What Should Education Promise in 2025 and Beyond?

Recently I’ve been spending a lot of time (too much time) thinking about what education actually means in 2025.

I understand that children and adults alike need to be prepared or upskilled so they can lead fulfilling careers. That’s important. But surely the real value proposition for modern education isn't just creating productive workers; it's nurturing humans to do what AI can't.

People need to be able navigate complex ethical dilemmas, show genuine empathy, manage their stress in healthy ways, and engage as thoughtful global citizens. Yet most education brands are still marketing themselves with industrial-age messaging: test scores, competition, standardisation. Can you see the brand disconnect? Even those who have updated their visual identities and communication have often left their core promise in the past.

I want to help education leaders approach their work like a brand strategist. To help them recognise that their "product" needs to evolve to meet what today's families value: nurturing emotional intelligence, ethical reasoning and all the other stuff that makes us distinctly human.

I think there’s still a lot of suspicion around branding in education. But really, branding is going to play an increasingly important role in the industry. I want schools, ed-tech brands and education suppliers to understand that your brand isn't just your logo or your mission statement. It's an answer to "what are we really offering young people?"

So – what do you think education should actually promise in 2025 and beyond? And is your organisation's messaging aligned with that vision?