Many colleges and universities are transitioning toward a more flexible, modular, and hybrid education. With ongoing changes in the economy, new graduates are faced with the reality that traditional higher-order thinking skills such as synthesizing, analyzing, reasoning, comprehending, application, and evaluation are no longer enough.
Increasingly, jobs are requiring specific skills such as 21st century skills and green skills for a specific position. University curriculums, therefore, must be clearly aligned with new jobs’ requirements in order to have a positive impact on the future of work.
University graduates can no longer expect that a generic degree will open them many employment doors. According to the report How Universities Can Mind The Skills Gap: Higher Education and The Future of Work, 7 percent of U.S. recent university graduates are unemployed and over 40 percent are underemployed, or work in jobs not requiring a degree. The same report notes that many employers feel like they cannot find talent with the skills they are looking for.
Further, according to a study from Genpact, a global professional services firm focused on delivering digital transformation, 76 percent of senior executives, whose companies embrace new technology and a greener economy, believe in and support their workforce culture under a hybrid model.
The same study reveals executives are concerned about employees not possessing the experience and skills required to match their needs. In other words, there is a huge misalignment between what the job market needs and what most university curriculums offer.
And the question arises, what role is higher education currently playing in preparing the next-generation workforce? How can university curriculums be more in sync with the future of work?
A good start is by mirroring the current world of work and excelling in transitioning completely into a hybrid and/or remote education.
Are universities ready to prepare the next-gen workforce for the real world of work?
For decades, the skills required by employers were acquired in universities. Today, employers do not agree with this. Work and the skills needed for a successful career are changing rather quickly. Yet, most universities are still behind in offering the right skills. Meanwhile, employers continue to express concerns; they state that Gen Z employees are not prepared for today’s real world, or for the jobs of the future.
It is paramount for higher education leadership and faculty to speed up the process of updating their curriculum and career offers to integrate the teaching of 21st century skills or soft skills, green skills, and leadership skills.
To learn more on how to incorporate skills-based training in your curriculum and other relevant topics, register here for a half-day virtual event by Fierce Education, "Higher Education: Business and Leadership — Summer Edition".