Understanding how the Gen Z and Alpha generations think, learn, and engage with education requires more than statistics. For this reason, the Erasmus+ project “INTELLIGENT: INnovative TEaching and LearnIng of GENeraTions Z and Alpha in Higher Education” (No. 2024-1-LT01-KA220-HED-000256404) integrated a qualitative approach, conducting focus groups with students and expert discussions with business representatives.
These focus groups and discussions, conducted across six European countries in 2025, created a space to reflect on the experiences of Generation Z and Alpha students and the unique expectations of the future workforce. The insights reveal a consistent pattern: students across Europe are moving away from passive learning. They significantly value practical, hands-on experiences, such as simulations and real-life business cases, over purely theoretical approaches.
However, the focus groups with Gen Z and Alpha students also highlighted a critical “integration gap”. While digital tools and AI are part of students’ daily lives, they are not yet effectively or consistently integrated into the classroom experience. Adding a vital perspective to the research, 127 business representatives from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Netherlands, Italy, and Portugal shared their views on the future workforce. While praising the creativity and technological fluency of younger generations, employers also identified key areas for improvement, including a need for greater accountability, financial awareness, and resilience.
By combining these student and business perspectives, the focus group phase provided the essential depth needed to inform and shape the project’s innovative, technology-enhanced teaching methodology, which now effectively bridges the gap between academic and the real world.
Project partners: Vilniaus kolegija/ Higher Education Institution (Lithuania), AVANS University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands), RISEBA University of Applied Sciences (Latvia), Estonian Business Applied Sciences University (Estonia), IFOA (Italy), EDUGEP (Portugal).
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the National Agency. Neither the European Union nor National Agency can be held responsible for them.