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Over 1.2 billion learners worldwide were impacted by the COVID-19 shutdowns [1]. As the pandemic continues, millions of low-wage jobs are replaced by new jobs in high-wage fields [2]. Rapid growth occurring in areas such as healthcare, engineering, mathematics, science, and technology has created a widening employment gap and a desperate need for continuous learning opportunities [2]. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 5.9 million people are not currently in the workforce but want a job [5]. As higher education aims to close this gap, they face the challenge of accommodating new learning needs with a limited budget and staff shortages. Higher education operating budget gaps are tens of millions, with an estimated ongoing budgetary gap reaching $150 billion. While the education sector attempts to rebound, they face an instructor shortfall ranging from 350,000 to 500,000 persons [3].  

While facing tens of millions in budgetary shortfalls, higher education has a unique opportunity to offer reinvention and increased relevancy. According to Deloitte, “the future of work is driven by the confluence of technology and people-related disruptions, and further accelerated by COVID-19. This challenges leaders across fronts and forces them to reimagine learning” [4]. Reframing education to meet the needs of the post-pandemic employer is crucial for institutional reinvention and relevancy. Employers are looking to develop soft skills more cognitively by increasing employee critical digital and cognitive capabilities, further developing their social and emotional quotients, and improving employee adaptability and resilience [6]. As we look to the future, higher education must provide continuous learning and upskilling courses to professionals. 

Higher Educations Reinvention for Relevancy Post-COVID 

For higher education to meet the strategic needs of the post-COVID workplace, they need to adapt their education programs. This involves a reduction in traditional, passive methodologies of teaching and incorporating digitized learning ecosystems and flexible learning modalities. Ultimately, learning strategies and business models need to be working together to build teaching and learning methodologies that integrate organizational objectives into applicable skill development [4].  

These are the 5 ways education markets have changed permanently post-COVID. 

1. Education has shifted from traditional in-person lectures to virtual learning. To support the shift, higher education institutions need an EdTech solution that is easy-to-use and requires no training for both instructors and students. 

2. Professional learning programs are in high demand. People depend on higher education institutions to close the skills gap and prepare them for the future of work. 

3. During the pandemic and into the future, the use of EdTech in the education sector has increased. As higher education faces shortages of instructors, an EdTech solution is the key to creating scalable, repeatable revenue. 

4. As education becomes increasingly digital, higher education institutions must ensure their programs are engaging. An EdTech solution that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to create relevant and engaging learning experiences is essential. 

5. Higher education institutions need to partner with EdTech providers that can make their transition to virtual learning seamless. By partnering with a best-in-class EdTech provider, your institution will have a customized platform with relevant course materials for your students in 24 hours or less. 

An EdTech solution should include these key features: 

• AI integration and advanced data analytics to have the most up to date courses possible and provide valuable insights to teachers, students, and employers 

• Unparalleled ease of use that requires no training to begin learning

• Engaging and easy to use custom branded platforms that attract new learners and build community and brand awareness, influencing repeatable business 

Amesite Offers a Single, Easy to Use, Scalable Solution   

Amesite is a high-tech AI-enabled online learning platform that creates custom-branded learning environments with content curated by experts in the industry that follow best practices, meeting your institution's unique needs. Amesite offers turnkey, intuitive certificate programs and micro-courses that require no training to use.  Amesite has an outstanding and industry-leading 98% retention rate across its educational programs. 

Sources

[1] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/  

[2] https://www.mckinsey.com/about-us/covid-response-center/inclusive-economy/covid-19-crisis-pushes-us-students-into-an-uncertain-job-market 

[3] https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-fight-covids-financial-crush?bc_nonce=nt9ina758naf3syl59cosq&cid=reg_wall_signup 

[4] https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/in/Documents/human-capital/in-hc-future-of-learning-in-the-wake-of-COVID-19-noexp.pdf 

[5] https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf 

[6] https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/to-emerge-stronger-from-the-covid-19-crisis-companies-should-start-reskilling-their-workforces-now