This summer, I met with a dozen employers who hired Champlain College interns. They were all changing their approach to entry-level work because of artificial intelligence. One CEO shared, “I can’t bill clients anymore for the research my junior people used to do because my clients can do it themselves with AI.” So the company redesigned the job.
Entry-level jobs are not going away, they are being reshaped around the things humans do best. Young people are being asked to do fewer rote tasks and exercise more judgment.
The shifts are striking. Instead of doing internet research about entering a new market, students are talking to potential customers in other countries to understand their needs. Instead of monitoring cybersecurity threats and alerting clients, new analysts are engaging directly with clients to address threats that arise. Instead of focusing on a single part of the manufacturing process, new workers are thinking proactively about how the entire operation can work better.
We overuse the phrase “human skills,” but they come to life in these examples. Young people are using empathy and analytical thinking to determine the right questions to ask. They are finding simple ways to communicate complex ideas in high-pressure situations. They are thinking about the system, not just its individual parts.
A recent study by PwC mirrors the trends we see with our employer partners. In an analysis of 2.4 million US entry-level job descriptions, roles with high AI exposure were 7x more likely to raise the bar on human skills than roles with low exposure.
The good news: entry-level work is becoming more interesting and these reshaped roles are growing. PwC found they grew 35% between 2019 and 2025.
The adjustment: other entry-level roles shrank 10% over the same period. And expectations are rising. Young people are expected to bring more skills, judgment and experience into their first jobs.
Some may find it surprising that my employer conversations were filled with energy and inspiration. They were describing shifts young people were actually making, not bemoaning all the things wrong with [insert generation].
My favorite moment of the summer: an immersive design company hired five Champlain College students to create a digital experience with an underwater ocean theme. The group of sophomores and juniors came from Champlain’s Game Studio, where students build real games starting their first year. The students brought a range of expertise — project management, game design, sound design, and game art — all built on a liberal arts foundation. Even though the students had not worked together before, they formed a self-managing, fully-functioning team that shipped a working prototype two weeks ahead of schedule. The company’s CEO has managed college interns for over a decade and never seen them have this type of impact.
I share this story because young people are up to the challenge of raised expectations.
The catch is that routine knowledge work has historically been the training ground where young people develop the judgment and human skills they need to build their futures. As AI takes on that work, we need to design and scale new training grounds for young people. This is the opportunity right now for postsecondary institutions, employers and government.
Alex Hernandez is the president of Champlain College in Burlington, VT.
Update (9/22/26): Strada published survey results for Entry-Level Hiring in the AI Era (May 2026) that are resonant with the themes in this post. Specifically:
AI appears to be shifting entry-level work away from routine and administrative tasks toward more complex responsibilities.
Critical thinking and communication are valued more highly in entry-level hires than AI literacy.
Work experience is the most valued indicator of career readiness.