There are no entry-level jobs anymore. What now?

For decades, the entry-level job has been a crucial proving ground — a place to build skills, make connections and begin a career. But in the age of artificial intelligence and automation, many of these critical early roles are disappearing. Nearly 80 percent of hiring managers now predict that AI could impel companies to cut out internships and entry-level positions.

One recent report estimates that more than 90 percent of information technology jobs will be transformed by AI, and that nearly 40 percent of those roles will be at the entry level. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that about 1 million office and administrative support jobs will be lost by 2029 due to technological advancements.

Once staples of a first job, tasks like drafting a press release, organizing information or conducting basic research are now increasingly handled by AI agents. As a result, today’s graduates face a steeper climb into meaningful, sustainable careers. It is no longer enough to be merely hireable. Students can’t even start on the ground floor — they’re expected to skip a level to get in the door. 

The traditional path from classroom to entry-level job to long-term career is crumbling. That has created a chasm between academic learning and workplace readiness, where students are expected to somehow bridge the gap themselves. Higher education institutions will need to step into this breach. If early-career experience is no longer something students can reliably acquire after graduation, they’ll need to gain it long beforehand. It should be integrated into the education itself.

Work-based learning is no longer just nice to have — it’s a necessity. Internships are one way to help fill this need, but access remains limited and often inequitable. Whereas 70 percent of first-year students say they expect to have work-based learning opportunities like internships, fewer than half report having done so by their senior year. Colleges and employers can no longer assume students will secure these valuable early experiences on their own.

To close the growing gap between education and employment, colleges need a structured approach to real-world learning that reaches students where they already are: in the classroom. Unlike traditional internships, embedded work-based learning isn’t an extracurricular add-on or a résumé booster reserved for the fortunate few. These are structured, project-based collaborations with real employers, built into the classroom experience and designed to mirror the challenges graduates will face in the workforce. Students can gain industry exposure, build professional networks, and develop critical skills.

Students who engage in work-integrated learning report greater career clarity, stronger job readiness and increased confidence. Perhaps most importantly, they graduate with something that’s becoming more valuable than ever: a portfolio of real-world experience that sets them apart in a job market where traditional entry-level roles are vanishing.

Some institutions are beginning to move in this direction. For example, the Council of Independent Colleges has launched an initiative to help two dozen of its member schools integrate work-based learning into their academic programs. Students at these institutions are tackling real business challenges from local employers as part of their coursework. This model gives students a critical head start in building the kind of experience that first jobs used to provide.

The nonprofit Complete College America, meanwhile, has convened an AI Readiness Consortium to expand access to employer-embedded learning experiences focused specifically on artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. At five participating institutions, students will engage in project-based learning experiences designed with industry partners, gaining hands-on experience and developing the in-demand skills they need to thrive in a workforce increasingly shaped by AI.

As artificial intelligence and other technologies continue to disrupt the workforce and companies streamline operations once handled by early-career workers, the window for traditional first jobs is closing. By embedding meaningful, real-world experience into higher education, institutions can ensure students don’t enter the job market at a disadvantage. They’ll arrive with the skills, confidence and connections they need to thrive even as the first rung of the career ladder crumbles. 

The pathway may be changing, but with the right support, students can still launch their careers with purpose and momentum from day one.

Dana Stephenson is co-founder and CEO of Riipen, a work-based learning platform for educators, learners and employers.