On April 22nd, 2025, I had the opportunity to attend a fireside chat hosted by the Luther Hodges Scholars Program with Annelies Goger, a researcher at the Brookings Institution and a UNC alum. Goger, who studied sociology and is now an economic geographer, shared her research around workforce development and challenged how we typically frame the “skills gap” conversation.
Instead of saying there’s a “skills gap,” Goger believes we should focus on the idea of a skills mismatch or an opportunity gap. She explained how “deficit language” (phrases like “non-degree jobs” or focusing on what workers lack) creates the wrong narrative. It’s not just that people are missing skills, it’s that our systems aren’t built to connect people to opportunities in the first place.
One idea that really stood out to me was how the U.S. heavily pushes college as the only path to a good job. In other countries like Germany, students have more choices, including apprenticeships and applied degrees, that still lead to strong careers. Goger emphasized that we need more options like these in the U.S., starting with earlier career exploration in high school and building stronger pathways that combine education and paid work experience.
This tied back to a lot of what we’ve learned through the Luther Hodges Program. Dr. Goger explained that the most innovative workers are often those who have experience across multiple sectors, like German plumbers who work in different industries and bring more creative solutions. It reminded me of how we’ve talked about solving “wicked problems” through cross-sector leadership. When people have a diverse set of experiences, they’re better equipped to solve complex challenges.
Annelies Goger’s talk made me think differently about education and career preparation. Instead of only asking what individuals need to do better, we should focus on how we build more inclusive, flexible systems. Hearing her perspective was a great reminder that real change happens when we stop limiting people and start expanding their options.
