How Can We Educate a Future-Forward Workforce?

• In the post-pandemic era, employers view flexibility and adaptability as essential skills for new hires to possess.
• But today’s graduates also crave purpose, want to make meaningful contributions, and seek to work at organizations whose values resonate with their own.
• To meet the expectations of students and employers, business schools must emphasize connection, lifelong learning, self-reflection, innovation, and impact.

 
The world we live in today is defined by increasing complexity and unprecedented uncertainty. We are facing unique challenges, stemming from everything from the rise of Generation Z to the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI). In this post-COVID landscape, traditional frameworks of leadership and career trajectories have dissolved, leaving the path to the future anything but clear.

Yet, within this complexity lies a wealth of possibility. And uncertainty, while daunting, holds immense potential for those willing to adapt and seize new opportunities.

This world is the only professional reality that recent business school graduates have ever known. They are entering their careers without the memory of the traditional 9-to-5 office grind. Their education has been largely digital, and global unpredictability has been their constant companion. They embrace the ambiguity that older generations may find unsettling. As a result, these young graduates will become the trailblazers of a post-pandemic workforce, uniquely positioned to rewrite the rules of work.

That is what we discovered as we compiled “The Future-Forward Workforce,” a recent report from the Global Alliance in Management Education (CEMS). CEMS members include 33 business schools, more than 70 corporations, and eight nongovermental organizations that work together to deliver the CEMS Master in International Management curriculum.

The report is based on a quantitative survey of 200 recent CEMS graduates, as well as in-depth interviews with 11 program alumni. We also asked senior experts from CEMS corporate and academic partners from across the globe to share how they are adapting their practices to attract and retain top talent in a rapidly changing world.

Together, their perspectives offer a roadmap for navigating the evolving realities of the workplace. The report also provides a compelling snapshot of the aspirations, values, and demands of the next generation of workers.

What New Graduates Want From Work

In the realm of work, CEMS alumni expect far more than their predecessors: They appreciate hybridity, desire personal growth, and challenge traditional boundaries. Their values are reflected in the most telling takeaways from their survey responses:

• These new graduates seek more than just jobs; they crave purpose.
• They want to work for organizations that encourage them to speak up—that value them not as mere cogs in a machine, but as architects of change. They view being undervalued by an employer as a catalyst for their departure.
• Although earning a salary is important to them, receiving a paycheck is not the sole driving force behind their work. Joy, fulfillment, personal growth, and the opportunity to make an impact hold equal sway.
• For them, a career is not a predetermined path, but a series of stepping stones. Aware of the world’s fluidity and unpredictability, they embrace uncertainty, relish diversity, and welcome change.
• That said, the professionals we spoke to do not necessarily want to work for a variety of companies or change jobs often. They would be happy to stay at the same company for a long time if they found their jobs challenging, could react quickly to current work trends, and had possibilities for long-term career growth.
• These professionals see each role they hold as a canvas for skill development, regardless of job title. They seek work environments where growth is nurtured, where learning is a journey, and where creativity thrives unboxed.
• To them, a workplace is more than a collection of individuals—it’s a family. They believe that the workplace should be a hub of camaraderie and collaboration. They long for a sense of belonging and for relationships that extend beyond the office.
• Despite the rise of remote work, these graduates view the office not as obsolete, but as an indispensable space. It’s a cornerstone of community building and professional growth, and a place where bonds are forged, ideas flourish, and cultures thrive.
• They advocate for work-life separation, but also cherish the ability to blend work with personal pursuits and to embark on “workations” that invigorate creativity and productivity.
• They prioritize flexibility. They eschew the conventional working hours, embracing fluid schedules dictated by demand rather than tradition.

In essence, these graduates are pioneers of a new era, reshaping the contours of the workplace. Motivated by a desire for purpose, growth, and fulfillment, they aspire to careers that transcend conventional norms. They remind us that in embracing change lies the promise of progress.

Flexibility and Adaptability Are Key

According to several of the alliance’s academic partners, one of biggest trends to come out of the pandemic is the fact that more students and employers are shifting away from conventional skills, working styles, and schedules.

Employers now view flexibility not just as a desirable quality, but as an essential skill, said Maria Obiols, career services director at Esade Business School in Barcelona. Before the pandemic, she said, “the ability to adapt quickly to change was very much in demand by employers. Now, it’s a must-have.”

Motivated by a desire for purpose, growth, and fulfillment, young graduates aspire to careers that transcend conventional norms. They remind us that in embracing change lies the promise of progress.

Young professionals also want their employers to embrace flexibility, particularly where working hours are concerned, noted Babar Dharani, a lecturer at the Allan Gray Centre for Values-Based Leadership at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He noted that many graduates have told him that they question the necessity of rigid work schedules, preferring to work when they feel most productive.

“Some said, ‘I’m a night owl, I like working at night, why should I be confined to 9-to-5?’” Dharani shared. “They want to work when they are passionate about the task. They are willing to work, but they don’t want to follow a routine.”

