SCENARIOS 2030
FUTURE LANDSCAPES
FOR HIGH EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS
SKILLS AND COMPETENCES FOR A GREENER FUTURE
Scenarios
The following 4 scenarios are not irrefutable predictions, but rather plausible descriptions of how the future landscape of Higher Education Institutions could unravel within the next decade, due to a variety of events and forces, (climate crisis, migration, post pandemic world, etc) and a reflection on the effects that this possible future could potentially have in the broader landscape of learning and education.
These 4 scenarios are meant to inspire, generate debate and serve as a starting point for meaningful collective conversations.
SCENARIO 1
Social Eco-Literacy
Social-Driven Entrepreneurship for Ecological Literacy
Cultivating the ability to change
+ Embodied learning through nature
Connecting theory with the natural world
The year is 2030
2030 brings a new light to the awareness on climate change and climate educations. Sustainability agendas are on the top of nations minds and there are extra efforts put into making sure that sustainability is being executed on every possible systemic level.
With a rise on UBI in many developed countries, climate migration is becoming a pressing issue, and as a result social innovation educations in collaboration with HEI are being introduced to the public. Among several integration programs there is an Eco-reeducation course provided by HEIs for every migrant coming to Europe.
In that way the working population is equipped to drive innovation and regenerative advancements in the society.
Key Drivers
- Sustainable agendas on the top of country's policies
- Planet-first initiatives supported by public and private organizations
- UBI will be on the rise in the developed countries (f.e. Netherlands, Finland)
- Climate migrations will be on the rise, especially towards countries with UBI
- Raise of jobs related to environmental-driven solution
- Migrants will become social entrepreneurs
Persona from the future
Christos
Male, 45 years old from Greece
Job
Just became Urban Farmer after graduating from the intensive 6-months eco-literacy course with the specialisation on Circular Economy and Urban studies.
Interests
Gardening, stand-up comedy, football
About
I just moved to Amsterdam to ensure my family a better future. The agency that I contacted for getting a job offered me an intensive course at AUAS University to make a shift for a greener CV.
Amsterdam - 2030
A day in the life.
Sunny glares are irradiating Amsterdam following the first hours of daylight; murky days already beat in retreat, to be replaced by the active and undisturbed attitude of busy bees that come out from their hives to explore the nearby gardens and bushes.
Christos is an early bird, he enjoys the morning breeze and after preparing coffee he gets out from his apartment to get to the garden to follow the weekly procedure:
He is using the surrounding apartments waste and refuse as a fertilizer for the neighbourhood’s urban garden.
Together with his colleague Alex, they are in charge for the taking care of the biodiversity of plants and vegetables in the garden as well as the entire water systems, which integrates aquaponics with existing buildings to reduce the apartment block’s environmental impact.
He learned a lot one year after moving from Athens to Amsterdam; the course he took at University of Applied Sciences that the job agency sent him to, made him realize the importance of circular thinking as a way to provide social equality by cultivating passions at the same time.
Speculative Concept
HEIs Social Eco-literacy Program
CONCEPT
Speculative Concept
HEIs Social Eco-literacy Program
- Based on the idea of Long Life Learning
- Hands-on, nature oriented education course
- Introducing regenerative, circular practices to newly arrived migrants as a process of integration
- With a purpose of reeducating and restructuring career path
SCENARIO 2
Learning as a lifestyle
You are a student to life
The year is 2030
2030 is the year where a fully integrated educational infrastructure between businesses and HEIs has seen the light of day.
The growing amount of private learning platforms has changed HEIs focus away from traditional skills development, and instead compelled them to play a more active role in society through regional/local engagement with civic partners by playing the role as an active agent of expertise. But HEIs’ shift of focus has on the other hand given space to a new form of partnership structure with businesses.
As upskilling/reskilling is essential to survive the constant flux of things, HEIs provide businesses with an educational safety net by offering educational internships. In return, businesses are more open to help professionalise students through business mentoring programs.
Key Drivers
- Private learning platforms with high ranking certificates challenge role of HEIs
- Growing demands for HEIs to demonstrate their value, contribution and benefit to the economy and society
- HEIs and private firms benefit from each other through new partnerships like educational internships and business mentoring
- Companies are incentivised to upskill/reskill their employees on a long term basis through the European Competency Tree System
- Carbon Emission Credits can traded with upskilling employees through HEis
Persona from the future
Female, 22 years old from DenmarkJob
Student job at Copenhagen University where she’s involved in developing their civic engagement policies. Freja is part of a unit that implements permaculture principles in urban garden projects.
Interests
Indoor Climbing, Cooking, Activism
About
I live in Copenhagen in a small flat with two other women. We all study, but at different courses. We often compare our CVs and recommend different professional courses to upskill our Skill Tree.
Denmark - 2030
A day in the life.
Copenhagen wakes up. Freja bikes through the city and a warm breeze reminds her that spring is here. Youngsters laying down in the parks, retired elderly folks walking their dogs under the shiny sun, and a buzzling energy hard to ignore.
Freja arrives at her student job at Copenhagen University. She waves at some of her classmates who are chatting at the cafeteria. They have taken some classes together, but this year their are all working with different local companies. As part of her education, she is taking part in developing new offerings and support for a local bank focusing on providing financial aid to young social entrepreneurs.
Part of her job is to understand the financial sector, local business regulations and the broad landscape of the service industry. Many local entrepreneurs approach her bank seeking for support to scale the size and impact of their businesses.
Freja is happy that she can apply all the theoretical knowledge she has gained at her studies through concrete projects and initiatives making a real difference in the outside world. Her boss at the bank also acts as a mentor and tutor in her learning journey, and provides her with a vast network to continue her growth as a student and professional.
