yet simultaneously many workers have a hard time finding appropriate employment. WBL helps learners enter and succeed in their first or next career, yet it remains a tiny percentage of our student experience. We’re proud to feature the most dynamic and sought-after speakers who are true Industry Thought Leaders at the forefront of career-connected learning.
It is time to solve our workforce paradox once and for all.
“Everything that happens to you is a form of instruction if you pay attention“.
Robert Greene (Mastery)