Ideagen Radio
Ideagen Radio
Emily Todd: The Future of Health Ep. 6
Curious how today’s students can jump the gap from classroom learning to real healthcare impact? We sit down with Emily Todd, Senior Manager for Career Partnerships at Pearson, to unpack a practical blueprint: engage employers earlier, leverage AI and simulations to widen access, and build the soft skills that carry across every care setting. Emily explains why middle school is not too soon to spark career intent, how virtual events and micro-internships open doors, and what makes a partnership more than a logo on a banner.
We dig into technology as an equalizer—VR for safe, repeatable practice, AI for personalized exploration, and digital networks that help students in any zip code find mentors and opportunities. Emily shares how Pearson’s data points to a shift: learners want clarity and relevance now. That means tighter collaboration between educators and employers, from co-designed projects to sponsored competitions that highlight real roles and expectations. Along the way, we surface tactics students can use today: job shadowing, simulations, team competitions, and a simple outreach plan for informational interviews that actually get replies.
The conversation also gets personal as Emily traces her path from high school science teacher to building national partnerships, showing how communication, adaptability, and initiative create leverage in a changing job market. Her optimism is contagious: the next generation is eager, tech-savvy, and purpose-driven, and healthcare needs exactly that mix. If you care about workforce readiness, health career pathways, or meaningful learning that leads to jobs, this one will give you clear steps and renewed energy.
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@Connections Academy
@Pearson
Connections Academy College and Career Readiness
Welcome to the Future of Health Podcast, presented by HOSA Future Health Professionals. I'm honored to be here today with Emily Todd, Senior Manager for Career Partnerships at Pearson. Emily, welcome.
SPEAKER_01:Thanks so much for having me.
SPEAKER_00:It's so great to have you here, especially with everything that you and Pearson are doing to help with the pipeline of future health professionals. It's incredible. And so, Emily, you lead up partnership development and strategy at Pearson. How do you see strategic partnerships shaping the future of career readiness, especially in the healthcare field?
SPEAKER_01:Great question. I think partnerships are one of the most important things to having a solid college and career readiness offering, whether it's in healthcare or any other industry focus, giving employers the opportunity to interface directly with students earlier is the magic, and that's how we connect students to opportunities, help students find out what they're really passionate about, and ultimately lead to more successful and happier futures.
SPEAKER_00:And so Pearson's obviously known for being at the intersection of education and innovation. How are you seeing to there's so much? How are you seeing technology transformation impact how students prepare, especially for health careers today?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, the world of education and technology in general is rapidly changing before our eyes. I know we talked a little bit about AI yesterday. But I think what's exciting about this world of education and this generation of talent that's in school now is that they have grown up with technology at their fingertips. Unlike myself or you, who might have had to learn technology a little bit later or adjust to something new, they're ready and adaptable to new change and excited to get their hands on things like simulators or virtual reality, even. And I think that's what's really exciting about making healthcare training more accessible to all students that are interested in that pathway.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, we talked a lot about AI. And we see AI moving and changing, and the future is already here. We talked about that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And so you've worked a lot in change and technology. How do you see, Emily, technology changing how students learn and get ready for the real world?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I think technology is the great, the great equalizer. It helps students from all types of backgrounds, no matter where you live, what your zip code is, be able to find out more about their passions, their purpose, and careers they want to connect to. The first tenet of change management is awareness. So I think that, you know, in my generation, I only knew a few careers based on what my parents did, my neighbors, maybe my teachers. Um, but now the world is really at students' fingertips using um technology and AI to help better match them to opportunities. And I think it's really exciting for them.
SPEAKER_00:It sure is. And so soft skills, do you refer to them as soft skills?
SPEAKER_01:We do. We talk we say soft skills, we also say power skills.
SPEAKER_00:Power skills. Oh, wow. Okay. So, like communication, teamwork, adaptability, they're becoming a big deal. I think they were always a big deal.
SPEAKER_01:Definitely.
SPEAKER_00:Um, why are they so even more so important today?
SPEAKER_01:I think soft skills are so important for this generation of talent that's just entering the workforce because just about what we talked about, technology is changing so much. There are jobs that um students in high school right now will have in 10 years that don't even exist yet today. Um, but the soft skills are what's transferable amongst all careers. So being a good team player, like students in HOSA really get to develop, or being a good communicator, or being able to critically think about something that will help you in any career. So being able to be exposed to those and develop those skills earlier will only help them have more success in the future.
SPEAKER_00:And so the follow-up to that is how can they start doing that right now?
SPEAKER_01:I love that question. Um, my I'm a former teacher, so I'm all about hands-on activities for students and really getting them into the world of work sooner. So any opportunity a student has to figure out what they do and don't like is going to help them in one way or the other forge their path forward. Um, so letting them participate in internships, job shadowing, um, doing hands-on um activities in classrooms, simulations, as well as joining organizations like HOSA to get those hands-on experiences and develop their leadership and soft skills, all of that will help them so that when they're ready for their first job, um, they already have those skills developed.
