Abstract

The move from university education to the world of work is in one of its most transformative phases of the 21st century. For decades’ graduates were told a degree meant stable employment, upward mobility and long-term job security. That expectation, however, has become increasingly uncertain in a rapidly changing global economy shaped by artificial intelligence, automation, digital platforms, remote work, geopolitical instability and evolving corporate priorities. Today’s graduates face a different challenge than merely finding jobs after graduation. They also must develop the adaptability, resilience, technological fluency and human-centered skills they will need to stay relevant in constantly changing labor markets. At the same time, universities, governments and corporations are struggling to reinvent systems designed for industrial age economies, not knowledge-driven digital societies.