The Business
Human-centred business education and the future skills reset
How can recontextualising education and learning into capability acquisition improve student outcomes in an ambiguous world?
By Sankar Sivarajah, Head, Kingston University Business School
"Artificial Intelligence, data analytics and automation are transforming the world of work at an unprecedented pace"
"Future readiness, is not about predicting specific roles but about equipping students with the cognitive and human capabilities required to learn, unlearn and relearn over a lifetime"
"Preparing students for an uncertain future requires institutions to confront uncertainty in their own educational models."
Artificial Intelligence, data analytics and automation are transforming the world of work at an unprecedented pace, and this rapid change requires our education sector to undergo a similar metamorphosis. But how do institutions respond to this changing landscape and continue to deliver value in the provision of education?
Many undergraduate curricula remain anchored to models developed for a stable and predictable labour market that no longer exists. The result is a widening gap between what graduates are taught and what they are expected to navigate: ambiguity, ethical judgement, interdisciplinary problem-solving and constant change.
The dominant response has been to bolt on employability initiatives, placements or short skills modules. While well intentioned, these interventions often sit at the margins of the curriculum and leave the underlying educational model untouched. This raises a more fundamental question for the sector: what is the purpose of undergraduate business education in an AI-enabled and constantly evolving world?
At Kingston University London, concern about the widening skills gap prompted a more radical rethink, culminating in the launch of Kingston’s Future Skills approach in 2021. Rather than treating employability as an outcome to be measured at the end of a degree, Kingston began by redesigning the undergraduate learning model itself around knowledge building and human-centric capability development that businesses and employers consistently value.
Navigate, Explore, Apply: Redesigning the undergraduate model
Kingston’s Future Skills framework is structured around three developmental stages: Navigate, Explore and Apply. Together, they provide a coherent model for embedding human-centred skills development and learning across the undergraduate lifecycle. By September 2025, more than 14,000 undergraduate students at Kingston were part of the Future Skills programme, regardless of subject discipline. Through their degree, students develop nine Future Skills graduate attributes, identified through extensive research with business, including creative problem solving, digital competency, adaptability and resilience.
The teaching modules follow three stages aligned with students' degree progression. In the Navigate stage during year one, students develop self-awareness, learn university-level study skills, and build core capabilities like communication, questioning and adaptability.
The Explore stage, in the middle year, emphasises experimentation through live briefs, simulations and interdisciplinary projects with no single correct answer, testing collaboration, creativity and resilience.
The final stage, Apply, focuses on synthesis and professional identity through capstone projects and consultancy assessments that integrate knowledge, skills and values in complex settings.
Recentring business education on what machines can’t replace
Kingston’s response to this evolving workplace was to move beyond traditional notions of job readiness. Future readiness, in our framing, is not about predicting specific roles but about equipping students with the cognitive and human capabilities required to learn, unlearn and relearn over a lifetime. This required a deliberate shift from content accumulation to capability development.
Programme design and learning outcome therefore needed to be rearticulated around a core set of future skills, including critical thinking, being enterprising, creative problem solving, financial literacy, communication and self-awareness. Crucially, these skills are embedded within disciplinary learning rather than treated as generic add-ons through the Navigate, Explore and Apply framework. For example, finance students are assessed not only on technical analysis, but also on how they interpret uncertainty, communicate insight to non-specialist audiences and consider wider societal impact.
Rethinking teaching, assessment and partnerships
Redesigning outcomes without amending teaching approaches risks superficial compliance. Traditional assessment practices often reward recall over judgement and certainty over reflection. The Navigate, Explore, Apply model of building skills provided a rationale for introducing more authentic assessments, including reflective portfolios, group problem-solving and iterative project work that mirror real decision-making.
This shift has not been frictionless. Students accustomed to clear right answers can find ambiguity unsettling, while staff require support to design and assess human-centred learning at scale. Investment in assessment literacy and academic development has therefore been essential.
Industry engagement has also been rethought. Rather than treating employers as peripheral consultees, the Future Skills approach positions them as co-creators of learning. Co-designed assessments and curriculum workshops have strengthened relevance while preserving academic independence. Notably, employer input has consistently reinforced the importance of human capabilities as technology accelerates.
What this means for business schools
For business schools considering a similar journey, several lessons stand out. Start with purpose, not technology. Frame AI as a context that amplifies the need for human skills rather than the organising principle of the curriculum. Redesign assessment early, because what is assessed defines what students value. Invest in staff capability, because human-centred education cannot be delivered on goodwill alone.
Preparing students for an uncertain future requires institutions to confront uncertainty in their own educational models. The question facing higher education is not whether AI will transform work, but whether undergraduate business education is willing to transform itself.
In an increasingly competitive global market, institutions that can articulate and deliver a coherent, human-centred approach will differentiate themselves not by promising certainty, but by preparing graduates to navigate what comes next with continuously learning, judgement, integrity and purpose.