Disrupting the Skills Crisis: Colin Cooper Demolishes the 200-Year-Old Factory Model of Education
PR Newswire
TAMPA BAY, Fla., Feb. 5, 2026
In this episode of Disruption Interruption, host Karla Jo Helms speaks with Colin Cooper, CEO of Illuminate XR. They discuss how the outdated education system fails modern learners and how immersive technologies like VR and AI can personalize learning, bridge the skills gap, and prepare the workforce for the future
TAMPA BAY, Fla., Feb. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent Cengage Group report reveals that only 30% of 2025 college graduates found entry-level jobs in their fields, while Georgetown University predicts a shortage of 5.25 million workers with post-secondary training by 2032. As the skills gap widens, traditional education struggles to keep pace with an AI-driven economy. Colin Cooper, CEO and co-founder of Illuminate XR, joins host Karla Jo Helms on the Disruption Interruption podcast to discuss dismantling the antiquated factory model of learning. Cooper argues that immersive technology is the only way to prepare for the "age of humanity."
"We have one opportunity to do this now. In 20 to 25 years, we're going to look back and ask, 'Wow, didn't we nail that?' or 'Wow, we completely screwed that up,'" says Cooper. "I want to be on the side of improving education because we have the power and technology to do that on a global scale."
The Education System Is 200 Years Behind
The current educational framework operates on an industrial-age factory model established nearly two centuries ago. Designed to produce compliant workers for a world that no longer exists, this system relies on standardization rather than individualization. Cooper points out that while technology accelerates—compressing 20 years of progress into a single year—the fundamental way humans are taught remains stagnant, creating a critical disconnect between school curriculums and workforce requirements.
"Most of the education systems out there are training children to learn for a world that no longer exists—essentially the industrial age," explains Cooper. "The fundamental part of the curriculum is close to 200 years old. Classrooms themselves haven't really changed in design in over a thousand years."
Cooper notes that this stagnation forces businesses to bear the burden of retraining. "One of my biggest frustrations with hiring in businesses was getting people that you had to un-educate to re-educate them into what you needed. That is expensive and a big challenge."
Meeting Learners Where They Are
Illuminate XR addresses this crisis by leveraging AI and VR to create personalized, immersive learning experiences. By meeting learners where they are—whether tailoring physics lessons to sports interests or using VR for public speaking practice—the platform reduces cortisol and increases dopamine to ensure retention. Cooper emphasizes that AI should not replace teachers but amplify human potential by handling repetitive tasks and offering unique scaffolding for every student.
"Real learning happens when you reduce cortisol and increase dopamine by connecting education to personal interests," says Cooper. "If you are meeting someone where they are at, they feel an instant connection to you. That's where real learning happens."
Cooper concludes with a vision for the future of the classroom: "We don't want to be replacing teachers. What we need to do is use technology like AI to amplify the teacher in the room. If you've got 30 kids, you could have 30 teaching assistants unique for that child."
Links
Disrupting the Skills Crisis: Mastering Learning with VR and AI with Colin Cooper
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinmbcooper/
Company Website: https://illuminatexr.com
Disruption Interruption is the podcast where you will hear from today's biggest Industry Disruptors. Learn what motivated them to bring about innovation and how they overcame opposition to adoption.
Disruption Interruption can be listened to in Apple's App Store and Spotify.
About Disruption Interruption™
Disruption is happening on an unprecedented scale, impacting all manner of industries— MedTech, Finance, IT, eCommerce, shipping, logistics, and more—and COVID has moved their timelines up a full decade or more. But WHO are these disruptors and when did they say, "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT!"? Time to Disrupt and Interrupt with host Karla Jo "KJ" Helms, veteran communications disruptor. KJ interviews badasses who are disrupting their industries and altering economic networks that have become antiquated with an establishment resistant to progress. She delves into uncovering secrets from industry rebels and quiet revolutionaries that uncover common traits—and not-so-common—that are changing our economic markets… and lives. Visit the world's key pioneers that persist to success, despite arrows in their backs at www.disruption-interruption.com.
About Colin Cooper
Colin M. B. Cooper is a global futurist, educator, and entrepreneur, and the CEO and Co-Founder of Illuminate XR, where he is advancing human-centered leadership and learning in an AI-driven world. A TEDx speaker and founder of multiple education and technology ventures, his work focuses on human behavior, leadership, and the skills technology cannot replace.
Over more than 26 years, Colin has founded or supported over 100 companies across 38 countries, hiring more than 1,000 people and helping thousands more into employment. Through this experience, he gained a firsthand understanding of the widening gap between traditional education systems and the real needs of modern business.
To bridge this divide, Colin created two transformative frameworks: B.R.A.V.E., designed for schools to cultivate curiosity, creativity, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and resilience; and F.U.T.U.R.E., built for organizations navigating rapid change driven by AI and immersive technologies. He is the bestselling author of Achieving Insane Results in Your Business and the founder of The Kids Book Company, delivering personalized educational stories that inspire the next generation.
About Karla Jo Helms
Karla Jo Helms is the Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR® Strategist for JOTO PR Disruptors™. Karla Jo learned firsthand how unforgiving business can be when millions of dollars are on the line — and how the control of public opinion often determines whether one company is happily chosen, or another is brutally rejected. Being an alumnus of crisis management, Karla Jo has worked with litigation attorneys, private investigators, and the media to help restore companies of goodwill into the good graces of public opinion — Karla Jo operates on the ethic of getting it right the first time, not relying on second chances and doing what it takes to excel. Helms speaks globally on public relations, how the PR industry itself has lost its way, and how, in the right hands, corporations can harness the power of Anti-PR to drive markets and impact market perception.
References
- Nietzel, M. T. (2025, September 10). As skills gap grows, job market for college grads hits 5-year low. Forbes. forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2025/09/10/new-report-as-skills-gap-grows-job-market-for-college-grads-at-5-year-low/
Media Inquiries:
Karla Jo Helms
JOTO PR™
727-777-4629
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