It is estimated that by 2030, up to 375 million (or 14 percent of the global workforce) will need to switch occupation due to augmentation, digital disruption and industrial change according to a report by McKinsey. Employers today require a workforce with skillsets that didn’t exist 20 years ago – AI, digital and green skills have all come to the fore.
The need for workers to adapt to new technologies, industries and ways of working means that higher education must expand its capacity to prepare students to adapt to a rapidly evolving workplace by upskilling and reskilling throughout their careers.
Speaking at the QS Reimagine Education Conference 2024 on driving skills-led economic transformation, Uzma Khan, Vice Principal for Economic Development and Innovation at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, says: “The question is how do universities stay relevant and capitalise on today’s skills opportunity? Universities must have a plan built in to make sure that graduates are not only equipped with the subject-specific skills they need to graduate but really think about how to design a curriculum for life. That’s something that the University of Glasgow is taking seriously.”
A ‘curriculum for life’ refers to a set of essential knowledge, skills, values and experiences that enable a person to navigate change throughout their careers, with the ability to continuously upskill and remain valuable contributors to the workforce as technology, industry needs, and workplace dynamics evolve. So, what could an effective curriculum for life look like? Gateau, a graduate of Audencia Business School in France, told QS Insights Magazine about her life’s work, what motivates her, her personal history, and what she plans to do in the future.
Redefining the value of a university degree
The increasing availability of free and low-cost online resources has revolutionised the way people acquire new skills, offering on-demand learning that is faster and often more tailored than traditional university programmes. As a result, the value of a university degree is being questioned, with many now seeking alternative pathways that provide practical, real-world expertise without the time and financial commitment of a formal education.
Brian Cameron is Associate Dean for Professional Graduate Programs and Executive Education at Smeal College of Business in the US. Cameron feels strongly that the higher education sector must better define the value of a university or business school experience. “People want a high-quality education as conveniently as possible. The reason hybrid learning models are so popular is because people don’t want to have to commute to campus when they’re working and busy with families,” he says.
“Of course, being on campus has its value but does that need to happen over four years? There is going to be a need to create a more distinct and enduring value proposition for higher education, even as far as rethinking what it takes for students to get a foundational education required to work in their chosen field. That’s why hybrid learning models are so popular, because people don’t want to have to commute to campus when they’re working and busy with families. They want a high-quality education as conveniently as possible.”
Patrick Brothers, QS Executive Director, adds: “A university’s secret sauce is not its content. What is the secret sauce then? If it’s not brand to demand higher price exclusivity, which is not taking us in a direction that is helpful to society, then it has to be experiential.
“Incredible mentors have been one of the greatest things about my own experiences as a student; people who have coached me through learning and helped me have breakthrough moments in my skills and my capabilities. If we focus on replicating these experiences with AI and chat bots, the intimacy and immersion is lost, and I think we need to support our faculty to grow the value of that intimacy and experiential learning.”
Education and career guidance at your fingertips
At Italy’s POLIMI Graduate School of Management, lifelong learning is a fundamental pillar of the school’s educational approach. Dean Federico Frattini says: “A curriculum for life should go beyond technical expertise to integrate human skills – competencies which are increasingly essential in navigating complex and rapidly changing professional environments. A key element of this vision is personal purpose and guiding individuals in discovering and aligning their careers with their values and aspirations.”
POLIMI GSoM’s FLEXA platform, developed in partnership with Microsoft, leverages artificial intelligence to allow students to choose where and how they access their personalised learning experience anywhere in the world, from any device. The platform identifies individual knowledge gaps – recommending content from an ecosystem of 800,000 self-paced digital courses, webinars, podcasts, articles and case studies – and acts as a digital mentor to guide students towards their professional goals.
Frattini adds: “We must continue evolving to stay competitive in an educational landscape that is increasingly dynamic and technology-driven. Modern professionals want on-demand, modular and personalised learning experiences to fit their busy schedules and unique career trajectories. This shift requires a rethinking of traditional educational models, pushing us to create more flexible and accessible learning solutions that reflect real-world industry needs.”
Personalising the learning experience
For Smeal College of Business, implementing a truly flexible and innovative education is all about personalisation and delivering individual learning experiences for each student’s interests and career ambitions.
