The university of the future will be for retirees

The university will go losing young clients and, for pure survival, it is already adapting to the reality of an inverted demographic pyramid. On the other side, that of the student, the reasons that lead adults to continue studying range between entertainment and training applicable to working life. Or what is the same: the classic idea of retired for the love of art remains between notes and the newest of the worker who grows in his job while studying.

Jorge Angell Hoefken is one of the classics, one of those who love art. This lawyer realized a long time ago that to stay alive there is no other choice than “waking up with something on your mind” and, from the experience of his 78 yearsand after more than 50 years in practice, he has decided to start a doctorate in the summer. His children are now older and, although he continues serving clients, he intends to reduce the intensity of his work to immerse himself fully in research. “I’m looking for a thesis director who controls me, who disciplines me,” says this future university student who is almost eighty years old.

The second case, that of working-age students who continue training throughout their career, is what is known as ‘microcredentials’, which are something like small flexible training courses that can be added to each other. . They are certified at European level, are brief and cannot exceed 150 hours and 15 credits. «The access of adults to the university is not understood without the so-called ‘longlife learning’ (permanent or lifelong learning), a concept through which the university seeks respond to the demands of new jobs», says Miguel Ángel Sancho, from the European Society and Education Foundation.

‘Longlife learning’ and the objective set by the EU

An owner or employee of an optician who, for example, completes his training with an audiology course, so that the business can expand the service and open up to hearing tests. “The audiology courses are one of those paradigmatic cases of success within ‘microcredentials’. But there is also the profile of the person who has worked all his life and who, in his maturity, and through Vocational Training (FP), sees his experience recognized with a course,” adds Luis Martínez-Abarca, director of FP and CEU Senior University.

This teacher remembers that in Spain there are around five million people without qualifications or with a very low educational profile. “The idea of ​​lifelong learning still has a long way to go in our country,” says Sancho. On the contrary, the university for seniors ‘for the love of art’ is in good health, although it is difficult to quantify it in the eyes of Europe, as they are non-regulated, non-official courses.

By 2030, the European Union has set the goal that the 60% of the population between 25 and 64 years old have had some type of training experience. According to Piaac (the program for the international assessment of competencies of the adult population), which is like the PISA report for mature students, Spain is in the quadrant with the fewest competencies. He 43.4% of Spaniards between 25 and 64 years old participated in a course, a percentage slightly lower than the European average and several points below reference countries such as France (51.3%), Germany (52%) either Netherlands (64.1%).

Furthermore, and as reported by several studies that have analyzed teaching in the European Union, our country has to improve the percentage of adults who apply newly learned academic knowledge to work-life situations. In the style of those opticians who take an audiology course to expand knowledge and, in turn, their business opportunities. In any case, and apart from the ‘microcredentials’ that worry Europe, more and more ‘senior’ students are entering the classrooms of Spanish universities.

It was done by Felipe Pinilla who, as soon as he retired, enrolled in Humanities at the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid. Pinilla was so grateful after that return to campus that he created an association for students of the Universidad de Mayores. “In 2024, we have moved 2,800 people who meet in classes and then meet to travel, attend museums or other types of activities,” Pinilla proudly expresses.

Because, as Luis Martínez-Abarca, from the CEU, has been observing, “at certain ages, a degree is no longer needed or sought to access a job opportunity, but training responds to an intellectual concern or the interest of connecting with their peers.” With a repeating pattern: many of the senior students come from technical professions and they decide, having reached maturity, approach areas such as history or art. It seems that the university of the future will be colonized by retirees and Social Sciences.

For example, this week, a class with more audience than many grades ordinary university students studied ‘Culture of human rights’ at the Vicálvaro campus (Madrid) of the Rey Juan Carlos University. Although, says Pinilla, “this year, when Franco is so topical, there are also some talks that review the chapters of our recent history.” At this University for the Elderly, classes are always in the afternoon and twice a week with subjects such as ‘Astronomy for all’, ‘Contemporary architecture and its designs’ or ‘History of Asian civilization’.

Although, outside of this division that the campuses have created, there are also ways for the not-so-young to access university education where they will share a desk with kids with recently approved Secondary School. There is a PAU (University Access Test) for people over 25another for over 40 –which can be accessed through professional experience– and a third for over 45 years. According to the latest figures available from the Ministry of Universities, which are from 2021, of the entire volume of people who take the Selectivity exam, that year there were 30,120 who enrolled in one of these university entrance tests. Of those, 18,987 ended up presenting themselves and 10,892 approved it.

The private university, ahead

In the attraction of this type of university profiles to the classic degrees, in the courses, and also in the implementation of ‘micro-credential’ programs aimed at people of working age, “the private sector is leaving the public sector behind,” he indicates. Sancho. In-person public universities have a small number of students who have turned 30. According to data from the ministry led by Diana Morant, of the total number of students over 30, 60.9% study at private universities.

Due to a question of economic resources, private institutions have been able to adapt more quickly to all these changes in the academic world, which are nothing more than the result of demographic earthquakes. But public institutions, if they want to meet the objectives set by Europe for 2030, will end up reconverting their model. Especially if, as Luis Martínez-Abarca predicts, in a while we will see how in universities there is a 50% of students arriving from Secondary School and another 50% of enrollees who left school half a lifetime ago.