Future of learning

Cognizant has released a Future of Learning report based on a global survey of 601 top business executives at leading companies and 262 higher education institutions. The research reveals the following key trends, the impacts of which will soon ripple throughout businesses and across the higher education industry:

• Preparing the workforce for future jobs is a matter of survival for both businesses and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): Businesses and HEIs in India estimate that 50% and 52% of their total staff and students, respectively, will be prepared to handle new types of work driven by emerging digital technologies in the next five years. However, a whopping 83% and 50% of Indian HEIs and businesses are presently unable to deliver.
• Businesses are beginning to bear the burden of learning: Skills have become like mobile apps that need frequent upgrades. While 42% of businesses in India currently update their learning content on an annual or biannual basis, 65% of HEIs only update their curriculum every two to six years. Globally, businesses are intent on speeding the pace of curriculum updates, with 75% planning to move to a one- to five-month or even continuous refresh schedule in the next five years. In contrast, only 30% of HEIs plan to increase update frequency, from today’s two- to six-year cycle to an annual one by 2023.
• The work ahead means working together. Preparing the current and future workforce for the work ahead cannot take place in a vacuum. Three-quarters of both businesses and HEIs globally view collaboration as critical to successfully managing the transformative and disruptive impact of the new machine age. Both businesses and higher education in India seem less confident to prepare workforce and students to handle new work driven by emerging digital technologies– only 60% of businesses see collaboration as critical compared to 75% of HEIs.
• Emerging technologies such as AR/VR and AI will supercharge learning by focusing on “how to learn” over “what to learn”. New modes of education delivery will emerge, with Netflix-style, on-demand digital assets allowing for anytime, anywhere self-learning. AI-driven learning platforms will personalise learning, and AR/VR systems will become mainstream, with a 220% increase in the take-up of the technology by HEIs and businesses globally in the next five years. 

It requires the following elements of change:

• More accurate skills identification to align with actual workplace needs.
• Overhauling the approach of curriculum and training to be more immersive and personalised.
• Provide an environment supportive of self-learning, with access to multiple content sources like open educational resources.