Year: 2024

By 2025, Millennials will make up almost 75 percent of the global workforce; Gen Zers, born in the mid-1990s, have already started graduating from higher education and are making their mark in the world of business.

Now it’s time for universities and business schools to turn their attention to the next generation: Generation Alpha.

Gen Alpha, the first generation born entirely in the 21st century, has been surrounded by technology since the day they were born, oblivious to a world where smartphones or social media didn’t govern over the lives of the masses.

This knowledge and greater understanding of technology from an early age will shape the ways in which Gen Alpha students are taught throughout their education and navigate their working lives. But what lies ahead for these digital natives?

The key difference for Gen Alpha – when comparing the studies of Millennials and Gen Z – is their university experience will be significantly richer in technology integration, with heightened blends of traditional learning and virtual and augmented realities.

Alain Goudey, Associate Dean for Digital at France’s NEOMA Business School says: “For Gen Alpha, digital tools are second nature, so universities will likely embed technology more deeply into everyday learning processes. This could include virtual reality for immersive learning experiences, augmented reality for practical applications in real-world settings and AI-driven personal learning assistants.

“It also includes reshaping learning content to adapt their codes which are mainly from games and movies; learning through gamification, which incorporates game design elements in educational contexts, will likely be prevalent.”

Goudey believes this focus on learning through gamification will increase engagement, motivation and retention of information, especially in subjects that benefit from dynamic interaction.

Estefania Santacreu-Vasut, Associate Dean of Pedagogy and Professor of Economics at ESSEC Business School, in France, agrees in the blending of the virtual and human experience: “In a world where information seems to be a click away, combining personalised learning with rich pedagogical experiences will be the added value of universities and business schools to foster knowledge creation and mastery.

“Preparing this generation of students also requires taking an integrative approach to pedagogy, where care and health are a precondition for learning. Future curricula should be seen as a network of knowledge, where deep scientific research is connected to real world applications in an interdisciplinary way.”

The role of universities and business schools as creators, curators and communicators of innovative and substantial ideas will continue to be important to demonstrate how necessary research truly is when developing a theory in a digital world.

“Raising awareness for source criticality among students gains ever increasing importance in the era of ubiquitous information availability via digital channels and AI empowered tools,” adds Tomas Falk, Associate Dean of teaching and education and Professor of Marketing at Finland’s Aalto University School of Business.

Catching the attention of Gen Alpha

Educational institutions across the globe are already preparing for Gen Alpha by investing in digital infrastructure and adopting new teaching methodologies that are both technology-driven and flexible.

Proactive engagement between higher education institutions and future students will also be imperative.

“Proactive engagement includes partnerships with tech companies and early education initiatives to understand Gen Alpha’s learning behaviors and preferences, so broad needs can be identified, and a more agile way to react is identified,” says Nalisha Patel, Regional Director for Europe at Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC).

Understanding Gen Alpha’s generational characteristics will be key to successful messaging for higher education institutions – and Generation Alpha will be banging on the (virtual) doors of universities and business schools sooner than we think.

But where should higher education institutions be focussing their efforts to ensure they pre-emptively draw the attention of the world’s future leaders?

“Higher education institutions will need to provide personalised support and look at well-being, diversity and authenticity, as Gen Alpha’s expectations are as such,” says Professor Sankar Sivarajah, Dean of the School of Management at the University of Bradford in the UK.

“Leveraging platforms like social media that the generation are already using to promote and engage with them as learner.”

As a generation set to be more socially aware of the world around them, diversity will likely be a core value for Gen Alpha. If an institution is perceived as discriminatory or selective, this will be a big red flag to prospective students.

Gen Alpha’s patience for inequality will decrease as they grow up, meaning brands championing social issues and diversity while embracing widespread change will be the frontrunners in the eyes of this generation.

Universities celebrating the diversity of the campus community will thrive – but higher education institutions need to ensure their messaging is authentic, or Gen Alpha won’t engage.

As a group of students, Gen Alpha will be far more connected to the world than the generations before them – and this generation will in turn value learning opportunities that deepen their understanding of the world around them.

Mark McCrindle, the social researcher and futurist who coined the term Generation Alpha says the group is called the world’s first global generation because other generations were not submerged in a world where technology connects social media platforms that engage the news feeds as we see today and will continue to see in the future.

And it is because of this global interconnectivity that Gen Alpha will value cultural diversity in their classrooms and places of work.

Whether study abroad opportunities, virtual explorations of culture, service trip or international business academies, higher education institutions will need to demonstrate just how great their global reach is to set them apart.

Read the full article from QS Insights Magazine, Issue 17.

