With a flat or decreasing number of new high school graduates each year and more of them choosing alternatives to four-year colleges, enrollment is trending downward. This makes it important for four-year institutions to find ways to attract and compete for students. With a digital-native, Gen Z target audience, higher educational institutions are turning to social media and user-generated content (UGC) to reach potential students, as well as data analytics to personalize marketing and to market more efficiently. They are also looking for offerings that are more attractive to students, such as distance learning.

From kindergarten through advanced degree programs, students are using cloud platforms to submit work and manage their courses. Mobile computing allows students and teachers to stay connected at any time, whether inside or outside the school building. There are also trends to use augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) to enhance learning and trends to maximize resources with blended environments that serve students in the physical classroom with in-person and internet instruction. Tutoring programs are also in demand for students who require extra help — and for schools without the resources to provide one-on-one attention or the budgets to hire more teachers.

Education doesn’t stop with a degree. Learning institutions focusing on adults are looking for efficient, cost-effective ways to manage corporate training and continuing education.

How Technology Can Address the Education Market’s Needs

IT provides the infrastructure, applications and device management that educational institutions need to teach 21^st-century students. It enables massive open online courses (MOOCs), blended classrooms the leverage internet resources, and collaboration programs that allow students and teachers to work together online. Blockchain technology may be a solution for verifying ID and awarding credentials to distance learners.

Why the Education Market is an Ideal Fit for Services

In-house IT resources may be overburdened, so service providers can offer schools cost-effective ways to manage infrastructure, devices, and security. You may also find a market for audio and video systems management, website content and services, social media management, and Desktop as a Service, which can save in-house IT time and deliver quick ROI. Energy and facilities management can help educational facilities save money, and budget-friendly Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions allow them always to use the latest, most secure version of the applications they need.