For a student considering their future, the journey into work starts long before graduation.
It begins with deciding what to study, choosing the right pathway, developing skills and gaining experience. It continues through the transition into a first job, the early stages of a career and, increasingly, the need to reskill as industries and roles evolve.
For too long, we have treated these as separate stages. As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes jobs faster than traditional qualifications can keep pace, the learner journey is becoming more fluid, and the connections between education, skills and employment are more important than ever.
The question for higher education is no longer simply whether we are producing graduates with the right skills, but whether we are creating a learner journey that successfully takes people from education into employment and through the transitions that follow. Increasingly, this means equipping graduates with practical AI capability, resilience and employer-recognised skills, alongside the ability to continually learn and adapt throughout their careers.
The economic stakes are significant.
Pearson’s recent modelling estimates that transitions between study and work, within work and in response to automation collectively cost the Australian economy AU$104 billion. Improving the efficiency of these transitions by just 20 per cent could unlock an additional AU$15 billion in productivity every year.
This is more than an education issue. It is an emerging transition economy, and an opportunity to rethink how we help people move through learning, work and reskilling over the course of their lives.
The learner journey is changing
The traditional path from education to employment was relatively linear. Today, technology is increasingly blurring the boundaries between learning and work, with people building skills, gaining experience and adapting throughout their careers.
For prospective students, choosing a degree also means making an investment in their future employability. They want to understand where a qualification could take them, what skills they will develop, how those skills will be recognised by employers and whether they will remain relevant as technology and industries evolve.
That expectation continues beyond graduation. People may develop new capabilities through workplace experience, undertake micro-credentials, move between industries or learn to work alongside AI.
For universities, this means thinking beyond the qualification itself and considering how education connects to the broader world of work.
International education is becoming a longer-term proposition
This shift is particularly relevant to international education. For students choosing to study overseas, the decision is a significant investment, and the value of that experience increasingly extends beyond the qualification they receive.
The skills students develop, the industry exposure they gain and the confidence they build can all shape what comes next. For Australia, creating stronger connections between these experiences and employment can strengthen the value proposition of international education while helping address the skills needs of the economy.
Pearson’s Australian Dreams research highlights the contribution international students and skilled migrants can make, with many PTE test takers who enter Australia going on to work in critical sectors including nursing, aged and disability care, and software development.
The opportunity is not simply to attract students or deliver qualifications. It is to create clearer pathways between learning and work, helping people understand how the capabilities they develop can translate into meaningful opportunities.
From being job-ready to staying ready
AI makes this challenge more urgent. Our AI Readiness report highlights a clear disconnect, with 78 per cent of higher education leaders believing they are meeting employer needs, while 53 per cent of employers say they struggle to find graduates with the right AI skills.
Closing this gap requires more than adding AI content to courses. Graduates need practical experience applying AI in real workplace scenarios, alongside the confidence and judgement to know when to use it and when human expertise matters. Industry projects, workplace experience and employer partnerships can help build these capabilities.
Future-ready graduates will need to combine technological capability with human skills such as critical thinking, communication and adaptability. Micro-credentials and a National Skills Passport can help recognise these capabilities, allowing verified qualifications and workplace skills to travel with people throughout their careers.
So, are universities keeping pace? The opportunity is to build on the work already underway and continue evolving how employability is embedded across the learner journey. Universities cannot predict exactly what jobs will exist in the future, but they can ensure students graduate with the practical skills, experience and confidence to adapt as those jobs evolve.
Because being “job ready” at graduation is no longer enough. The goal should be to build people who are ready to keep learning, adapting and contributing throughout their careers.
Taha Haidermota is Australia’s Country Head at Pearson.
