
Darnell Epps on opening career pathways
From HBS Managing the Future of Work by Harvard Business School
May 13, 2026 · 39 min
About this episode
Darnell Epps discusses the importance of making skills visible to improve job matching for vocational program graduates.
Demand for skilled-trades workers remains high, yet many graduates of vocational programs struggle to land jobs. The founder and CEO of Thurgood Industries discusses how making skills visible through portfolios of real work can improve matching and expand access to opportunity. He also reflects on his own path—from incarceration to Yale Law School and founding a workforce platform—and how it informs his approach to building more inclusive career pathways.
People in this episode
Guest: Darnell Epps
Topics covered
- skilled trades
- vocational programs
- career pathways
- inclusivity
- workforce development
Keywords
- skilled trades
- vocational programs
- career pathways
- inclusivity
- workforce platform
- Darnell Epps
- Thurgood Industries
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Thurgood Industries, Yale Law School
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