Imperial expands teaching of digital skills through executive education offer

The Business School has launched a series of programmes designed to help executives sharpen their digital skills and prepare for the future of work.

Imperial has created a suite of online executive education programmes to provide executives with some of the skills and knowledge needed to meet the demands of an increasingly digital workplace.

The first three programmes launched with Emeritus, an online learning company, cover digital marketing, business analytics and machine learning and will build on Imperial’s reputation for delivering executive education programmes that combine the latest technology with business insight.

Imperial’s Executive Education department has responded to the coronavirus pandemic by transitioning its open enrollment programmes, which are normally held on campus to online, drawing on the capabilities of its award-winning EdTech Lab and the Emeritus partnership. The redesigned programmes will now be delivered in a virtual format – mainly live with some self-study, using a combination of video calls and the Business School’s online learning platform. The first six executive education courses to be launched virtually from this month include Fintech, Digital Banking Innovation, AI & Machine Learning in Financial Services, Idea to Innovation, Leadership in a Technology Driven World and Digital Transformation Strategy.

"These programmes are especially relevant in a period where more businesses are transitioning their operations online and people demand more flexible ways of learning." David Brown Director of Executive Education, Imperial College Business School

The new virtual programmes follow other popular executive education courses that address digital skills such as the Imperial Cyber Security Programme, a two-day course that aims to provide managers with the knowledge to anticipate, identify and manage cybersecurity risks. The programme was discussed in the Financial Times Executive Education 2020 Custom rankings report, as an example of how business schools are prioritising the teaching of digital transformation so that executives from a non-technical background are equipped with the skills and knowledge to make more informed business decisions. Imperial achieved a new ranking in the report, jumping 22 places to 42^nd worldwide. Imperial was the biggest overall improver for executive education, as well as ranking 5^th globally for the growth of its programmes.

David Brown, Director of Executive Education at Imperial College Business School said: “Imperial has long been a leader in innovation in so many areas.  We are thrilled to extend that leadership in innovation to both what and how executives learn globally.  We help managers and executives develop new ways of thinking and working based on understanding and combining technology and business insights.”

He continued: “At Imperial we are committed to exploring how we can benefit businesses, government and society through the application of new and existing technologies in new ways. These programmes are especially relevant in a period where more businesses are transitioning their operations online and people demand more flexible ways of learning. The need to learn, experiment and do things differently has never been greater and Imperial is in a unique position to help facilitate this process."