Around the world, fewer students are enrolling. Due to a demographic fall in the number of people in the United States who are college age, enrolment is expected to decline significantly in 2025.
Enrolment of international students has also declined. International enrolment at U.S. colleges and universities fell 72% from the previous year, according to a Boundless research. Increased competition from international universities, delays and denials in visa procedures, and worries about US immigration rhetoric and policy are all contributing issues.
A renewed examination of the value of traditional college degrees in 2025 has been spurred by these enrolment trends, the widening digital skills gap, and a move by companies towards skills-based recruiting methods.
Even while the worth of a degree is being questioned, new research from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation suggests a more nuanced view. In 2023, public trust in the usefulness of professional certification courses and job training programs grew, notwithstanding a reduction in the value of a four-year degree.
These findings imply that institutions of higher learning should review what they have to offer. Universities must make sure that academic programs include both theoretical instruction and practical skill development in order to sustain the perceived worth of a degree by matching them with the demands of the labour market today.
In addition to reviewing notable labour market shifts, this paper outlines eight particular tactics that colleges are implementing to modernise their courses, enhance student outcomes, and boost enrolment.
How is the job market changing?
Today’s employers must contend with a quickly changing environment. Widespread skills shortages, the emergence of remote and hybrid work patterns, the pressing need to reskill and upskill teams, rapid technical breakthroughs like artificial intelligence, economic uncertainties, and changing social and environmental dynamics are all issues they are facing.
As a result, employers are looking for workers who are ready for the workplace—those who can make an impact right away.
Universities must do more than just prepare students for their first post-graduation employment in order to meet this need. The emphasis should now be on developing lifelong employability, which gives students the skills and attitude they need to adjust and succeed throughout their careers, according to BCG.
Four key skill sets must be developed in order to make this shift:
Digital Skills: Digital literacy will only grow more important as big data, cloud computing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence develop.
Soft Skills: In dynamic work situations, interpersonal and adaptable abilities like flexibility, resilience, and active learning are becoming more and more important.
Meta Skills: Employers place a great importance on cognitive skills including creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving while dealing with difficult situations.
Technical Skills: In a competitive job market, job-specific knowledge is still essential for students to stand out.
Higher education establishments must adopt innovative, cooperative strategies to reduce the skills gap and improve students’ employability. Universities may keep ahead of labour trends and provide students with opportunities for growth and real-world experience by fortifying their relationships with industry.
In addition to increasing their competitive advantage, universities enable students to develop both personally and professionally by establishing solid academic-industry connections.
BCG stresses that in order for institutions to be relevant and provide genuine value in the modern labour market, it is imperative that established procedures be rethought.
After discussing the difficulties that employers and educators face, let’s examine how eight colleges are responding. By emphasising student employability and putting creative tactics into place that not only get students ready for the workforce but also aid in enrolment growth, these institutions are adjusting to the shifting landscape.
Universities working with industry to bridge the skills gap & develop employable skills
1. Georgia University
Georgia Tech is dedicated to preparing students for the fast-growing startup ecosystem and the entrepreneurial world, and it has established strong connections with industry.
One of its most notable projects is the VentureLab program, which uses evidence-based entrepreneurship techniques to assist teachers and students in transforming Georgia Tech research into viable enterprises.
CREATE-X is another significant program that aims to help students start their own businesses by boosting their entrepreneurial confidence. Students who complete the program will have the information, abilities, and practical experience necessary to successfully pursue startup prospects.
With more than 5,000 students involved and more than 300 firms launched thus far, CREATE-X has established Georgia Tech as a centre for innovation and successful entrepreneurship.
2. University Canada West
The University of Canada West (UCW), a preeminent Canadian university, realised that its MBA program needed to be updated by adding digital elements to its marketing curriculum.
UCW set out to make sure its graduates are prepared for the workforce and meet the demands of the digital economy, given how quickly Canada’s labour market is changing—traditional industries are contracting while digital sectors are growing.
In order to become a DMI University Accredited Partner, UCW has to go through a rigorous planning, application, course mapping, and validation procedure. This made it possible for the university to work with the American Marketing Association to offer students the Certified Digital Marketing Associate program.
This calculated action had a big effect: UCW saw an increase in student enrolment, adding 700 additional students in the first half of the year. Additionally, the university saw a 120% rise in student recruitment, a spike in student involvement, and improved ties with community leaders across Canada.
Universities offering work-integrated & practical learning
3. University of Waterloo
Velocity is a vibrant incubator program at the University of Waterloo in Canada that helps students create businesses that have an impact on the real world. From basic idea to early-stage business, the program helps prospective entrepreneurs.
Velocity gives students access to a strong network of investors, industry professionals, mentors, and resources that are all intended to promote cooperation between the institution and business partners and speed up innovation.
