Who will train tomorrow's professionals if AI takes over entry-level jobs?

AI is transforming the labour market at a rapid pace. Recent reports suggest that graduates are finding it increasingly difficult to secure entry-level positions in AI-exposed professions. According to Theo Bakker, Professor of Learning Technology & Analytics at THUAS, this calls for a broader discussion than simply asking which jobs will disappear. His new position paper explores a more fundamental question: how do we prepare tomorrow's professionals if AI takes over the very tasks through which newcomers traditionally develop their expertise? 

The impact of AI on the labour market is a topic of growing public debate. Organisations are increasingly using AI to support or automate routine tasks. While this creates opportunities for innovation and higher productivity, it also raises new questions. What does this mean for students and early-career professionals who traditionally gain experience and build expertise through these tasks? 

In his new position paper, The Fragile Path to Professional Expertise in the Age of AI, Theo Bakker explains how AI is changing not only the way we work, but also the way people learn and develop professionally. 

"Much of the discussion about AI focuses on jobs that may disappear. Equally important is the question of how early-career professionals will gain the experience they need to become skilled practitioners. If that learning pathway is disrupted, it will ultimately affect the quality of our future workforce." – Theo Bakker, Professor of Learning Technology & Analytics 

More than a technological challenge 

In the position paper, Bakker identifies three ways in which AI affects learning and work. AI can replace tasks (substitution), enhance the work of professionals (augmentation), and fundamentally transform professions and professional roles (transformation). According to Bakker, the direction these developments take depends not only on the technology itself, but above all on the choices made today by educational institutions and employers. 

He argues that this requires a shared agenda. Education and industry must jointly reconsider which knowledge and skills students need, which tasks remain essential for developing professional expertise, and how AI can be integrated responsibly into both learning and professional practice. 

A shared responsibility 

For The Hague University of Applied Sciences, this aligns closely with its mission to prepare students for a rapidly changing labour market. 

"AI is changing not only the content of professions, but also the way professionals develop their expertise. That is why education and employers must continue to invest together in the professionals of tomorrow. This position paper contributes to that important conversation and helps us rethink how we prepare students for their future careers in the age of AI." – Arend Hardorff, Member of the Executive Board, THUAS 

Position paper 

With this position paper, THUAS aims to contribute to the broader societal conversation on AI, education and the labour market. Its central message is that AI will only deliver lasting value if technological innovation goes hand in hand with investment in learning, professional development and the cultivation of expertise. 

Read the full position paper (in Dutch): The Fragile Path to Professional Expertise in the Age of AI – Who Will Train Tomorrow's Professionals if AI Takes Over Entry-Level Jobs? 

Want to know more? 

• Read more about the Learning Technology & Analytics research group, part of the Centre of Expertise Global and Inclusive Learning at THUAS.  
• Contact Theo Bakker.