QS Quacquarelli Symonds has acquired the career navigation platform, 1Mentor, in a move the company says will “equip today’s learners for tomorrow’s jobs”.
The higher education analytics and insights leader said the acquisition is a “significant step” toward bridging the talent gap between industry needs and academic institutions.
“Employers are witnessing a paradigm shift in the skills they value,” said QS president Nunzio Quacquarelli.
“QS believes that universities and business schools must play a pivotal role in bridging the skill gaps, and so remain relevant in the long run as new models of education emerge.”
The announcement comes months after QS partnered with white-label training platform Successful Graduate to offer employability micro-credentials to institutions. It is also being revealed at a time when the sector is developing closer ties with industry to maximise student outcomes and prepare graduates for a new world of work.
The QS Skills Gap Report 2023 – based on the QS Global Employer Survey of 16,000 responding employers – identified soft and hard skills gaps among graduates worldwide.
QS also pointed to a McKinsey & Co report that revealed that 87% of companies worldwide are aware that they either already have a skills gap or will have one within a few years.
Others, such as The British Council, have urged UK universities to double down on helping students from China, Malaysia and East Asian countries prepare to fill industry skills gaps in their home countries.
“1Mentor seamlessly aligns with QS’s core mission of empowering learners globally to fulfil their potential through educational achievement, international mobility and career development,” Quacquarelli continued.
“Leveraging 1Mentor’s innovative Career Navigation Platform and QS Global Employer Survey data, QS is poised to emerge as the premier source of data and insights in skills development.
“These insights and tools can transform how universities and students navigate the dynamic landscape of the global job market, ensuring readiness and adaptability at a time of rapid and continuous technological advancement.”
“Employers are witnessing a paradigm shift in the skills they value”
1Mentor’s founders – Martin Serrano, Esteban Veintimilla and Diego Robles – have all studied abroad, at Oxford University Said Business School, University of Waterloo in Canada and University of Queensland, respectively.
Partnerships they have built to date include with Arizona State University, Purdue University, Tec De Monterrey, University of Waterloo, Ministry of Industry in Canada, among others.
“We are thrilled to be now part of QS, a mission-led global organisation that stands at the forefront of higher education,” Veintimilla said.
“Together, we will help employers, universities, and learners to bridge the skills gap, collaboratively shaping the future of education and work.”
