There is a need for an educational shift to equip students with essential soft skills like creativity as AI reshapes the workplace.
Teaching & Learning

Creativity is crucial for career success–are grads prepared?


A new survey highlights the need for an educational shift to equip students with essential soft skills as AI reshapes the workplace

Key points:

AI continues to transform industries, and as its influence grows, 85 percent of hiring managers believe creative thinking will become even more essential for workforce success, making creativity a key differentiator in the job market.

The inaugural Creativity in Education Report from visual communication platform Canva reveals insights into how creativity is shaping the future of work and underscoring the need for education systems to adapt.

The report is based on a Harris Poll survey of 3,000 recent college graduates, educators, and hiring managers, and shows that more than half of recent graduates wish they had developed stronger creativity skills during their education.

Both hiring managers and educators agree that today’s graduates are falling short in the skills needed for the workforce. With creativity ranking among the top skills sought by employers, the findings underscore the urgent need for educational institutions to prioritize creative skill development to prepare students for success in an AI-driven world.

Creativity is emerging as a crucial skill, on par with traditional STEM subjects, yet it often lacks the attention it deserves in current educational curricula. The findings emphasize the need for education systems to evolve, placing greater focus on fostering creativity to ensure students are equipped with the skills required to thrive in today’s and tomorrow’s careers.

Even with technology and AI reshaping the workforce, creativity is one of the few skills that will always be essential for innovation and problem-solving. Despite 81 percent of graduates seeing creativity as essential for success in their current roles, and 75 percent of hiring managers prioritizing it when hiring, we’re still not investing enough in developing this crucial skill. Education systems need to better prioritize and nurture creativity to ensure students are equipped for the future’s demands,” said Carly Daff, Canva’s Head of Teams & Education.

Key findings include:

  • More than three-quarters of hiring managers are prioritizing creative thinkers when making hiring decisions. Creativity is highly valued and ranks among the top three sought-after skills hiring managers look for (57 percent), alongside problem-solving (58%) and communication (55 percent).
  • More than half of recent college graduates wish they had developed stronger creativity skills during their education. Eighty percent of recent graduates believe creativity is crucial for success in their current roles, and they also rank creativity as the most useful skill they learned in college.
  • Only 38 percent of educators and 56 percent of hiring managers think graduates are adequately prepared for the workforce. Despite 69 percent of recent graduates feeling their education prepared them well, there is a significant skills gap that highlights the urgent need for educational systems to better align with the skills required by today’s job market.
  • Lack of time, curriculum support, and resources are major barriers for educators in integrating creativity.
    Eighty-three percent of educators agree that creativity will become more important in education. However, 36 percent cite insufficient time, 34 percent mention lack of curriculum support, and 32 percent struggle with inadequate resources as the biggest obstacles to effectively integrating creativity into their teaching.
  • Eighty-five percent of hiring managers believe AI will increase the need for creative thinking. As AI continues to transform the job market, 84 percent of recent graduates and 80 percent of hiring managers believe creativity will become even more essential, highlighting its enduring importance as one of the most valuable soft skills.

This press release originally appeared online.

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