Linear career paths are a thing of the past: Welcome to a new era of learning

The matriculants we are celebrating this week deserve our congratulations. Many have overcome significant odds and worked hard and diligently to get where they are today.

But when the celebrations die down, the hard truth awaiting these young people brimming with potential is that things don’t get easier from here on in. Many of those who have successfully passed their school exams will struggle to find work in the next few years – youth unemployment in South Africa is already notoriously high – and less than half of successful matriculants will go on to study further, research suggests. In fact, on average, out of 100 children who start grade 1, just six will get some kind of qualification within six years of matric, and just four will complete a formal degree.

According to Jon Foster-Pedley, dean and director of Henley Business School Africa, it is critical that we change these odds if we want young South Africans to reach their full potential.

‘Like it or not, future success is linked to further education, and we need a revolution in how we think about education and training to ensure that young South Africans can carry on making headway in a complexifying world,’ he says.

Success in a changing world demands new approaches to education

While getting a degree or a diploma is not the only route to success in life, studying further is correlated with productivity and economic growth, higher earning power, better social outcomes, and human happiness.  

‘Research shows that whether you want to start your own business, join an NGO, follow your vocation, or become a corporate high flyer, your chances of success are higher the more education you have,’ says Foster-Pedley.

But – and here’s another reality check – studying is expensive and time-consuming, and good universities are hard to get into. Plus, the world of work is changing, and it is by no means clear that existing educational systems are up for the challenge.

Foster-Pedley points out that we live in a world that is dramatically different from the one for which most institutions of higher learning are geared to prepare their students.  

‘Last week, the World Economic Forum released its 2025 Future of Work report. Almost 40% of today’s skills won’t be required in 2030. That’s daunting, but it’s down from almost 45% two years ago thanks to our increasing realisation that we need to keep learning, unlearning and relearning.

‘We are living through a time of unimaginable and continuing change, to survive we have to lean into the disruption, but to thrive, we have to embrace a culture of continuous learning, unlearning and relearning. The best news of all is that no one person holds the monopoly on your education – or your development.

These shifts mean that more young adults are pursuing non-traditional paths to gain the qualifications they need to get ahead. And this is the thinking behind Henley’s ‘ladder of learning’ of undergraduate and postgraduate business qualifications, too. These accredited programmes can be studied part-time, while candidates work, allowing them to earn the equivalent of a university degree that employers recognise and value.

The ladder of learning is designed as a stackable, flexible alternative to a traditional university path, starting with the new Henley Work Readiness Programme.

‘The new Work Readiness Programme is accredited at NQF level 5 and is the perfect programme for a matric graduate or someone just starting out in the world of work. Its goal is to give young adults practical and relevant skills in a safe and fun environment while building their core confidence and allowing them to explore different career avenues,’ says Jonathan Stock, Director of Undergraduate Programmes at Henley Business School.

‘Graduates can go on to study further at Henley, working their way up the ladder of learning right up to the MBA, or, for the first time in 2025, the Doctor of Business Administration. Graduates can also use the credit from the Work Readiness Programme to support their application to a university specialisation that perhaps they didn’t qualify for the first time around.’

The triple A of access, appropriateness and application

The Work Readiness Programme, like all Henley programmes, focuses on what Foster-Pedley calls the ‘triple-A of access, appropriateness and application’, the three elements that he believes are essential if we want to radically improve educational outcomes in South Africa.

‘First, we have to lower the barriers to access, which are primarily cost and time. One way to do this is to allow students to study while they continue to work and earn. Flexible and part-time study options are therefore critical,’ he explains. ‘We also need more corporates to step up to partner with education and training institutions to elevate the skill levels of their workforces, and we need to make more scholarships and funding opportunities available.’

‘Second, what we teach must be tailored to the context and needs of the workplace of the future, which is set to be defined by turbulence and uncertainty. Analytical and creative thinking, leadership skills, social influence and the ability to work with others, remain at the top of the skills needed, according to the World Economic Forum. This is also the reason that we’ve developed the Work Readiness Programme in consultation with employers. We asked them what they are looking for in new recruits, and they told us!’

‘How we teach is also important,’ he continues. ‘Design and teaching methods need to be progressive and combine action learning with academically proven and accredited pedagogy. At Henley, we are on the leading edge of integrating emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) into teaching and learning to help make intangible and abstract concepts more tangible. This, in turn, can help shift the conversation around technology from fear and uncertainty to one of possibility and excitement, helping to create adaptive and “anti-fragile” leaders who are equipped to take on future challenges.

‘Finally, we must make space for the application of what is being learnt. It is in this process of learning and applying, failing and trying again that people can start to build their resilience, wisdom and confidence, attributes that are vital in business as in life.’

All Henley programmes give students ample opportunity to try out what they are learning in the real world. What’s more, students on the Work Readiness Programme also have the option to sign up for extra online courses in skill areas that interest them through Henley’s online learning partners, gaining digital certificates as they go that they can display on their CVs and social media profiles.

More choices, more impact

Foster-Pedley says that all of this gives Henley graduates more choices after the programme ends, ‘including increasing their chances of getting into a top university if that is the path they want to follow.’

‘Navigating the transition from school to work is never easy,’ he concludes. ‘Today’s young people will ultimately determine the future of this country, and we need to do everything we can to support and accelerate their progress in the real world, with all its pitfalls and potential.

‘We need the young adults in our world to bring the full force of their youthful, innovative energy to building a better Africa and a better world.’

Henley Business School is the first international quadruple accredited business school in South Africa. For more information on Henley programmes and the Work Readiness Programme, click here.