The nation's economy is reshaping, and the growth of “independents,” (known as independent workers, gig workers, freelancers, digital nomads, etc.) is creating a new reality for today’s college graduates. Independents come together to work on a project having never met the team they will work with, perform the project, and then move on to the next project. Amazingly, 72.1million Americans (about 45% of the workforce) can be categorized as independents, and roughly three-fourths of those people are full-time independent workers - a number which has grown 91% in the last three years. This is a fundamental shift in the workplace - one that demands a response from higher education.
This growth has been enabled in many respects by telework, affordable non-job-based healthcare, and cloud-based services that level the playing field for independent workers. These workers are in virtually every career field that Wittenberg graduates aspire to enter: accounting/finance, media and public relations, politics, technology, social services, non-profits, healthcare, sports, education, law, architecture and design, entertainment, marketing, and more. While these statistics on the independent workforce include workers in all age groups, retiring "baby boomers" are yielding the workplace to a distinctly younger cohort, and the trends in growth in independent workers are ascending.
In the words of a 2024 study by MBO Partners:
"Over the past decade, the traditional social contract between firms and workers has undergone significant changes. The traditional social contract was an implicit agreement in which employees exchanged loyalty for job security, stable career progression, and benefits, often including a guaranteed pension. However, job security no longer exists, benefits, including retirement and health benefits, have been cut back or eliminated, and the mutual loyalty between organizations and their employees has eroded. The deterioration of the social contract is reflected in our 2024 survey data. About one-third (34%) of traditional jobholders are worried about losing their jobs, and two-thirds (65%) report that having multiple sources of income is important. Also, only 63% of traditional jobholders believe their employer is committed to retaining talent."
Employers have increasingly turned to independent workers to augment their permanent staffs, and these workers have established careers that can enjoy greater flexibility in work hours, location, and project selection - allowing for more control over schedule and career path. In the WIN Foundation’s research, we have not identified a college program focused on preparing students for this complex workplace, and we believe that Wittenberg has the opportunity to capture this niche.
The goal of this WIN Foundation’s initiative is to help Wittenberg stand out in a crowded field of higher education choices. The 2024 Prospective Family Engagement Report surveyed over 11,000 prospective college attending families, and the study showed that 91% of families ranked career services and job placement as key areas of interest when considering a college – however, that same survey indicated that a school's approach to job placement was among the most difficult for parents and students to discover about a college. This important area would be “front and center” for Wittenberg if its offering included a unique approach to the independent work force. This would not only highlight Wittenberg's excellent job placement statistics (above 96% six month job placement), but it would also show uniqueness in how a graduate is prepared for the modern workplace.
Additionally, a 2022 survey of college seniors by the Art and Science Group found that nearly 75% of those polled believed that a college education that “prepares them for a job” is the best kind of education. This same surveyed group believed that elements of a liberal arts education can be found in roughly 70% of all colleges (regardless of size, public or private). The research group that conducted this study found that if liberal arts institutions are expected to survive, they need to stand out in some unique way – they can’t rise above the noise with a “me too flavored” offering. The WIN Foundation believes that highlighting how Wittenberg's curriculum can address the needs of the modern independent workforce is such a unique offering.
The WIN Foundation is investigating a 21st Century Liberal Arts concept that builds on Wittenberg’s general education (GenEd) curriculum to emphasize specific threads in its learning outcomes that can purposely expose students to content and experiences that build the skills necessary to excel in independent work environments. In addition to critical thinking and communication skills, these skills could include:
Learning by analogy and analogical reasoning
Skills for rapid tacit knowledge acquisition
Proficiency in ad hoc teaming
Use of technology in problem solving and communications
Learning agility and resilience
Developing skills for self reinvention, confidence, and promotion
Principles of management
Future articles will describe this in more detail, including specific areas to emphasize within the GenEd curriculum, suggested learning pathways to develop these skills in coursework and internships, as well as specialized electives and student services that would support this offering.
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