SPEAKER_00:Incredible advice. And so, what is one piece of advice you'd give a student thinking about a future in healthcare or health education?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, great question. My biggest piece of advice to all students, especially those interested in healthcare, is to really dive in early and don't be afraid to build a connection, especially with this day and age with where we are. Sometimes it can feel a little intimidating to reach out to someone, whether you use a social platform like LinkedIn to connect, or maybe you have a friend or a teacher who has someone that works in a particular healthcare field, ask them questions. I always say people love talking about themselves. Um, so being willing to put yourself out there and make a professional connection, it can help you not only to maybe um have a mentor, but just learn more about the world of healthcare, which is so much more broad than what people really know.
SPEAKER_00:And so I'd like to shift just a little and talk about how companies and schools, educators, education in general, how are they collaborating now versus before, perhaps?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that's a really big part of my job at Pearson is helping to bridge that gap between the classroom and education and the workforce. And data that we're seeing at Pearson by being able to survey students from across the country is that students are thinking about their careers now earlier than ever. In middle school, students already have an idea of at least the industry, if not a specific job that they're interested in pursuing in the future. So the biggest takeaway for partners that we're seeing success is partners that are accessing early talent sooner, whether that's doing virtual events with them just to raise awareness, providing internship opportunities for students, or even sponsoring events like here at HOSA, how corporations are sponsoring competitive events, anything to get students to know their brand, their beliefs as an organization, as well as the types of jobs they have, really helps to build that bridge into the future for students when they're ready to have their first job.
SPEAKER_00:And so, how can organizations like HOSA help prepare students for their future? What can they do, what can we do be doing more of?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I think HOSA's doing a great job of this already, but um what's been really awesome to see after coming to the ILC for many years is just the expansion of that expo hall. Right, right. The number of partners that HOSA has now and really making partnerships and connections. I know you all always talk about your partners being like family and really caring about the students. It's not just a name or a logo you're putting on a poster or a sign, it's building and forging relationships with companies and organizations that truly are passionate about your students and want to recruit them in the long run. So continuing to add that into your messaging to partners, not just to come and join our expo, but also um to recruit our students down the road, stay connected to our alumni. I think that's one of the most important things I know HUSA's already doing, but can continue to do and grow.
SPEAKER_00:Incredible, incredible, Emily. And so I'd love to ask you a question about you. So you um have had a very you know successful career. You're helping lead the way now at Pearson and do all these incredible things. Was there a moment in your career? Was there a moment in your career where you had to rely on those soft skills that we talked about earlier? Was there a moment like that?
SPEAKER_01:Definitely. Um so I mentioned before, um I actually was a high school science teacher for five years. Um, so kind of college, started teaching immediately. I always knew I had a passion for helping students. So naturally, growing up in rural South Carolina, teacher was the job that I was told I should do. I didn't know a lot about technology or education technology. Um, and when I got into teaching, I liked it, but I really wanted to make a bigger impact. And I actually think it was um the experiences I had in high school and in college doing public speaking, participating in things like I was an orientation leader at my college, um, and I worked in admissions when I was at college that helped me to learn about higher ed and um the world of recruiting. So I actually got a job out of teaching where I still got to connect students to opportunities, and I worked for a startup that was kind of like LinkedIn for the next generation of talent for a little bit. So I got to know um HOSA in the early days, and I got to use my soft skills to show I was more than just a teacher and ultimately achieved my goal of making a larger impact on students by helping them connect to things like scholarships, internships, and jobs.
SPEAKER_00:Incredible, incredible. And so, what gives you, Emily, hope or excitement about the future of students entering the healthcare professions?
SPEAKER_01:I love that question, and especially being here at the ILC already. I mean, I've talked to middle schoolers today that are telling me about their what they've done related to job chattering surgeries, even. Um, so just how excited they are makes me excited. I think the world of healthcare sometimes people um think of it as, you know, a really hard job. It's definitely really mentally taxing to be in healthcare. So to know that the future of healthcare is bright with all these amazing hosts of students that are really excited and ultimately care about people and making the world a better place gives me a lot of excitement.
SPEAKER_00:Wow. And that's a great testimonial right there. It's and it's so it's so powerful to hear you say that. How can folks learn more about what you're doing at Pearson?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, definitely check out Pearson.com. Um you can see more about our our range of offerings there from K-12 all the way through the workforce, and definitely connect with me on LinkedIn as well.
SPEAKER_00:Emily Todd Pearson, Future Health Podcast presented by HOSA Future Health Professionals. Thank you so very much.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you.
SPEAKER_00:Incredible. Thank you.