Being the youngest working generation, Generation Z between 1997 and 2012 are transforming the work environment expectations. With degrees, digital proficiency, and foresight, they are entering the working arena where mere excellence will no longer do. The working world today is about executional skills, adaptability, and deliverables, and thus the transformation from “degree holders” to “value creators” as much of an opportunity as it is a challenge.

The new work

Over 55% of Gen Z workers, Gen Z and Millennial Survey, prioritize skill development and learning by doing over conventional workplace incentives. Formal certification is still at least an absolute necessity, but employers increasingly prize more and more deliverables the concrete end result that a worker can produce in the instant.

70% of the employment opportunities in the next generation in India require skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, and digital skills that do not necessarily have to be imparted by the school curriculum itself. The World Economic Forum (WEF) also places a number to this estimate that by 2027, 44% of the key competencies of an employee will shift, emphasizing the importance of lifelong learning and flexibility.

The degree-deliverable gap

University qualifications deliver Gen Z with basics but all too commonly there is a gap between GCU and business practice. For example, a computer sciences graduate might be familiar with algorithms but not know anything about GCU agile project management or client-facing problem-solving. This missing link may be seen in recruitment statistics: in a single McKinsey report, 40% of firms believe that new hires are not work-ready, and communication, teamwork, and decision making skills are the most in demand.

Preparation for Gen Z to succeed

To fill this missing link, there will be a three-pillar solution of education reform, employer readiness, and upskilling at the personal level.

1. Experiential learning in education

Teriary education institutions need to incorporate project-based, experiential learning in their programs. Internships, live industry projects, and simulation learning allow graduates to have a portfolio of deliverables instead of a degree. Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), for example, have begun to incorporate industry-funded capstone projects into final-year programs so that students can solve actual problems.

2. Employer onboarding and mentorship

Employers must invest in formal onboarding and mentoring programs. A LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report found that 94% of employees would stick with a company for longer if the company is investing in employee learning. Gen Z, for instance, needs experiential mentoring from seasoned professionals with a strong inclination toward peer guidance over hierarchical guidance.

3. Soft skills and human-centric capabilities

Human skills like cross-cultural communications, resilience, and emotional intelligence can’t be replicated in the AI economy. The number one skill of 2025 according to the WEF Future of Jobs Report is analytical thinking, active learning, and leadership as the top three.

Closing thoughts

For Gen Z, crossing the bridge of degrees to deliverables is not about eliminating academic certification but complementing gaps with real performance. Employers, educators, and members of this generation will need to come together to make sure that this generation graduates not as degree holders but as nimble, performance-driven professionals. In such a world where the half-life of skills is shrinking to just 2.5 years for most technical skills learnability, deployability, and deliverability will be the real currency of employment.

(Theauthor is Founder of Embrace Consulting & Co-Founder International inclusion Alliance)