Speculative Concept
European Competency Tree System
CONCEPT
Speculative Concept
European Competency Tree System
- Based on the idea on Game-based learning
- Lifelong Learning is not a skill but a necessary lifestyle.
- The Competency Tree System is a systemic learning framework that guides HEIs towards a flourishing society.
- HEIs are essential for combating systemic challenges and should not only serve the market.
SCENARIO 3
Digital Public Spheres
Sustainable, climate-neutral corporations at a crossroads with democracy
Holistic technological solutions
+ Responsible Business
A new paradigm of business
The year is 2030
The world in 2030 takes climate change seriously, and governments, businesses and financial institutions have taken bold steps to create Net Zero societies. Sustainability and climate neutrality are accepted parts of life and consumers expect corporate action for climate and the environment.
Societies are also grappling with new tech and digital developments, and the governance of social media and the internet remains a concern.
Governments explore ways to address the undue influence social media giants have had on civil society and democracy, and fears about internet safety, hacking, fake news and people’s ability to navigate the digital space remain.
Key Drivers
- Led by young people, societies across Europe have strongly demanded governmental and corporate action on climate change, and voters have made their voices heard politically
- Urban centres are pioneering green, climate neutral spaces - developing the cities has required new forms of entrepreneurship, new skills in the workforce, new forms of political, corporate and social leadership and a new social contract
- Consumers expect businesses to be carbon neutral and sustainable - to be competitive business must adapt and big corporates are forced to experiment with new business models and new corporate ethos
Persona from the future
Male, 31 years old from London
Job
Communications Manager
Interests
Hiking, watching films, history
England - 2030
A day in the life.
Andrew arrives at work and settles down in front of his computer with a cup of tea. As a Comms Manager at a social media giant, he gets to see a broad range of issues and topics that the company deals with. The EU tax on social media corporations’ digital ad revenue was a hot topic last year and it has greatly affected how the company does business. Andrew was part of the team advising on the comms response, and he drew on his MA in Sustainable Business.
In addition to sustainable business models and supply chains, the innovative course had introduced him to community building, activism, systems change and leading in complexity. Andrew’s approach to his work has been shaped by his studies, and it makes him unique amongst his colleagues and puts him in a solid position to understand the societal benefits of the new legislation, and also how his company should react to it.
His contribution to the comms effort around the EU Ad tax was so valued that he received a promotion due to his unique leadership approach and vision.
Speculative Concept
EU Social Media Ad Tax
CONCEPT
Speculative Concept
EU Social Media Ad Tax
- The public fund created by the tax creates new jobs, requiring different skills and capabilities
- Examples of new jobs are experienced digital architects who can create non-divisive, inclusive community spaces; moderators and digital community caretakers; internet archivists and ‘librarians’
- Some of the funding goes to HEIs to train innovative digital community leaders and technicians
- Students and young professionals are attracted to building the new digital public sphere, as it enables them to give back to society while training in the hard digital/tech skills that a wide range of employers continue to want, and the soft skills they learn put them at the cutting edge of the job market
SCENARIO 4
Innovation for Climate Justice
Applied Climate Justice as a new HEI focus
The year is 2030
Higher Education Institutions across Europe are leading the way as the leaders in innovation for climate and social justice. They now receive subsidies from large corporates to support their CSR initiatives.
The network of universities is uniquely positioned with their advanced open data platforms and imaginative and engaged youth. All forms of education disciplines now address issues of climate justice, serving the less privileged communities or the unborn generations. Students today are more attuned than ever about the challenges their fellow citizens face, and the radical innovations that are needed to improve the quality of life for all living things.
Successful initiatives have been selected and rolled out across numerous European countries and citizen engagement in the EU political sphere continues to grow.
Key Drivers
- Higher-level educations are adopting more challenge-based approaches and innovative methods to address societal issues
- Youth and marginalised communities are finding their voice through collective activism and protest
- Online connectivity means it's easier than ever to connect with less privileged communities and understand their needs
- A new era of participatory Democracy will emerge on Climate issues to strengthen Europe’s collective efforts
- COVID and other world events will continue to expose wealth disparity gaps and the fragility of our social systems
Persona from the future
Female, 25 years old from Poland
Job
Aneta is a part-time law student and an employee at the Cultural Institute for European Arts
Interests
3D video editing, alternative Virtual Reality Festivals that tackle issues of female empowerment
Poland - 2030
A day in the life.
It’s a warm, summer day in Krakow. Aneta wakes to the sound of birds and sunshine coming through her window. She knows she needs to get up and ready for her work and a very important task.
Aneta studied hard to make it into law school. She hasn’t missed a single assignment yet, but she’s tired today as she found herself working late on her Climate Justice Challenge hypothesis. Today as part of her Challenge she is interviewing the Government Data Ministry to understand to what extent their data has been screened for potential biases.
When Aneta returns home in the evening, she reflects on her achievements that day. She is driven by her challenge and hopes that it will one day lead to improving the lives of millions.
She is proud to be a part of this crucial and pivotal change. Although it is a great responsibility, she is sure that every day she is contributing to radical innovations in line with climate and social justice that society is driving for.
Speculative Concept
Climate Justice Challenges in HEIs
CONCEPT
The concept is based on the premise of addressing justice through innovations at HEIs. All students that participate in higher education can earn credits through challenges that relate to local climate justice issues.
Students work on the real-life challenges throughout their studies, and the most successful projects receive support to further implement the ideas and contribute to changes in society.
Speculative Concept
Climate Justice Challenges in HEIs
- Empowering new generation of climate innovators
- HEIs are contributing to combating climate and social challenges
- Students connect and study the needs of others, less privileged or marginalised groups
- Students develop in depth understanding of the complexity of climate justice issues and how to innovate through real life challenges