Velocity Science offers specialised assistance to faculty and student teams working on science-based inventions that have their roots in physics, chemistry, or biology.
Vena Medical, which was established by students Phillip Cooper and Michael Phillips in their last year of college, is a notable success story. They revolutionised the way doctors treat strokes by creating the smallest camera in the world that can navigate inside veins and arteries with the help of Velocity Science.
4. East Tennessee State University
Through its ETSU X program, East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is establishing significant connections between students and business.
Through this program, students can work together with industry and community partners, gaining practical experience, investigating career options, and actually changing the area.
Through ETSU X, students can gain experience in the brewing industry by working with companies like Tennessee Hills Brewing and Distilling, gain experience in advertising and marketing with Creative Energy, and learn about developing materials using sustainable manufacturing practices with Eastman, a chemical company.
In addition to connecting classroom instruction with practical application, the program assists students in developing important professional networks and competencies.
By giving students access to real-world briefs and client-led projects, the university further improves student learning by enabling them to use their talents in real-world situations. Additionally, students take part in digital marketing simulations to obtain practical experience in a fast-paced, dynamic setting. Additionally, the university provides students with current industry information and practical skills that improves their job preparedness by offering the Certified Digital Marketing Associate program through its association with the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI).
Universities helping students build interdisciplinary skills through flexible programs
5. Brown University
One notable example of academic flexibility is Brown University’s Open Curriculum, which was first implemented in 1969.
Whether they choose to focus on a single subject or create an interdisciplinary path, this creative method enables students to create their own educational path.
According to one student, “Everyone can shape their studies in a way that makes sense to them, so no two students take the same learning path—even within the same concentration.”
In order to enable undergraduates to take charge of their education, the program aims to develop them into innovative thinkers, fearless intellectual explorers, and enterprising problem-solvers.
6. University of California, Berkeley
UC Berkeley’s Interdisciplinary Studies Field Major (ISF) program gives students the tools they need to take charge of their education.
Through the creation of a customised, interdisciplinary course of study that ends with a senior thesis, this innovative program enables students to design their own major.
Students are encouraged to investigate difficult subjects and practical issues in a variety of historical, social, cultural, and technological contexts through the ISF program. Among its main learning objectives are:
Gaining proficiency in multidisciplinary research
Learning about the methods used in the humanities and social sciences
enhancing analytical, technological, and critical reading skills
Improving communication, reasoning, and organising skills—including multilingualism
Students can make their education as distinctive as their objectives by combining courses from a variety of academic fields to match their academic path with their interests and professional goals.
Universities providing students with industry certifications
7. The University of Texas
Through its continuing education programs, the University of Texas is increasing career preparedness by providing professional certifications that are tailored to the needs of the modern workforce.
The UT System established the Career Academy as part of the Texas Credentials for the Future project, providing students with access to more than 35 industry-recognized certifications from top businesses including Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Salesforce.
Students can investigate a range of job options through job Academy, including positions as social media marketers, application developers, data analysts, and UX designers. Students can develop practical skills and acquire expertise with real-world tools used in the business through interactive exams and practical projects included in each qualification.
8. Aston University
Birmingham’s Aston University is well known for its academic prowess, especially in the fields of business, engineering, and health sciences.
Aston set out to improve its curriculum in order to better prepare students for the needs of today’s workforce after realising the widening digital skills gap in the United Kingdom and in response to government calls for action.
The institution incorporated advanced instruction in digital marketing into its business programs in partnership with the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI). More than 16 microcredentials, or short courses, covering in-demand topics like artificial intelligence, social media, data and analytics, and more were introduced through this agreement, guaranteeing that the material is in line with the demands of the industry today.
The effect has been evident: 90% of students said that their degree experience had been beneficial and that the DMI certification had boosted their professional chances.
The employability of graduates must be given more importance by institutions in an era of dwindling student enrolment and global financial insecurity.
Higher education institutions must make a clear connection between intellectual interests and practical employment prospects, since prospective students are beginning to doubt the value of a college degree.
“Higher education has to figure out how to explain why what they’re offering is better—and how students can graduate with better job prospects after completing a two- or four-year degree,” Terrell Dunn, Chief Strategist at D2 Strategies, told Forbes.
Schools that match their degree programs to in-demand skills, establish solid industry relationships, and make it obvious how they can assist students in achieving their professional objectives will prosper in this climate.
Boost your curriculum with digital marketing and AI courses
It is crucial for educators to give pupils the professional and technical skills that improve employability and pave the way for lucrative career options in the fiercely competitive labour market of today.
Our most recent AI course, which can be easily included into your curriculum, is one of the industry-recognized qualifications that we provide in partnership with universities and schools. Our courses are developed to make sure your graduates are confident and prepared for the workforce.
Are you prepared to help your kids get ready for the future?
To find out how you can collaborate with us right now, get in contact!