As artificial intelligence becomes more prominent in the workforce, community colleges across Chicago and the suburbs are preparing students for a future being shaped by artificial intelligence.
Some area educators also are studying the emerging technology at the national level with an eye toward bringing that knowledge back to their students here.
Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills announced that Ryen Nagle, vice president of Academic Affairs, was appointed to the Commission on the Future of Work through the American Association of Community Colleges, an advocacy organization for community colleges across the country.
Nagle said his interest in the position comes from recent innovations within the workforce and educational fields. His term began July 1 and ends June 30, 2029.
“One thing we’re trying to look at is, what are the AI tools that our employers need for different fields? Because it varies across fields. And how do we get access to that for our faculty and students so they can enter the workforce ready to use AI in the ways that that workforce is interested in and finds value in?” Nagle said.
The committee aims to understand what employers need culture-wise in terms of AI, and how to ethically and responsibly utilize it as a tool. They will meet for the first time in November, according to Nagle.
Nagle said the committee hopes students will learn how to use AI in the workforce across many disciplines, including cybersecurity and information technology, where using AI is becoming the norm.
Additionally, he said he would like to see conversations about AI go beyond surface level and wants people to think about the role AI plays in both the workforce and day-to-day life.
“Work is important to the experience of our lives and to the health of our communities and our families. Work is not only productive, but it gives us purpose as well, so I hope that human side of AI is a part of the conversation as well because I think it’s important for our students to benefit from thinking it through that lens,” Nagle said.
MVCC is not the only community college preparing students for AI in the workforce. In August 2026, City Colleges of Chicago announced the launch of its first college credit AI degree program at Wilbur Wright College, located in Chicago’s Dunning neighborhood.
Classes will be both virtual and in-person, and the program begins this fall, said associate vice chancellor of technology sector strategy Ayoka Noelle Mota Samuels.
Mota Samuels said these programs offer students skills required for careers that utilize AI.
“We’re doing that for AI so that people can be ready and can have the skills and abilities necessary to be more employable,” Mota Samuels said. “That is our responsibility for folks in our regions, that we provide these types of opportunities and training for them.”
City Colleges of Chicago has been implementing AI and information technology skills into multiple programs over the past several years, Mota Samuels said.
She said students can learn about information technology through the Tech Launchpad initiative at Kennedy-King College in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood and earn an advanced certificate in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Development through Wilbur Wright College.
Nagle said having conversations about AI at community colleges will hopefully equip students with the information and skills they need to succeed in the workplace.
But preparing students for a future shaped by AI doesn’t just include using the technology in the workplace.
Laura Lauzen-Collins, a psychology professor at Moraine Valley Community College, said conversations about AI are already a part of her classroom.
Within a learning environment, she said it is important for students to develop mastery of foundational skills but an understanding of ethical and responsible practices.
“You need to know how to use the tools that are being used broadly in that field and know enough to not only be able to use a tool, but to also know when a tool is wrong,” Lauzen-Collins said.
While Lauzen-Collins said no one knows for sure what will happen regarding the future of AI, she wants her students to be prepared for how it may affect them.
“No one knows for sure what’s going to happen … but we do talk about it, and we do talk about if you’re preparing for a career where you spending the entire career behind computer, those are the ones that are most at risk as AI continues to get better,” Lauzen-Collins said.
etittel@chicagotribune.com