OccupierEdge_Ed4

Space design is likely to

change

Since the turn of the millennium there

has been an increase in both the

number and type of mobile devices

used by office workers within the

workplace (laptops, phones, tablets,

etc.). As the EdTech sector becomes

more refined, workplace training is

increasingly being undertaken on all of

these devices, whether the employee

in question is in or out of the office.

This rise in asynchronous learning

is likely to impact the design of the

workspace, with a ‘decentralized’ co-

working style of office layout likely to

be preferred by corporate occupiers

and their employees.

Corporate Real Estate

occupiers will experience

cost efficiencies

As virtual ‘e-learning’ methods

(MOOCs, gamification, A.I., Virtual

Reality etc.) are increasingly being

adopted for workplace training, as

well as being utilized on multiple

mobile devices, there is no longer a

requirement for bricks and mortar

training rooms and in-house ‘training

staff.’ This is likely to provide

substantial cost saving opportunities

for corporate occupiers in regards

to both their real estate and human

resource management.

Employees will experience

increased autonomy over

job-related training

EdTech provides employees the

opportunity to personalize their

workplace training. Learning/training in

the workplace can now be tailored to

an employee’s preferred learning style

in addition to their job position and

rank. For example, if the employee is

an interactive learner they can choose

to ‘gamify’ their training, whilst they

also have the option to choose the

pace of their learning. However, most

importantly the technology available to

corporate firms allow their employees

to choose the nature of their training

in terms of content/topic, and with

this power to effectively ‘guide’ their

own training employees themselves

have greater control over the future

direction of their careers. The increased

autonomy over workplace training will

be a key factor in increasing employee

satisfaction.

Opportunities to create

value by interpreting big data

EdTech provides occupiers with

greater access to (and more accurate

analysis of) data associated with the

achievements, progress and nature of

their employees training. This allows

them to adapt/influence the training

of particular employees if knowledge

gaps are identified. Companies will

also be able to utilize learning data

to benchmark employees against a

number of criteria. In addition, EdTech

could provide opportunities to engage

with the Strategic Consulting teams

– e.g. when undertaking locational

analysis, it would be theoretically

possible to identify where the best

talent is based geographically based

on their use of technologies in the

education process.

Is it just the new buzz word or something that demands attention?

EdTech is something that demands attention – it is not replacing the educational process but rather the use of

technology to enhance the delivery of this process. The concept is strongly linked with the rise in Fintech (use of

technology in banking services) as like Fintech, EdTech reveals modern societies’ demand for innovation and digital

services – like all aspects of our life (healthcare, fashion, etc.) we want things to be made easier, more accessible and

instantaneous. Nothing is left untouched by the current digital revolution.

Increased investment into

EdTech business start-ups

EdTech start-up firms are proving to

be a safe investment due to the fact

that the education market, unlike the

financial markets, are sheltered from

many of the pressures associated

with the broader economic/political

landscape. As a result, we are likely to

see a mirroring of the FinTech start-up

phenomenon, with plenty of EdTech

firms securing investment and seeking

to acquire office space in the ‘tech

districts’ of major global cities.

Impact on schools/teaching

Craig Cassell, a Cushman & Wakefield

specialist who works with education-

sector clients, is observing the profound

impact Edtech has had on schools and

universities. He has seen EdTech provide

the leading innovations in content,

curriculum and platform delivery

to students, all of which is helping

students better prepare themselves for

the workforce. Although the impact

of EdTech on real estate belonging to

educational institutions remains nominal,

in as little as five years traditional lecture

halls could be non-existent. Schools and

universities will have to learn and adapt

to successfully negotiate these changes.

How will the growth of EdTech

impact the Corporate Real

Estate Industry?