The decline of steel, cars and coal has left deep scars on rust belt states across America, once-thriving manufacturing hubs that span the industrial Midwest and north-east. States like Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota are now grappling with idling plants, layoffs and financial losses.

That has spurred efforts to transition former manufacturing hubs into vibrant knowledge economies. And universities have played pivotal roles in driving economic transformation in rust-belt regions, not just in the US but around the globe.

Examples abound, from Deakin University in Geelong, Australia, to the universities of Sheffield, Manchester and Leeds in Britain’s northern reaches. These universities have embarked on ambitious initiatives to diversify rust belt economies, foster innovation and equip left-behind communities with the skills needed for the knowledge-driven era.

Perhaps nowhere is this truer than in the US, the world’s largest economy. According to the Brookings Institution, a think-tank, rust belt universities create an outsized share of America’s research talent.

Despite comprising only 31 percent of the nation’s population, those states produce 33 percent of STEM graduates and 32 percent of higher-education degrees awarded overall. This underlines the rust belt’s important role in shaping America’s knowledge economy.

Moreover, the region’s universities serve as hubs of research and innovation, driving technological advancements and the commercialisation of academic thinking that help fuel economic growth.

A prime example is Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is known as Steel City, but in recent years, it has seen a burst of activity in robotics, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and climate technology. Powering that revolution is talent, and much of it comes out of CMU, with its world-renowned computer science and robotics programmes.

Through partnerships, CMU has helped to diversify the city’s economy and create new opportunities in high-tech areas. CMU’s Robotics Institute, founded in 1979, has attracted top talent and also research funding, leading to the development of cutting-edge technologies like autonomous vehicles and the creation of numerous spin-off companies.

CMU has spawned companies like RE2 Robotics, which creates robot-arms for safely dismantling explosives, as well as Bossa Nova, whose scanning-inventory robots are used across America including in Walmart stores.

These companies, in turn, have helped to revitalise the Pittsburgh economy and create high-paying jobs. “The transformation of the city by new, young people working in AI and robotics has been spectacular,” says Andrew Moore, former Dean of Computer Science at CMU.

What’s more, CMU has collaborated with local government and industry partners to establish institutes, such as the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute which now operates as an independent non-profit and is developing artificial intelligence, 3D printing and other emerging technologies.

Such academic efforts extend beyond the US. In Germany, collaborative initiatives between universities are translating cutting-edge research into real-world applications, creating new opportunities for economic development and job creation in former industrial heartlands.

The Ruhr Valley used to be a global powerhouse for coal and steel production. However, as the mining and manufacturing industries declined, the region faced economic and social challenges, such as unemployment and a loss of identity tied to its industrial heritage.

In response to these challenges, an ambitious effort led by three universities – Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, and the University of Duisburg-Essen – has emerged, known as the Research Alliance Ruhr.

At its core is a substantial financial commitment of €75 million from the North Rhine-Westphalia government. This funding will fuel the establishment of four new interdisciplinary research centres focusing on key areas such as digitalisation and energy. Moreover, it will support the creation of 50 professorships and 500 research positions.

By leveraging the collective expertise of the three universities and tapping into their existing strengths, such as in materials science, the Research Alliance Ruhr seeks to drive regional development and innovation in Germany’s own rust belt.

By positioning the Ruhr Valley as a hub for cutting-edge research and innovation, the three universities want to attract investment, create jobs and stimulate economic growth. “We’re creating an attractive research environment that enables us to draw more top people from international science and research to the Ruhr area,” says Martin Paul, Rector at Ruhr University Bochum.

Manfred Bayer, President of TU Dortmund University, says: “Here we contribute our respective strengths, harness synergies and offer the freedom for cross-disciplinary scientific collaboration.”

This vision aligns with broader efforts to transition from a reliance on traditional industries to a knowledge-based economy, not just in the US and Germany but Australia too.

Down Under, universities are working with left-behind local communities to understand their needs and priorities, while fostering partnerships that promote inclusive economic development. By supporting small businesses and investing in community infrastructure, they are helping turn Australia’s own rust-belt regions into vibrant, sustainable communities.

A case in point is Deakin University, which has played a key role in the transformation of Geelong’s economy. Australia has suffered the decline of its iconic auto industry. And Geelong, a coastal city close to Melbourne, in Australia’s industrial back-country, has been in the thick of it. The traditionally blue-collar city has had to diversify its economy.

One significant driver of the change has been education and research, with Deakin University spearheading initiatives like the Geelong Future Economy Precinct. Situated on a sprawling 325-hectare site in Waurn Ponds, this area has become a hub of research and innovation, particularly in advanced manufacturing, renewable energy and technology. In the six years since its inception, the precinct has created 2,000 jobs through partnerships with advanced manufacturers.

Read the full article from QS Insights Magazine, Issue 17.