About the Episode
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About the Episode:
In this special live episode recorded live at the AI Show at ASU+GSV, Dustin and guest Tara Gilboa unpack how her work at Zal.AI is helping higher ed institutions build real-time, skills-based pathways between education and employment.
Tara breaks down what it actually takes to align curriculum with workforce needs, how AI is the secret ingredient to faster, smarter decision-making, and why we need to ditch static PDFs for dynamic, collaborative systems. Plus, she offers a sneak peek into the groundbreaking Quantum Talent Partnership—one of the most ambitious workforce alignment initiatives in the country.
What does Zal.AI do, and why does it matter for higher ed?
Zal.AI is an ed tech startup focused on creating a “pathway system of record” between education and employment. Tara Gilboa describes Zal.AI as the connective tissue helping institutions, employers, and learners align around a shared language of skills. Zal.AI’s platform helps institutions evaluate and align their curriculum not only with accreditation standards but with real-time, regional labor market demands. This allows colleges and universities to better demonstrate the ROI of their programs and foster deeper employer partnerships.
How does AI enable more agile curriculum development?
Tara unpacks the “silent bottleneck” in education—outdated and slow curriculum updates. She argues that AI can play a crucial role in speeding up the alignment process by analyzing existing course content and matching it with current job skills in demand. The result? Institutions can make data-driven updates without constantly rewriting syllabi or undergoing lengthy revision cycles, ensuring that academic rigor and agility can co-exist.
What is Zal.AI’s approach to skills-based education?
Zal.AI uses AI to “automagically” align curricula with workforce needs. This includes pulling from real-time job postings and employer-verified data to identify which skills are being taught and which are needed. The platform doesn’t just track open jobs—it maps out which programs are best preparing learners for them. This gives colleges a powerful tool to showcase their value and helps streamline student transitions from education to employment.
How does higher ed benefit from this kind of skills infrastructure?
Higher education institutions can use Zal.AI to identify new learner pipelines (e.g., from K-12, apprenticeships, or nontraditional paths), create stronger partnerships with local employers, and build more inclusive, scalable workforce systems. By removing silos between institutions and employers, Zal.AI fosters a more collaborative and regionally impactful approach to talent development.
What’s happening with the Quantum Talent Partnership?
Tara also shares details on a new initiative she’s co-leading: the Quantum Talent Partnership, focused on the Rocky Mountain West. Backed by $40M in funding, this effort is building a workforce pipeline for quantum technology careers, which are projected to explode in the next decade. The project spans multiple states, employers, and institutions—aiming to deliver a nimble, inclusive regional workforce strategy built on real-time insights.
What’s Tara’s advice for higher ed leaders?
Tara’s core message is clear: higher education leaders don’t have to choose between mission and market. With the right tools, it’s possible to stay true to the purpose of serving learners while also aligning with workforce realities. Institutions must embrace AI not as a threat, but as a tool that helps humans do what they already do—only better, faster, and more collaboratively.
About the Show: The Higher Ed Geek Podcast explores the impact of edtech on the student experience by speaking with diverse leaders from institutions, companies, and nonprofit organizations. Each week we aim to provide an engaging, fun, and relevant dose of professional development that honors the wide range of work happening all across the higher ed ecosystem. Come geek out with us! The Higher Ed Geek Podcast is hosted by Dustin Ramsdell and is a proud member of the Enrollify Podcast Network.
Connect With Our Host:
Dustin Ramsdell
About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Geek is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Some of our favorites include Generation AI and I Wanna Work There.
Enrollify is produced by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.
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