More than three
quarters (76%) of employers want more short and flexible programmes from
business schools to meet their requirements for lifelong learning, reveals a
new study, The Future of Lifelong and Executive Educationpublished
jointly by CarringtonCrispand LinkedIn.
The study
carried out amongst 530 global employers and over 2,500 individual employees
paints a picture of major changes for business schools from changing employer
and employee needs.
It found that just
over three-quarters of employers (76%) think that the location of a learning
provider will become less important as online provision becomes more
sophisticated. Instead, brand will come to the fore with 81% of employers seek
long-term relationships with learning providers and 62% of individuals stating
that future learning should be with a provider with an international brand
reputation.
¡°The growth in
digital learning means learners are no longer limited to local, regional or
domestic providers – they can choose to study globally. It means that business
schools are competing in a much bigger market, and to attract students the
quality of a school¡¯s brand assumes far greater importance.¡± comments Andrew
Crisp, CarringtonCrisp, author of the study.
The study also
shows business schools will have to think about new non-linear types of
programmes:
¡¤ l 86% of employers are interested
in short programs leading to a certificate with the option of credit for
further study leading to a degree.
¡¤ l
79% would consider flexible
approaches to taking a degree that does not involve full-time study.
¡¤ l
78% are open to short bursts of
learning, delivered flexibly, and providing microcredentials.
While 66% of
employers expect their organisation to return to working largely in the same
way as before the pandemic, the vast majority (79%) anticipate that online
learning will become the standard approach to developing people.
¡°With only 35%
of employers currently using business schools, there is a big opportunity for
schools to grow their share of the global market. However, to do so business
schools need to adapt quickly. They need to co-create, working with employers
to build learning, to collaborate acrossdepartments, faculties and institutions,
and find ways to deliver new learning and not wait for the bureaucracy to
catchup,¡± concludes Andrew Crisp.
The report can
be downloaded free of charge at: https://bit.ly/3uF3pIu