Study reveals how business schools must act to capitalise on booming exec ed market

“Improved communication from business schools and universities relating to their executive education offer is one of six recommendations we make in this study”, commented CarringtonCrisp co-founder and director Andrew Crisp.

He added: “Institutions need to respond quickly to emerging skill needs – especially AI; support blended delivery and study-while-working models; invest in high-quality, engaging learning design; provide evidence of ROI; and provide a clear explanation to learners and employers of microcredentials. There is a huge market out there, but business schools need to make these changes – and quickly.”

The study, carried out among 1,033 employers and 9,057 individual learners across 30 countries, points to significant demand for lifelong learning. Some 68 per cent of individual learners expect to undertake more learning in the future to advance their career, with 70 per cent more likely to stay at an organisation that supports their learning and development and 63 per cent likely to join an organisation that offers lifelong learning as part of their package.

Employers shifting their focus to skills-based recruitment

A key finding reveals that employers are shifting their focus to skills-based recruitment over degree-based hiring. For example, among mid-sized companies (501-1,000 employees) degree-based recruitment searches are down 45.5 per cent in Ireland, 25.8 per cent in Germany and 29.3 per cent in France. Linked to this, there is a decline in employer interest in the MBA qualification, with only 15 per cent using this term compared to 30 per cent in the previous study, carried out in 2024.

“The message from employers and learners is very clear – they want learning that is fast, flexible and specific”, notes Crisp. “While the MBA still has a role within executive education, there is an ever increasing demand for short, flexible and personalised non-degree courses that can be delivered alongside work. Executive education can no longer be treated as a side activity – lifelong learning needs to be a core part of a business school’s strategy.”

Business schools must better communicate programme offer

From an employer perspective, the main concerns surrounding business schools are that other learning providers better meet their needs (25 per cent), institutions lack specific expertise (21 per cent) and that provision is too theoretical (also 21 per cent). For individual learners, cost is a primary obstacle, with over a third (35 per cent) considering universities and business schools too expensive. In addition, nearly a fifth (19 per cent) think that learning is too theoretical.

Another significant issue is lack of awareness of what these institutions offer and the impression that universities and business schools are only about degrees. One in six employers aren’t aware that they also provide executive and management development programmes. Similarly, around one in five individual learners see universities as only offering degrees, when they are seeking short courses instead.