Future Skills and Higher Education “FUTURE SKILL READINESS”

Research on future skills is the current hot topic of the day with fundamental changes in the job market going on due to a number of powerful drivers. While many studies focus on the changes brought through digital technologies, they relate future skills directly to digital skills, which - as important as they are - only represent one side of the future skill coin. Our research is taking a broader approach and thus reflects the overarching nature of a new demand for new skills in a more comprehensive way. The results presented from this Delphi survey therefore define “future skills” in a broader way than “digital skill” demands. The contribution presents results from an international Delphi survey and elaborates on an experts’ informed vision of future higher education (HE), taking into account the demand for future skills, outlines the four signposts of change which will shape the learning revolution in higher education and presents a first model of future skills for future graduates. It is part of an overarching research project on “next skills” (www.nextskills.org) and collates opinions from an international experts’ panel of almost 50 experts from higher education and business. Experts were asked both, the degree of relevance, as well as the timeframe of adoption for future skills, future higher education scenarios and the driving pillars of change.