Karinna Rubio, the recent graduates engagement lead at Esade, explained that this desire for flexibility is partly driven by the uncertainty in the world today. “Our graduates know the world is unstable,” she said, referencing global challenges such as the pandemic, the war in Europe, and the cost-of-living crisis. “This is their reality.”

Personal Growth Is a Priority

Such volatility in the world has led to a “live now” mindset among many young professionals. Consequently, they place a high value on work-life balance and mental health, seeking employers that also prioritize these aspects.

In response, many companies are introducing initiatives to prevent burnout and enhance employee well-being. Rubio shared an example from a recent visit to Esade by a representative from the financial firm J.P. Morgan. The first question students asked the executive was about work-life balance. “Some organizations have even created departments for happiness—something that didn’t exist four years ago,” she remarked.

Similarly, young professionals today seek out experiences at work that promise personal enrichment, Obiols emphasized. “Young people are more open to pursuing tangential opportunities that make them happy or enrich their lives without seeing this as affecting ‘career progression.’”

In addition, Obiols said, they are keen on roles in which they can continuously pursue professional development. “Students who want the opportunity to develop their skills are the perfect match for recruiters and companies, because we live in a world where we need to develop our skills all the time.”

A Desire for Purpose and Impact

Finally, younger employees want to work at companies that prioritize making a positive societal and environmental impact. This trend existed in the pre-pandemic era, but it has since intensified, said Obiols, who noted that there has been an increase in “the importance of work that has an impact, whether environmental or social.”

Moreover, many students now consider the ethics of potential employers, especially regarding issues that are personally important to them. “Young people are honest and clear about this and not afraid to ask difficult questions,” she added. “That’s a big change.”

“One of our main responsibilities as universities is to teach young people how to develop independent thought through debate and research.”—Vinciane Servantie, Universidad de los Andes

Dharani highlighted a shift toward innovation and social entrepreneurship. While material success is still a motivator for today’s graduates, he said, more young professionals want to create businesses that contribute to their communities. “This generation understands that business can change the lives of people around them.”

Vinciane Servantie, an adjunct professor at Universidad de los Andes (Uniandes) School of Management in Bogotá, also pointed to young workers’ growing interest in firms whose values reflect a desire for positive impact. It seems that employers are responding to this trend: In Colombia, for instance, more than 100 companies are now B Corp certified, operating with a focus on people, planet, and profit.

“When I see young people say they want to feel part of a family at work and contribute to a bigger purpose,” Servantie said, “I think these kinds of firms are the future.”

9 Tips for Educators

To meet the needs and expectations of the next generation, universities must focus on flexibility, societal impact, and continuous learning. Contributors to the CEMS report made the nine suggestions below, intended to help business educators support the next generation of graduates:

1. Design programs around connectivity, not competitiveness. Foster collaboration and teamwork within your curricula, emphasizing the value of collective success over individual achievement.
2. Share a breadth of knowledge. Utilize the wealth of expertise within your business school community to provide students with diverse perspectives and insights across various disciplines.
3. Equip students with the skill of self-reflection. Encourage them to contemplate and evaluate their actions and decisions. This habit will be a lifelong asset that supports their personal and professional growth.
4. Embed lifelong learning methods. Move beyond traditional lecture-based teaching to instill in students a mindset of continual learning, which will better enable them to adjust and respond to evolving challenges and opportunities.
5. Promote stakeholder awareness. Educate students to appreciate the diverse stakeholders involved in organizational success. Teach them to value collaboration and to seek to understand other points of view so that they can create mutually beneficial outcomes.
6. Stay attuned to market needs. Regularly assess and update curricula to align with the evolving demands of the job market, ensuring that graduates are equipped with relevant skills and competencies.
7. Engage alumni in decision-making processes. Leverage their insights to enhance the educational experience and strengthen connections with the broader professional community.
8. Embrace technological innovation. Use the latest technologies to enhance engagement and foster interactive and dynamic learning experiences that cater to the preferences of digital natives.
9. Incorporate the ideas and insights of the next generation. Foster reciprocal learning environments where educators value students’ perspectives and view their contributions as a way to enrich the educational experience. Learn from young people and acknowledge the innovative and fresh perspectives they offer.

Preparing Graduates for the Future

In an age when social media often amplifies narrow perspectives, it will be especially important for universities to teach graduates to demonstrate independent thought and cultivate critical thinking. “One of our main responsibilities as universities is to teach young people how to develop independent thought through debate and research, to give them the frameworks they’ll need for the future,” said Servantie of Uniandes.

UCT’s Dharani emphasized the need for students to gain early work experience, as it significantly influences their career paths. He explained that students who had prior experience, whether in family businesses or corporate settings, often developed a clearer sense of their professional passions.

“There’s something about the first job that seems to make a difference to their entire career trajectory,” he said. Their early work experiences often shape their dreams and ambitions for the future.

As the report’s findings suggest, when business schools understand and incorporate the unique traits of today’s workforce in their programs, they can produce work-ready graduates who can thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of business.

Perhaps the most prominent takeaway from the report is that the future is bright and brimming with possibilities—for students, employers, and academics alike. It promises a journey of adaptation and collaboration, where each step forward brings us closer to a more resilient and sustainable future.