Could ongoing learning be the answer to alumni engagement?

04 September 2026

Claudia Monteiro considers how lifelong and executive education can build a stronger alumni relationship.

Targeted networking and access to ongoing learning are at the top of alumni’s wish list wherever we run focus groups – be it in Vienna, Paris, London or New York. And the data from our annual alumni survey series backs that up too.  

Mindful of career development as the world changes around them, alumni – like anyone else shopping around for their next certificate or diploma – expect their learning to be fast, flexible and fabulous, according to our latest report into the Future of Lifelong and Executive Education (FLEE). 

The market for business school delivered executive education globally will grow from $34 billion in 2024 to $99 billion in 2030. And even if some of the top brands seem to take up a lot of the attention in this space, there’s many oppoirtunities.  

We know 84% of alumni feel positive about their alma mater. When asked about the sort of  contributions they make back to their institutions, they are most likely to have supported their school by recommending it to prospective students and prospective recruiters, as well as sharing their professional experience/knowledge.  

That means that in many ways alumni are ripe and ready – and here’s what business schools and universities must consider to harness the lifelong learning pipeline of alumni:  

• These institutions are perfectly positioned to offer the best of both worlds - quality and reputation backing for non-degree programmes and recognised qualifications for those seeking degrees. 

• Learners look to brand as a signal of quality, in a market where many ‘qualifications’ have no academic credit and are represented by little more than a completion certificate. This is highly significant; 61% agree that any future learning they undertake should be with a provider with an international brand reputation. 

• For both learners and employers, it’s not about the cheapest provider, but about measuring impact based on outcomes. And that goes to the heart of what alumni suggest time and again in our annual studies; they’re seeking career support. Designing ongoing coaching for participants might give institutions an edge when building courses and fit right into the two most popular activities contracted by employers over the last two years: mentoring and coaching.  

Executive education is often associated with a selective cohort of senior professionals, or executives, but times are changing and more of us are looking at learning options – we need to think of education as distributed across the different stages of a working life.  

Some countries have taken bold measures and reconfigured funding to higher education, where it’s no longer about supporting students through a degree, but through an entire life cycle of learning. Take Denmark, where graduates from shorter masters programmes will retain the right to come back to university later on, and that includes diplomas and professional-development programmes, without additional participant fees. The policy is aligned with labour-market needs and aims to tackle demographic changes and workforce adaptability.  

But if you’re not in Denmark, how can your institution encapsulate this spirit? Be flexible enough to address different types of learners, from those who perhaps want to add to their current degree studies, to those in mid-career who may have family commitments or cost issues and are looking for sustainable and blended ways of learning.  

To read more about the findings from our Future of Executive and Lifelong Learning report download the free executive summary or purchase the full study at https://www.carringtoncrisp.com/intelligence/flee/