Human Skills Students and Future Graduates Need to Thrive in an AI World Highlighted in New Acuity Insights Report
Acuity’s latest report underscores the urgent need for higher education institutions to integrate durable professional skills across the student journey—from admissions to graduation—as AI transforms the workforce
TORONTO, Oct. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acuity Insights, the leading provider of admissions assessment, program management, and analytics solutions for higher education, announces the release of its latest report, Future-Proofing Students: Professional Skills in the Age of AI. Drawing on a broad body of academic and market research, the report provides an analysis of how institutions can better prepare students with the professional skills most critical in an AI-driven world.
As AI increasingly automates technical tasks across industries, students’ long-term career success will rely less on technical skills alone and more on durable skills or professional skills, often referred to as soft skills. These include empathy, resilience, collaboration, and ethical reasoning—skills that machines can’t replicate.
Key Findings from the Report:
- 75% of long-term job success is attributed to professional skills, not technical expertise.
- Over 25% of executives say they won’t hire recent graduates due to lack of durable skills.
- COVID-19 disrupted professional skill development, leaving many students underprepared for collaboration, communication, and professional norms.
- Eight essential durable skills—including empathy, problem solving, and self-awareness—must be intentionally developed for students to thrive in an AI-driven workplace.
“Technical skills may open the door, but it’s human skills like empathy and resilience that endure over time and lead to a fruitful and rewarding career,” says Matt Holland, CEO at Acuity Insights. “As AI reshapes the workforce, it has become critical for higher education to take the lead in preparing students with these skills that will define their long-term success.”
The report also outlines practical strategies for institutions, including assessing non-academic skills at admissions using Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) like Acuity’s Casper. They also share recommendations on embedding professional skills development throughout curricula and forming partnerships that bridge AI literacy with interpersonal and ethical reasoning.
Download the Report
Future-Proofing Students: Professional Skills in the Age of AI is available now for download.
About Casper
Casper is an open-response situational judgment test (SJT) that measures social intelligence and professionalism, and is backed by 20 years of data. Research consistently shows that demonstrating effective interpersonal skills contributes significantly to success during academic programs and in future careers.
Casper presents applicants with scenarios and questions that allow them to demonstrate these skills and the extent to which they can respond to challenging scenarios in a professional and socially intelligent manner. Its open-response format, with both video and text, ensures it cannot be gamed by humans or AI, unlike most other SJTs, which use a multiple-choice format.
The Casper assessment tool measures skills such as:
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Empathy
- Fairness
- Teamwork
The evidence-based assessment is used by partners worldwide in various fields, including the following educational programs:
- Medicine
- Health Sciences
- Teaching
- Business
- Engineering
Visit our website to discover how Casper can support your admissions goals.
About Acuity Insights
Acuity Insights is the leading provider of admissions assessment, program management, and analytics solutions for higher education. The company’s solutions help higher education institutions deliver on their mission holistically, considering the whole student, widening pathways into higher education, and ensuring both student and program success. Recognized as one of Canada’s Top Growing Companies by the Globe & Mail for the past six consecutive years. Its Casper situational judgment test (SJT), taken by more than 1 million since its inception, is the most widely used open-response SJT in higher education and is backed by almost 20 years of efficacy research. For more information, visit acuityinsights.com.
Media contact:
Brianna Bell, Senior Content & Communications Manager
bbell@acuityinsights.com
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