Civics, Service, and Leadership in a Changing Economy

By Denise Mytko 2026

At the Center for Talent Development, the Civic Education Project is grounded in a simple belief: Young people flourish when they understand their talents as gifts meant to serve others. We focus on civic responsibility, service, and ethical leadership because the world our students are entering is changing quickly, especially in the ways that we engage with and contribute to one another. For us, civic learning is tightly connected to human work and strong psychosocial skill building, which you can learn more about here. Our students do not just study issues from a distance. They listen to people. They examine policy. They build relationships with communities. They wrestle with complex questions and reflect on their own values. Through this process, they learn to assess and address problems in a whole and connected way: by “examining what is happening, who is affected, and how to best support meaningful change."

This human-centered learning matters deeply in today’s world, and also in today’s labor market. CEP provides students a space to prepare for both. In the broadest sense, work is any directed effort toward a goal. It is how we spend our time. It includes paid employment, but also unpaid efforts such as caregiving, volunteering, organizing, and studying. How we spend our time shapes our identity. As our students grow into adulthood, they will make choices about how to commit their time in the world of work.

"Our students do not just study issues from a distance. They listen to people. They examine policy. They build relationships with communities. They wrestle with complex questions and reflect on their own values. Through this process, they learn to assess and address problems in a whole and connected way: by “examining what is happening, who is affected, and how to best support meaningful change.'" -Denise Mytko

Many people, especially in the United States, tie their sense of success to their professional lives (Bluestein, 2011). At CEP we understand that definitions of success are broader than professional appointment and are decided by individuals, and will vary widely. That said, when the labor market shifts, it does not just change paychecks. It can unsettle pathway plans, futures, and self-understanding.

So, how has the labor market changed in the past, and how can we prepare for the future? Much of the world entered what some call the Automation Revolution around the turn of the century. Building on the digital revolution, this shift moved the United States more fully into a knowledge economy where information and expertise carry great value (Darling-Hammond, 2010, p. 2). Many jobs have shifted toward specialized knowledge, service, and collaboration with advanced technologies, including in critically important work of manufacturing and goods production. 

These changes have not affected everyone equally. By 2010, approximately two thirds of jobs in the United States required some form of formal post-secondary training. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated market trends speeding up disruptions that were already underway (Autor, Rose, Stevenson, & Edelberg, 2020). The result has been uneven career disruption. To thrive in a disrupted market, today’s economy calls for lifelong learning, adaptability, and resilience. Most importantly, it calls for attention to human work.

Human work includes skills that cannot easily be automated. It is the ability to help, to bridge differences, to integrate ideas, and to create new possibilities (Merisotis, 2020). Teachers, caregivers, health professionals, artists, service workers, project managers, and entrepreneurs have long practiced the tenets of this kind of work. It relies on empathy, imagination, ethical judgment, collaboration, and care.

"When students learn to engage communities, analyze systems, communicate across differences, and act with ethical clarity, they are building the very capacities that define human work." -Denise Mytko

While traditional post-secondary systems often measure “hard skills” tied to technical tasks, those tasks are the ones most vulnerable to automation. At the same time, human-centered skills rise in importance. Institutions of higher education are now challenged to find ways to recognize and credential qualities such as curiosity, compassion, and the ability to lead others with integrity (Merisotis, 2020).

This is where CEP priorities come into focus. The CTD talent development model, when grounded in civic responsibility and service, is not separate from prudent economic preparation. When students learn to engage communities, analyze systems, communicate across differences, and act with ethical clarity, they are building the very capacities that define human work. They are developing social capital, moral courage, and adaptive thinking. These are durable skills that endure through technological change.

The Civic Engagement Program prepares students not only to earn a living, but to live with purpose. We help them see formal credentials as important tools, while also cultivating the deeper human capacities that sustain careers and communities. In a labor market shaped by uncertainty, the ability to lead ethically, serve compassionately, and think systemically is not optional. It is essential.

As credentialing models continue to evolve, schools have a responsibility to keep the human work at the center. By investing in talent development rooted in civic engagement, service, and ethical leadership, we are preparing students to contribute to a thriving economy and a just society. We invite you to join us.

Autor, D., Rose, N., Stevenson, B., & Edelberg, W. (2020, July 16). How COVID is reshaping the future of business and work [Webinar]. The Hamilton Project.

Bluestein, D. (2020). The importance of work in an age of uncertainty. Oxford University Press.

Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). The flat world and education: How America's commitment to equity will determine our future. Teachers College Press.

Merisotis, J. (2020). Human work in the age of smart machines. Rosetta Books.