As Workforce Needs Evolve, Babson Expands Its Commitment to Professional and Executive Education

The world of work is changing fast, at a speed that can be relentless and disorienting.  

In its Future of Jobs Report 2025, the World Economic Forum (WEF) names a slew of disruptions to the global labor market, including economic volatility, demographic shifts, environmental challenges, and technological breakthroughs. It’s a sobering assessment. “The landscape of work continues to evolve at a rapid pace,” the report states. 

To keep up with these ever-changing times, the WEF asserts that human-centric competencies such as creative thinking and leadership will be essential. As it has always done, Babson is poised to provide organizations and professionals with the skills they need to keep pace and thrive. 

Today, Babson announces the launch of an expanded Professional and Executive Education portfolio. The portfolio includes Babson On-Demand^™, a collection of online and flexible courses with an emphasis on the entrepreneurial mindset, innovation, and practical, in-demand business skills. “We are excited to launch our first online learning platform—built to empower business leaders at every stage of their careers and lives,” says Kelly Lynch, Babson’s executive vice president. 

SKILLS FOR CHANGING TIMES: Learn more about Babson’s expanded portfolio of Professional and Executive Education courses.

Targeted at both companies and individuals, these stackable courses can be purchased individually to earn badges or in pre-grouped bundles to earn certificates or advanced certificates. Most notably, a signature addition to the portfolio is the Early Entrepreneur’s Toolkit, a fully online certificate program for those launching and building ventures, the heart of Babson’s expertise. 

The announcement of the expanded portfolio (formerly branded as Babson Executive Education) comes on the heels of the College’s recently enacted capital plan to build an Executive Lodge and Conference Center. The center will allow Babson’s campus to better support these increased executive education offerings both in person and virtually. It’s slated to open in mid-2027. 

Taken together, the new portfolio and lodging facility represent a significant investment in the continuous learning that’s urgent for today’s workforce. “Babson’s enhanced approach to executive education represents a continuation of our ability to assess the evolving market needs of professionals around the world,” says Babson President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD. “Flexible formats and accessible price ranges will broaden our reach and bring our proven approach to entrepreneurship and business education to new audiences.”  

Bringing Babson to a Wider Audience 

Analytical thinking. Resilience. Agility. According to the WEF’s 2025 Future of Jobs Report, these are among the competencies considered the most essential for workers now. Developing these skills, however, will demand a massive effort. The report states that more than half of today’s workforce will require training over the next five years.  

That’s a staggering number, but Babson is well-equipped to meet this need. Its new professional and executive education offerings will equip learners with nine of the top 10 most essential workplace skills as outlined in the report. “The workforce of the 21st century and its professional needs continue to evolve at a rapid pace,” Spinelli says. “Babson’s success equipping professionals with the skills and competencies required to succeed in any industry ensures that leaders of all kinds remain nimble and prepared to create solutions where the world needs them most.”     

An important aim of the new courses is to provide just-in-time, self-paced offerings. According to Lynch, today’s learners predominantly prefer a combination of in-person and virtual learning, so Babson is investing significantly in both delivery systems. 

“Babson On-Demand^™ makes Babson’s top-ranked entrepreneurship and business courses accessible anytime, anywhere,” Lynch says. “Through these self-paced courses taught by top Babson faculty, learners gain the tools, skills, and insights to immediately transform their careers and drive impact within their organizations.” 

Another big goal of the new courses is to bring Babson to a wider audience, from corporate clients seeking to upskill and reskill their workforce to individuals pursuing personalized professional development courses. “This new portfolio enables us to bring learning to a broader group of lifelong learners,” says Danna Greenberg, the Walter H. Carpenter Professor, the division chair of the Management Division, and one of the faculty advisors who helped develop the new offerings.  

Flexibility is a key to reaching those learners, with the new portfolio offering a growing collection of online and in-person courses. “Whether it is individuals who can’t come to campus or individuals with a fixed work schedule, this platform enables us to support learners on their own terms,” Greenberg says.  

“We are excited to launch our first online learning platform—built to empower business leaders at every stage of their careers and lives.”
Kelly Lynch, Babson’s executive vice president

For early-stage entrepreneurs needing help with their ventures, the new offerings include the Early Entrepreneur’s Toolkit, which covers essential topics for the entrepreneurial journey, including prototyping, financing, and pitching a startup. Phillip Kim, the Lewis Family Distinguished Professor in Social Innovation and the chair of the Entrepreneurship Division, says the new offerings are a way for learners to check out Babson and tap into its expertise.  

“They are designed for those seeking a flexible, on-demand educational experience with our world-class faculty,” says Kim, who like Greenberg, is a faculty advisor who helped develop the new courses.  

An Important Campus Investment 

All of these new courses are being launched at a time when Babson also is investing in its campus. Demolition has begun on a parking garage where the future Executive Lodge and Conference Center will one day stand. The facility will provide a state-of-the-art environment for professionals, executives, academics, and the broader community for their learning and lodging. 

For Lynch, all of these changes—the new courses, the lodging facility—are part of the College’s ongoing efforts to innovate and look to the future. “At Babson,” Lynch says, “we believe entrepreneurial leadership is a lifelong journey.”  

Posted in Community, Entrepreneurial Leadership

Tagged Entrepreneurship Education, Executive Education, Faculty, Campus

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