Higher education has been tasked with taking a two-pronged approach to providing students with the tools they need for future success. Universities must prepare students for employment today while also preparing them for an unknown future.

How successful have they been?

Getting ready for a job today

Success in the real world is determined by whether or not you are prepared for employment after completing your education. You anticipate having acquired a specific set of skills that will make you marketable as well as indispensable in today’s business world.

Businesses expect graduates to not only have excellent problem-solving skills and an area of expertise, but also to be able to work as a collaborative team member with competent communication skills.

Universities have the ability to provide students with the skills they need to compete in the workplace, and they can do so through three means: technology, competent professors in their field of study, and a relevant curriculum.

Preparing for an unknown future

In addition to teaching higher-order thinking skills to university students, most colleges strive to be applicable now not solely in the modern world, but additionally in the future.  Colleges and universities have been tasked with preparing students for a future that has yet to arrive.

This future will almost certainly include automation and artificial intelligence, but it is difficult to predict what this will mean for all industries and businesses.

Game on

It’s game time!

The University of Sydney is already looking to the future by requiring hands-on projects, cultural awareness studies, and language learning for improved communication. The additional requirements are increasing the time it takes to complete an undergraduate degree, but the school hopes that any disadvantages will be outweighed by potential benefits.

Many innovative strategies have been implemented at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in order to be responsive to learner needs. It aims to create T-shaped employees, or “those with deep technical knowledge and broad business and people skills.” To meet this challenge, the college has redesigned guides and multiplied the necessities for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

When it comes to making ready college students for their careers, Harvey Mudd University, a personal liberal arts university with a STEM focus, considers itself a visionary, as do the businesses that hire them. Students hone their critical thinking skills and participate in programs that require extensive research. Harvey Mudd may additionally be one of the nice colleges in the country for preparing students for an unknown future.

These aren’t the only colleges and universities preparing students for not only today’s jobs, but also for the workforce of the future. Many more schools are making significant programs changes.

Are universities actually providing students with the tools they need to succeed in the future?

Yes!