The fourth industrial revolution is changing how we work in ways we have never experienced before. One of the key factors is that many current jobs will disappear or morph into something new. This is happening at a rate faster than anything we have seen in previous industrial revolutions. Yet the operational model of universities is virtually unchanged since the second industrial revolution in the early 1900’s.

There is growing evidence that this is not sustainable. A recent survey of 1000 17 to 23-year-olds conducted by CBI indicate that around 50% of respondents feel that their educational institution is not preparing them for employment. The world economic forum has identified that there is a growing shortage of graduates that are fit for employment, despite increases in the number of graduates. Recent research suggests that those people with ideas are going to be more valuable than those workers or even investors.

This talk starts with the premise that the current operational model is not sustainable, and something needs to be done. Using three divergent stories to stimulate conversation, this is an opportunity to think about what we actually need from a Higher Education System that currently seems to condemn many to debt with qualifications that are becoming less relevant.