Reimagining Minnesota State is a strategic visioning process that includes a series of five topical forum sessions focused on how Minnesota State can accelerate and scale innovation occurring at its 30 colleges and seven universities. The process also aims to identify new approaches that will better serve students, and, in turn, the citizens and employers of Minnesota in an environment of rapid and widespread change. This is the third in a series of commentaries that will follow Reimagining Minnesota State forum sessions.
This session, held on Feb. 4 at Normandale Community College, focused on the changing nature of work and the workforce of the future as the realities and opportunities of technology, automation, and globalization impact the future of education. A briefing paper is available at the Minnesota State website: http://www.minnstate.edu/board/reimagining/
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The world of work is changing rapidly. Consider just one example of this change: automation and artificial intelligence have the potential to make millions of jobs obsolete and yet also drive the creation of millions of other new jobs. But as employers, workers, and our state colleges and universities prepare for this radically transformed job market of the future, we face a significant challenge: skills will be required that are not yet part of any college curriculum.
Our third Forum on Reimagining Minnesota State looked at the changing world of work and, more importantly, the following interconnected ways higher education may likely need to respond.
Significant changes to the curriculum
Even as industries change, there is broad agreement of the need for graduates to be versed in both liberal arts and practical skills.
We need to prepare our students for “new collar jobs” – careers that integrate data and technology literacy and advanced professional skills such communication, creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving.
Applied and project-based learning experiences such as applied research, service-learning, and internships will provide opportunities to integrate technical skills and liberal arts in real-world applications and will be key to future approaches to learning.
Adapting to the changing needs and expectations of both students and employers will require the creation and redesign of programs and credentials. Critical to serving the changing demographics of our students will be programs that are learner-centered, flexible, and personalized.
Fundamental changes to the awards we offer
As individuals work to align their skills with the changing needs of employers, the area of greatest growth and opportunity may be targeted competency and skill development in the form of alternative credentials. Considerable work has already been done in this area for both traditional and non-traditional degrees, and many adults already hold alternative credentials.
But to truly move the dial on this, our colleges and universities will need to forge deeper relationships with employers to collaboratively design programs and ensure credit is given for prior learning.
In addition, the Minnesota State technology and data infrastructure will require ongoing investment so “stackable” credentials can be recorded and tracked over the course of each learner’s career.
Dramatically different methods of instruction
Educational delivery methods also are changing. While classroom-based learning serves as the foundational delivery method, interest is growing in more experiential approaches such as mentoring, job shadowing, and apprenticeships, as well as just-in-time learning, such as digital content-on-demand and focused educational opportunities targeted at specific skill development.
New relationships with employers
Higher education also will need more and better connections with industries and communities. The colleges and universities of Minnesota State are already leveraging strong partnerships with business and industry as part of our strategy for addressing workforce shortages. However, we’ll need employers to become even more engaged with our colleges and universities to shape credential development and help us create new opportunities for innovation that benefits our students, our employer partners, and our state’s economy.
Most importantly, new relationships with students
There is growing recognition that a single shot of post-secondary education at the beginning of a career will no longer be sufficient. Individuals will need to “reskill” and “upskill” in order to remain competitive over the course of their entire career.
Many workers already experience the need for lifelong learning, and it is a key driver behind the approximately 118,000 students whom the colleges and universities of Minnesota State serve each year through continuing education and customized training.
Our colleges and universities must be more than simply the place where students complete their first degree – they must be an educational partner for life where the people of Minnesota can look for lifelong learning that will be critical for ongoing career success.
Michael Vekich is chair of the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Devinder Malhotra serves as chancellor. Minnesota State includes 30 community and technical colleges and seven state universities serving approximately 375,000 students.
Coming next
Forum No. 4, coming March 6, is “The Student: Competition, Emerging Populations, and Changing Expectations.” For more details, go to the Reimagining Minnesota State website.
