University Alternatives: who needs a university degree anyways

The landscape of work is rapidly changing as a result of emerging technologies and an ever-changing modern labor market. However, given all these changes universities have been slow to react and continue to mostly make incremental changes. This has given rise to startups that focus on providing learners with job-specific skills that the labor market requires, and many of these startups have actually also partnered with companies in order to supply them with skilled employees that are well-prepared for specific job roles. For example, Google created its own certification programs after realizing that they actually no longer need employees that have university degrees but rather job skills. "In our own hiring, we will now treat these new career certificates as the equivalent of a four-year degree for related roles.” Google

It was just over two decades ago when most organizations started adding degree requirements to jobs that had not previously required degrees, even though the actual jobs had not changed. This trend appeared again following the recession of 2008-2009. According to Harvard Business in recent years many companies are again moving away from degrees and to skill-based hiring, there seems to be a link between times of high unemployment and crisis and an increased focus on skills.

Learners are also increasingly seeking flexibility and educational approaches that fit their values, interests, and lifestyles. This is also evident in how the modern-day workforce seeks to work with companies that have the flexibility to work from anywhere and also take into account values and Impact. I believe these changing needs will open up opportunities for University Alternatives to offer different experiences.

The current trends strongly highlight the urgent need for well-rounded education and training programs that cater to people of all ages. In an ever-changing job market, it is crucial to provide the workforce with these skills.

I am particularly Interested to see how Alternative universities will develop over the next 5 to 10 years. On the African continent, there are many that do not have access to higher education, and I am looking forward to seeing what ed-tech startups will do to cater to these aspiring learners that already cannot afford the high university fees.

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