Dive Brief:

• An association of for-profit colleges is holding a symposium this week on employment trends and how schools can prepare the workforce.
• The conference asked schools to bring employer partners, professionals in their industry, and state or local policymakers.
• One focus is vocational training, an area where online players such as Udacity see a big opening.  

Dive Insight:

For-profit schools are often under attack from politicians and lawsuits. One of the most frequent criticisms is that the schools take students' money but leave them with few genuine job prospects in the end. A symposium focused on jobs attacks that angle. The fact that it's being held in Washington means it has a built-in political audience.