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Business schools for the future: Where agility meets graduate employability
15 Aug 2019
Split into four central colours – red, green, yellow and blue – PwC’s Future Worlds of Work report leads employees down varied paths.
Advising us all that “The future isn’t a fixed destination”, and that we need to “Plan for a dynamic rather than a static future”, PwC has triggered business schools to seriously consider their students’ future and set them up for different working scenarios.
In the pursuit of the unknown, it can be difficult for universities and schools to know which modules to be teaching and the exact skills students require to thrive. But by looking at the four coloured worlds, they sharpen their vision of the future.
To prepare for the ‘Red World’, business ideas and out-of-the-box thinking are essential. It’s a world where innovation outweighs regulation and you’ll have more freedom to take risks and evolve as a serial entrepreneur.
This means your future business school must encourage entrepreneurial initiatives and provide the expertise that will transition your ideas into reality.
Source: Macquarie University
Falling in line with the ’Blue World’ requires co-operation with large corporations.
“It’s a world of extreme talent. Exceptional people are in high demand, so employers secure a core group of pivotal high performers by offering excellent rewards. But workforces are lean and organisations bringing in flexible talent and skills as and when they’re needed,” notes the report.
So, to boost your skills up to the Blue World’s expectations, you must opt for a business school that places you on professional internships and merges your skills with industry insights.
The ’Yellow World’ asks you to hold on to your ‘humanness’. Independent thinking skills and creativity are, therefore, critical for survival. “This is a world where workers and companies seek out greater meaning and relevance in what they do. Social-first and community businesses find the greatest success and prosper,” outlines PwC.
If you wish to succeed in the Yellow World, seek out community service activities at your business school and research further into the social heart of businesses.
Wrapping up with the final sector, the ‘Green World’ is characterised by a “strong social conscience, a sense of environmental responsibility, a focus on diversity, human rights and a recognition that business has an impact that goes well beyond the financial.”
Source: Business School, University of Auckland
To go forth with ease into the Green World, the business school you choose must be eco-conscious and inspire students to take on real-world issues.
So, which future world of work and progressive business school will you choose?
Here are four business schools built for the four future worlds of work…
CURTIN BUSINESS SCHOOL, CURTIN UNIVERSITY – AUSTRALIA
An elite global business school accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Curtin Business School (CBS) at Curtin University enables students to become agile employees for the future worlds of work.
Certified by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Programme Accreditation System (EPAS), the progressive Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a common route for CBS changemakers, offering students contemporary management and leadership skills for their international career.
Alternatively, the two-year Master of Business Administration (Advanced) programme is designed to enhance the skillset of bachelor degree graduates who have a minimum of three years’ management experience and wish to progress to senior management roles. Applicable to a range of industries, you’ll soon possess life-long learning strategies that safeguard your skills against technological transitions.
Source: Curtin Business School
Plus, with the Future of Work Institute (FOWI) in the same building as your lectures, you’ll be immersed in a melting pot of innovation and entrepreneurship.
By inspiring future-focused learners to thrive in the digital age and improving your industry opportunities by partnering with groups and organisations from all sectors, Curtin Business School is the ideal platform for you to take your career to the next level.
BUSINESS SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND – NEW ZEALAND
Crowned champion in the inaugural THE University Impact Rankings 2019, the University of Auckland in New Zealand is globally-admired for its ability to deliver the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
A university for the future, the forward-thinking Business School follows suit.
Shaping the future of people and organisations for the benefit of New Zealand and beyond, the University of Auckland Business School has built an MBA to help students navigate complex challenges and extend their leadership skills with confidence.
Source: Business School, University of Auckland
Recently redesigned, the programme enables learners to understand the theoretical and practical processes that enable organisations to thrive in a climate of uncertainty.
By challenging your thinking, refining your decision-making and accelerating your personal and professional development, this business school has your best interests at heart.
Standing by entrepreneurial practice, the school encourages you to learn through action.
Partnering you with New Zealand companies in an advisory capacity, helping you develop strategic recommendations for local or international growth, you’ll have the chance to undertake observational research and acquire CV-strengthening insights through the ASB Careers Centre.
MACQUARIE BUSINESS SCHOOL, MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY – AUSTRALIA
A force to be reckoned with, Macquarie Business School attracts independent thinkers from all corners of the globe, granting them the knowledge and insight needed to make a positive impact through comprehensive research, visionary analysis and inspiring thought leadership.
Reimagining the rules of business, Macquarie’s community of business students, staff, alumni and partners can find their purpose and collaborate to deliver solutions and ideas with global impact.
Source: Macquarie Business School
Through the Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM), you can undertake a traditional MBA (Master of Business Administration), a Global MBA (Global Master of Business Administration), a Master of Management and a variety of diplomas and certificates.
Alternatively, you can impact the future of finance by multiplying your potential with the leading Master of Applied Finance programme. There’s also the Master of Applied Finance (Advanced) programme, the Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance, the Graduate Certificate of Finance, the Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance – Business Valuation and the Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance – Retirement Outcomes courses.
With so many pathways to take at Macquarie, it’s clear that this school motivates students to pursue their specified area of interest, or favoured future world of work.
LEE KONG CHIAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY (SMU) – SINGAPORE
With a mission to nurture the young business minds of today, the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at SMU successfully cultivates leadership potential.
Source: Lee Kong Chian School of Business
Offering diverse business courses such as the MSc in Applied Finance, the Global Master of Finance Dual Degree, the MSc in Communication Management, the MSc in Innovation, the MSc in Quantitative Finance and the MSc in Wealth Management, SMU is helping students capture progressive business approaches and utilise them for their future working roles.
That’s why the Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme is ranked 43rd worldwide and 12th in alumni salary increase according to the 2019 FT Global MBA Ranking.
A spectacular milestone to mark the SMU MBA’s 10th anniversary, the 2019 FT ranking endorses LKCSB’s strong faculty, innovative curriculum and interactive pedagogy.
And as Professor Gerard George, Dean of SMU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business states, “We prepare our graduates with the capabilities necessary to succeed in their careers by providing a global perspective with a unique understanding of the Asian business context. Whether it is finance, manufacturing, services, technology or entrepreneurship, Singapore and the region provides tremendous opportunities to grow, develop leadership competencies and make a meaningful impact on society.”
*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International
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