Career-connected learning, AI readiness, and workforce mobility: Empirical implications for the California State University Bachelor of Professional Studies

Abstract

Higher education is increasingly challenged by workforce disruption, artificial intelligence (AI), graduate underemployment, and growing demand for flexible educational pathways serving adult and nontraditional learners. In response to these workforce conditions, the California State University (CSU) system recently introduced the proposed Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS), an interdisciplinary workforce-oriented degree designed to support adult learners through applied learning, prior learning assessment, and career-connected education. This study examines empirical evidence from Riipen workforce-learning analytics and large-scale experiential learning ecosystems to evaluate the effectiveness of workforce-integrated professional studies models. Findings indicate that career-connected learning significantly improves employability, durable skill development, career confidence, AI readiness, and workforce adaptability while expanding access for underrepresented and adult learner populations. The study further demonstrates the scalability of curriculum-embedded experiential learning infrastructures and employer-engaged project ecosystems. Collectively, the findings suggest that the CSU BPS may serve as a transformative model for workforce-integrated, AI-aware, and competency-driven public higher education by strengthening adult learner success, workforce mobility, and future-ready educational innovation across the CSU system.