Skills for the Future: Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation Gathers Business and Community Leaders at AP Annual Conference 2025

At the AP^® Annual Conference 2025, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation and College Board cohosted an event for local business and community leaders to learn and share ideas about the future of work: what skills will be needed, what tomorrow’s workplace will look like, and how to make sure students are getting the skills employers value.

“By partnering with College Board and Education at Work, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation is proud to champion work that moves the needle for young talent, increasing access to fulfilling careers. Important convenings where business leaders, higher education institutions, and training providers discuss innovative courses, apprenticeships, and internships ensure that we are putting our students—our future workforce—on the path to economic mobility and success,” said Amber Haskell, vice president and executive director of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

Clare Bertrand, executive director of Career Strategy and Employer Partnerships at College Board, opened the event with a presentation on how the education nonprofit is addressing the lack of awareness among high school students of the skills needed for in-demand business and cyber careers. “This is a challenge and an opportunity,” said Bertrand. “We think the College Board is well suited to start by meeting students where they are and begin moving them forward toward a meaningful career.”

Two new Advanced Placement^® (AP) Career Kickstart™ courses, AP Business with Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity, are being field-tested and piloted in high schools across the country; both will officially launch in the 2026-27 school year. Like all AP courses, these new career-connected courses will offer students the opportunity for college credit by earning a qualifying score on the AP Exam. In addition, AP Career Kickstart courses will offer high school students the opportunity to develop employer-endorsed skills and expose students to career-relevant learning, helping them to explore their interests and graduate more prepared for either college or career pathways.

Following the presentation on AP Career Kickstart, Jane Swift, former governor of Massachusetts and president of Education at Work, joined Carol Geremia, president of MFS Investment Management, for a fireside chat. Education at Work is a national work-based learning nonprofit that connects American businesses with a strong pipeline of early-career talent and provides college students with real work experience while they are still in school, helping them build employable skills, professional skills, and the confidence needed to succeed in their first jobs and long-term careers. 

As AP Career Kickstart is helping high school students develop employer-valued skills, Swift believes that the work her team does with college students is so important because, “College is a career pathway—period,” she said. “The idea that college should only be about academics and that work comes later is outdated. Employers today aren’t just looking at degrees. They want proof that students have durable, transferable skills—communication, problem-solving, professionalism—that show up in a real work setting. So, we need to pull work into the college experience, just like AP courses brought college into high school.” Together, programs like AP Career Kickstart and Education at Work hope to create a bridge from high school classrooms to college jobs to full-time careers, offering a continuous thread of work-based learning and skill development. 

Swift also noted that the lack of meaningful internships and entry-level positions in the workforce is a huge barrier for many students, particularly low-income students who can’t pursue unpaid opportunities. She challenged members of the audience to look for new ways for their own organizations to create openings for entry-level talent. “There are so many jobs that employers can’t fill, and there are so many students who are looking for meaningful work experiences, she said. “I love internships. We can turn just about any job into a job of value.”

For more highlights from the 2025 AP Annual Conference, visit College Board’s All Access blog.

About AP

The Advanced Placement Program^® (AP^®) enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies—with the opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both—while still in high school. Through AP courses in 40 subjects, each culminating in a challenging exam, students learn to think critically, construct solid arguments, and see many sides of an issue—skills that prepare them for college and beyond.