Educational institutions are becoming more agile by design

Lifelong, personalised digital learning

Technology has changed how we live, work, shop and communicate. Gone are the days when graduates left university, found jobs, and never had to think about study again. Today, there is increasing demand for modular educational experiences that can be consumed in bite-sized chunks by students of all ages and backgrounds, either online or in person. We’ve entered the age of personalised, skills-based lifelong learning.

How sweeping change leads to shifts in expectations

To remain relevant, colleges and universities must optimise their offerings and make them more accessible to a wider student cohort. Institutions need to be far more agile and open to rapid adaptation, iterative innovation and collaboration, even with competitors and industry partners.

This challenge isn’t going away. In fact, with the rise of generative AI, we can expect the pace of change to accelerate, and learner expectations to become even more sophisticated.

Internationally, this is a global phenomenon. In the US, for example, rising tuition costs, a competitive labour market and a shift toward vocational and skills-based employment are driving scepticism about the return on investment in traditional college education. Structural shifts in higher education, driven by financial and demographic factors, are being felt globally.

For Irish institutions, the agility journey must begin at the top, with leaders making a firm commitment to student-centred change. It’s about embedding agile principles into governance, aligning strategies, and building the capabilities needed to adapt, both among staff and students.

Many academic institutions are used to change happening slowly and deliberately. But we need to move away from that mindset. There must be more willingness to test, learn, iterate, and fail fast when needed. Without a culture that tolerates failure, innovation and agility cannot thrive.

Why our Technological Universities are models of agility

Fortunately, we don’t need to start from scratch. Ireland’s technological universities are a strong example of agility in action. TU Dublin, formed in 2019 through the merger of three Institutes of Technology, is just one case where reform catalysed change. Higher Education clusters, formalised in 2011 through the National Strategy for Higher Education, are another.

These initiatives have helped institutions share academic planning, increase student choice, and strengthen engagement with industry and community partners. The sector has already navigated considerable change, and that provides a solid foundation for further progress.

Data-led education strategy

Agile transformation must be driven by data. Enhanced data management and analytics capabilities help institutions understand what skills are needed, now and into the future, at both a regional and national level. The skills students needed five years ago won’t be the ones they need five years from now.

Expert support for agile transformation

Agility isn’t easy. That’s why institutions should be prepared to call on external support. At Grant Thornton, we have extensive experience working with clients across the education sector. We bring large programme delivery expertise and help build the change management capability that senior leadership and programme teams need to succeed when undertaking complex transformations. This is where we bring real value.