{"id":37603,"date":"2025-02-10T00:05:19","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T00:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/?p=37603"},"modified":"2026-05-05T10:14:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T09:14:48","slug":"hult-apprentices-at-ashridge-cultivate-future-skills-for-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/hult-apprentices-at-ashridge-cultivate-future-skills-for-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Hult Apprentices at Ashridge Cultivate Future Skills, For Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

On day one of National Apprenticeship Week, we’re tapping into today’s ‘Skills for Life’ theme. This theme is also one of our guiding stars at Hult. How do we empower people to build key competencies for a rewarding, long-term career? And how do our apprenticeships specifically equip employers with a future-ready workforce? <\/span>Transferable skills, often thought of as the ‘human’ skills, are what give us humans the edge over artificial intelligence.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Developing<\/span> competencies such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork and adaptability are essential for success in any industry or department. And beyond that, at a senior level, cultivating a mindset that can leverage disruption and understand the threats and opportunities that it brings. One that can innovate constantly by approaching problems in new and different ways. By getting creative and leveraging AI in a way that makes it work for us. Human leadership is what sets us apart. And that’s why our apprenticeships incorporate modules such as Innovation, Strategy, Leading Change, and Leading for the Future.<\/span><\/p>\n

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To get a sense of some of these critical topics in action, we popped up on Hult Ashridge campus<\/a> recently and joined a couple of classes on the Level 7 Senior Leader Apprenticeship<\/a>. We spoke to Prof. Victoria Harrison-Mirauer<\/a><\/strong> in her Design Thinking workshop as part of the Innovation module. Later, we joined Dr. Frederick Holsche<\/strong>r’s<\/a> Future of Work class on the Senior Leader MBA. Here’s what we discovered…<\/p>\n

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Innovation Class with Victoria Harrison-Mirauer<\/h2>\n
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Victoria Harrison-Mirauer is studying for her PhD at Cambridge University in the History and Philosophy of Science & Technology and brings vast industry experience spanning the globe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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First stop is Prof. Victoria’s Driving Innovation class, where apprentices will be participating in a Design Thinking challenge and prototyping solutions in the afternoon.<\/p>\n

Hult: Why do you believe innovation is such an important topic for leaders today?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Prof. VHM:<\/strong> I believe innovation is the single most important topic for leaders today. We\u2019re in a world which is being massively disrupted and upended by developments, particularly in technology. In an environment where the future of work is a hybrid state between human and machine. And where the general perspective from organisations like the World Economic Forum, <\/sub>and others, is that humanity’s future lies in our ability to continue to innovate and be creative. Innovation and creativity go hand in hand. So, I think driving innovation is of critical importance to leaders. Innovation is the source of growth and competitive advantage for organisations. And it’s what keeps life interesting.<\/p>\n

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H: How do you share your innovation expertise with your apprentices?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Prof. VHM:<\/strong> I\u2019m very focused on practical application. I’ve got nearly 30 years\u2019 experience in innovation, and so I try to bring that practical knowledge into my lessons. We know people learn by doing. That\u2019s why, at Hult, our whole pedagogy is around experiential learning. And that\u2019s why, today for example, we’re focusing on a Design Thinking exercise. It\u2019s about how can you bring innovation into your own work and practice.<\/p>\n

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