Our new White Paper, developed with the University of St. Gallen’s Institute of Technology Management, explores the shifting role of universities in the future of work and learning.

The higher education sector will undergo a massive transformation in the coming decade. The rapid growth of knowledge, changing work practices in a global economy, new digital technologies, and altered expectations of both employees and employers demonstrate that where, how and what we learn and teach will be largely different from today.

Overall, the future of work and learning will dramatically shift the role of universities as an independent “Denkplatz”. Within a fast-changing and interconnected world, universities will need to adopt an interconnected mindset of collaborative problem-solving to actively enable – and not merely react – to such developments.

Cultivating Open Individuals, Organisations, and Societies

Our new White Paper explores how universities can remain at the forefront of higher education in a fast-changing and interconnected world. It draws on expert recommendations and insights from a cross-generational roundtable at the 51^st St. Gallen Symposium on 6 May 2022.

Co-hosted by the St. Gallen Symposium and the University of St. Gallen’s Institute of Technology Management, two questions guided the discussion:

• Through which innovative models of collaboration within the ecosystem of research and education can universities co-create value with students, businesses, and society?
• In which key areas will a collaborative approach allow universities to prepare students and employees for the future of work?

To gather diverse viewpoints, discussions drew on expertise from the private sector, academia, next-generation leaders, and the public sector. Roundtable participants offered their perspective on the future role of universities across three main building blocks.

Open individuals: Up to this day, universities focus largely on teaching domain-specific knowledge and facts. To prepare students for a complex and agile future of work, universities should provide students with more phenomenon-based problem-solving and collaboration competencies.

Open organisations: In an age of ecosystems, collaborating with partners to share complementary assets is becoming the new normal. Like other sectors, universities will flourish most if they leverage their existing and craft new partnerships across the public, private, and non-profit sector to co-create value.

Open societies: Universities’ expertise and knowledge arbitration is in high demand. For universities to assume their role and contribute actively to open societies, independence, professional communication, and inclusivity will be key.

One point was clear for all: Without collaboration and open conversation between the education, corporate, and public sector, we are unlikely to derive meaningful solutions.

Read and download the White Paper here for insights and recommendations on ways to rethink the role of universities in the future of work and learning.