The Future of Education and Skills

Across the world, higher education is being asked to do more than deliver disciplinary knowledge. Universities are increasingly expected to help learners navigate a future shaped by technological change, evolving labour markets, global uncertainty, and the need for lifelong learning.

This represents an important shift in how we think about the purpose of higher education.

Traditionally, universities have been very good at answering the question: “What did you study?”

Increasingly, they are also being asked to help students answer: “What can you do?”

This shift can be seen across a range of international frameworks and policy conversations.

The OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030 project highlights the growing importance of developing learner agency, adaptability, and the ability to apply knowledge in unfamiliar and complex situations.

Similarly, the World Economic Forum’s Education 4.0 agenda, emphasises capabilities such as collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving as essential for future readiness.

In higher education specifically, UNESCO’s recent report Transforming Higher Education: Global Collaboration on Visioning and Action argues that universities are being reshaped by changing workforce demands, technological disruption, and the growing importance of lifelong learning. The report notes:

“The importance of soft skills and an emphasis on developing learners’ capabilities are reshaping higher education curriculum planning and programme design.”

UNESCO also argues that universities need to move beyond narrow degree structures toward more flexible and lifelong learning pathways, including recognition of learning across different contexts and experiences.

Alongside these global discussions, employability and career readiness frameworks are also influencing how universities think about learning outcomes and graduate capability.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) describes Career Readiness as the foundation for lifelong career management and workplace success. Rather than focusing only on technical expertise, the framework highlights transferable capabilities such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking, leadership, professionalism, and technology fluency.

Similarly, the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Essential Learning Outcomes framework emphasises the importance of intellectual and practical skills, personal and social responsibility, and integrative and applied learning. Its more recent VALUE initiative further reinforces capabilities such as inquiry, ethical reasoning, teamwork, problem solving, lifelong learning, and communication.

Taken together, these frameworks point toward a shared direction.

Higher education is increasingly expected to support both disciplinary knowledge and broader human capability.

In many universities, this work is already happening.

Students are:

• collaborating on projects
• conducting research
• solving complex problems
• engaging with industry
• presenting ideas
• reflecting on practice
• navigating uncertainty
• working across disciplines

These experiences develop important skills and capabilities. However, they are not always made visible or explicitly recognised.

Often, students complete assessments and receive grades without fully understanding the broader capabilities they are developing along the way.

This creates an important recognition challenge.

When learners cannot clearly recognise or articulate their skills, it becomes harder to:

• communicate capability to employers
• connect learning across contexts
• build confidence and identity
• recognise growth over time
• navigate increasingly flexible learning and career pathways

This is where skills literacy becomes increasingly important.

Skills literacy is not separate from disciplinary learning. It helps learners recognise, articulate, evidence, and translate the skills they are already developing through authentic learning experiences.

As universities continue evolving toward more flexible, lifelong, and capability-oriented models of learning, helping students make their skills visible becomes an increasingly important part of higher education practice.

Explore the linked research and feel free to add any other global frameworks or reports that you are aware of in the comments.