5 leaders on how universities can adapt to the future of learning and work

The world of work is undergoing rapid socio-economic and technological change. Against a backdrop of global disruption, every aspect of life and work has been affected by the pandemic, geopolitical conflict, climate change and a cost-of-living crisis. The workplace of the future must evolve and education systems must adapt to the changing needs of the labour market and employer expectations.

From the Great Resignation to the Reskilling Revolution – one thing is certain, the status quo between education systems and the labour market is undergoing a seismic shift.

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023 highlights the range of job roles and skills that will increasingly be in demand. According to the report, 69 million jobs will be created in the next five years, driven by new technologies and the green transition. But these gains will be offset by 83 million jobs being put at risk by economic pressures and automation. This means one-quarter of today’s jobs will be disrupted in the next five years.

The Jobs of the Tomorrow paper published this week further maps the potential impact of large language models (LLMs) on jobs, concluding that opportunities are likely to rise fastest for AI ‘trainers’, ‘explainers’ and ‘sustainers’.

So while the Fourth Industrial Revolution continues to change the way we work, it seems soft skills – such as creativity, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking – will be more important than ever in the future of work.

It’s clear that governments, businesses and workers need to foster a culture of lifelong learning to embrace these emerging opportunities – and there is a growing group of leaders and thinkers promoting a “skills first” approach to work.

This means evaluating workers based on their talents and competencies rather than just focusing on previous work experience or academic qualifications. Organizations will need to invest in reskilling and upskilling the workforce. In this new paradigm educational institutions have an opportunity to adapt and evolve to changing recruitment needs.

The landscape of education and employment is ripe for innovation, and leaders in global talent technology companies have their fingers on the pulse of evolving criteria for employability. For universities to stay connected to industry, they too must embrace this opportunity.

In this article, we explore insights from a new breed of recruiters, applying innovative technology to the task of matching people to jobs. They shed light on the need to reshape education, prioritize skill development, and create a future where the value of individuals is appreciated, including traditional qualifications and beyond. Keeping up with the pace of change can help deliver what their clients want.

‘Capitalize on skills and experience’

Andreas de Neve, CEO, TechWolf

“To overcome inherent biases, organizations should focus on the skills required to excel in a role with an understanding of a candidate’s potential, rather than a prescriptive approach to career paths or qualifications. Talent managers should keep an open mind to alternative routes to acquiring skills and be aware and attuned to less conventional career paths and the value of diverse life circumstances when assessing potential candidates.

“In developed economies, a typical career path was to attend university, front-load formal accreditations and use that same skill set in the same industry (if not the same company) for the next 40 years. Shifts in technology, global trade, labour markets and other macroeconomic factors mean the job-for-life concept is dwindling in favour of less traditional employment relationships.

“Skill-based training can subvert this traditional approach to looking at a business’s specific needs (e.g. hygiene qualifications, Salesforce training or coding). This can benefit those organizations able to capitalize on skills and experience that the current labour market is demanding. This could include emerging technologies such as AI, as well as culturally driven competencies such as diversity and inclusion.”

‘Upskilling is truly where it is’

Ben Wright, Founder and Chairman at Velocity Global

“I’m personally of the belief that upskilling is truly where it is. You can go to a university or college, and you can learn a lot of core and basic skills. You can learn basic coding, you can learn how to work in Excel and you can work how to learn how to write proficiently. But the actual skills to do the job still need to be taught.

“Today, places like Silicon Valley have an advantage are they’re being taught oftentimes by professors or people who have already worked in those spaces. And so you are coming out of that education system with a slightly better experience – even if it’s by osmosis.”

Source: World Economic forum