Skills vs. degrees: does the world of work need a new career educational model?

Discussions heated up last year when it came to considerations by various labour market experts for how actors in the labour market skill and train people for future work roles. Throughout most of 2023, stakeholders paid a lot of attention to skills-based education and why the need for career-long learning will reshape how youth, and even older job candidates, prepare to succeed in new roles. This got me to thinking about whether educational and training institutions need a new paradigm for career-based learning?

Will skills demand win out over other considerations?

The shift to a focus on skills is not necessarily a new trend. In fact, there have been pushes to rethink worker qualifications over the past decade and half, when significant global market events (think the Great Recession in 2008/2009 and the recent Covid pandemic) caused businesses to reconsider what skills and talent they actually need from new hires, while at the same time leading students (potential new graduates) and first-time job seekers to think about the value of investment in degrees. While it’s not such a big consideration in parts of Western Europe, students considering undergrad and graduate degrees in markets like the US really began to explore whether debt they might need to take on to finance their education was truly worth it. On top of that, many global corporations began to take interest in the concept of hiring new-collar workers: individuals they knew would have the talent or skills to take on roles in changing global operational structures. This ranged anywhere from talent trained in machine operations and maintenance on to social media savvy marketers and influencers who, through practice and experimenting, knew how to communicate and engage customer audiences. So today talent search stands at a crossroads: some traditional professions like lawyers or physicians will always require a degree, but for other more agile roles like the few mentioned above proof of experience and talent will win out.

Is degree-based training agile enough for today’s fluid economy?

Beyond cost considerations and the value or meaning of a degree from a specific institution for a potential employer, businesses increasingly have to focus on ever-changing skills sets. This is another reason why there is some logic in questioning whether traditional study (and training) models that have been with us for the greater part of a century are still well-suited for educating and skilling modern workers. Just think for example of how rapidly technologies have evolved in the past half-decade. Are degree programmes keeping pace with innovations in AI-driven services and tools, with developments in needs for cybersecurity expertise or for machine learning and Industry 4.0 technologies? The reality is that knowledge acquisition requires workers upskill and react faster than ever to market changes and tech advancements. Perhaps, instead of standard, 4-5 year degree qualifications, we will today benefit more from shorter study programmes (e.g., 1-2 years) where skills refreshes are anticipated multiple times during one’s professional career.

How do we reconcile learning needs and demands over time?

Building on that last thought of more agile training and career qualifications, there will be a need for educators to work with employers to provide tools for career-long educational journeys. The question in this case is how best to manage delivery. We may see traditional colleges, universities and tech schools continue to push further along the edtech path or begin offering MOOCs (massive open online courses); using the lessons learnt and insights gained from the pandemic to work with companies to deliver custom-made upskilling or reskilling teaching modules which ensure that employee knowledge and skills get refreshes and are updated at particular moments when the market requires.

No matter how skills training evolves, proof of what candidates and employees can do or achieve is the prime currency for modern HR departments. Today, career advancement is truly a journey: one that requires constant referral to a map for one’s career path and also awareness of how well one is prepared for next steps in the advancement or reskilling process. Moving forward, candidates (both internal and external) will need to put their skills credentials at the fore of any CV or interview discussions they have. Practicable, demonstrable skills are the backbone of any modern talent search. Moderns workers and job candidates must make sure theirs are seen and understood.