Analyzing Future Skills Adoption by Top-100 Universities of QS-Ranking: Present and Future Skills Opportunities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how, in recent years, the top 100 universities in the QS ranking have integrated the development of Future Skills into their curricula to address the evolving demands of the labor market. The PRISMA methodology was used to perform a comprehensive search and analysis focusing on research articles and internal university documents, with significant contributions from American and European Higher Education Institutions. Various international reports by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have identified and organized Future Skills based on their analysis and research. Regardless of how these skills are defined, all stakeholders agreed that higher education institutions must focus on fostering them in undergraduates to meet labor market demands. Our research identified a significant trend in skill adoption, with social and metacognitive skills emerging as prevalent among 59% of the top universities in general searches. However, while cognitive-metacognitive and technical skills were mentioned more frequently by 35% and 29% of these universities, collaboration was emphasized in 74% of the documents, mainly within the social and medical sciences. The main conclusion was that while most universities are currently incorporating these skills into student profile development, collaborative efforts in advancing the understanding and implementation of other Future Skills will become essential for the seamless incorporation of graduates into the workforce. This fact reinforces the urgent need for further research to ensure comprehensive skill development, focusing mainly on emotional skills in diverse academic disciplines, such as natural sciences, engineering, agriculture, and humanities.

Keywords

• Education innovation
• future skills
• higher education
• QS ranking
• technical skills