Cameron says: “We approach the curriculum like building blocks that we can put together to tailor a learning journey for each student. It becomes more of a consultative experience with the students. What do you want to do? What are your career goals? What do you want your learning experience to look like? Okay, we can build that with you.
“That’s what I would call a curriculum for life, where content can be easily assembled to create a unique educational package for each student. Any institution that tries to design a one-size-fits-all curriculum is missing the mark, because that isn’t how the world works today. You have to be architects and build this from the ground up, enabling real interplay between various programmes for it to be effective.”
This cross-disciplinary approach is the foundation of Tom Lindholm’s work as Head of Lifewide Learning at Aalto University in Finland. In an article for Forbes, Lindholm said: “Lifelong learning has traditionally been seen as earning a degree in a certain discipline and then you spend the rest of your life improving on it. You become better and better in that field but it stays fairly narrow.” However, at Aalto, students are encouraged to broaden their experiences, skills and knowledge across multiple fields instead of building expertise to navigate a career in one area.
Speaking to QS, Lindholm notes: “When we look at the skills needed in the future, they are multidisciplinary. We can no longer think about business in one corner of a company, technology in another corner and design in another. They have to come together because the problems we face globally are so complex that we cannot solve them from each field at a time.
“We have to collaborate to find new solutions, and so equipping graduates with the ability to take a multidisciplinary approach will be vital in building an effective workforce to take on complex challenges.
Acknowledging higher ed’s role in the wider ecosystem
Of course, the skills challenge goes much further than the higher education sector and at the University of Glasgow, focus is being given to creating an inclusive approach to skills development and providing opportunities for the communities located around the university.
Speaking at the QS Reimagine Education Conference 2024, Khan says: “By tapping into the wider ecosystem, by working with colleges, schools and communities, we’re trying to prepare a generation of future school leavers who don’t necessarily have to come into higher education but can take an alternative route and still benefit from some of the job creation.
“We must think broadly about the contribution that universities make to society and connect with the local economy to understand where we can be that direct skills provider and where we have convening power to listen to what our wider ecosystems needs from us. That’s where we can have real impact.”
Supporting students to thrive as lifelong learners
In January 2025, the President of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, spoke at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos on ‘Closing the Jobs Gap’. Speaking about the “looming global crisis of jobs”, President Shanmugaratnam said that the key is to “start early”. “The first three years of life are critical to addressing the jobs challenge, developing human potential early in life. What happens in school is critical.”
If rapid digital advancement is driving the need for citizens to upskill for life and to be ever adaptable to societal and workplace shifts, should universities consider the emotional impact of these transitions, ensuring that students are equipped with technical skills and supported in developing resilience, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence for lifelong success?
Jolene Chong, Emotional Intelligence Module Lead at Taylor’s University in Malaysia, says that holistic learning is hugely important when training a generation to upskill for life. “In some Scandinavian schooling systems, they’re already integrating lifelong learning and growth mindset as early as primary school, but in countries where more traditional learning models prevail, there is bound to be a culture shock when the need to utilise these skills arises.
“To adapt to a life of upskilling and reskilling, students need resilience. They need to problem solve. Are we helping students to discover their emotional intelligence so they can manage this new way of learning? There is a big opportunity to involve students in creating these opportunities, because give students a little time and they’ll adapt. In fact, they’ll love it if it gives them autonomy and feeds their desire for their work to have real purpose.”
All first-year students at Taylor’s University take Emotional Intelligence in Action, a core module which brings a hands-on approach to building crucial skills including resilience and enables students to try, fail and make mistakes in a safe environment. Chong adds: “In working life, you don’t instantly learn everything you need to know about a job and then magically have the ability to do it and succeed. Especially in graduate roles, there is a lot of fumbling around trying to figure out what the job even requires. However, if graduates have already learned at university how to bring the right mindset and tools to a new situation or problem, they will be adept at getting their hands dirty and learning on the job.”
In an era defined by constant change, embracing a curriculum for life is vital to equipping future generations with the skills to succeed in the workforce of tomorrow and preparing individuals to navigate whatever challenges the future may hold.
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