Global Learning, AI, and the Future of Workforce Readiness with Maria Spies of HolonIQ and QS
In this episode of Tried and Tested, host Isabelle Gonthier speaks with Maria Spies, Co-Founder of HolonIQ and Chief Innovation Officer at QS, about global learning, AI, and the future of workforce readiness. Drawing on more than 25 years in post-secondary education, workforce learning, and education technology, Maria explores how demographic change, technology, and shifting workforce needs are reshaping the way learners build skills and how organizations recognize them.
As governments, employers, and education providers respond to rapid change, Maria explains why assessment and credentialing leaders need to think beyond traditional models of learning and proof. The conversation covers micro-credentials, alternative pathways, AI literacy, learning analytics, embedded learning in the flow of work, English language learning for global mobility, and why trusted evidence of skills will become increasingly important across the lifelong learning ecosystem.
What you’ll learn:
- How global education and workforce trends are reshaping assessment and credentialing
- Why demographic shifts are creating different learning and skills needs across regions
- What is driving demand for micro-credentials, short courses, and alternative pathways
- Why proof of skills is becoming more important, and more complex, for learners and employers
- How technology and data can help make learning more observable without losing sight of design and trust
- What embedded learning in the flow of work could mean for future assessment models
- Why English language learning is a useful signal for broader workforce learning trends
- How leaders can focus innovation by building from their organization’s existing strengths
Who should listen:
- Assessment and credentialing leaders planning for workforce change
- Education and training organizations building flexible learning pathways
- Workforce development leaders focused on upskilling and lifelong learning
- Employers and talent leaders thinking about proof of skills and workforce readiness
- Edtech, learning science, and product teams designing digital learning experiences
- Language assessment and English learning professionals tracking global mobility trends
- Organizations exploring how AI, data, and credentials can support trusted skill recognition
Maria Spies
Co-Founder of HolonIQ and Chief Innovation Officer at QS Quacquarelli Symonds
Dr. Maria Spies is Co-Founder of HolonIQ, the world’s leading research and intelligence platform for the future of education, and Chief Innovation Officer at QS Quacquarelli Symonds, where she leads the Innovation Practice, supporting universities in digital transformation and AI integration through tools such as the AI Capability Framework.
At HolonIQ, Maria heads the Education Intelligence Unit, driving global research, foresight, and benchmarking across the learning economy. Her work has produced influential frameworks such as 5 Scenarios for the Future of Education, Global Learning Landscape, and Digital Transformation Frameworks used by policymakers, institutions, and investors around the world. She also leads HolonIQ’s global market analysis and the annual identification of the world’s most promising EdTech companies, mapping innovation and investment flows across the global learning ecosystem.
A sought-after advisor to leading institutions and organizations including UNICEF, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and Amazon Web Services (AWS), Maria works at the intersection of data, policy, and innovation. She has advised on global initiatives such as the UNICEF EdTech for Good Framework, and a series of joint HolonIQ–IDB reports on digital transformation and EdTech across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)—including one of the largest regional studies of higher education digital readiness, based on insights from nearly 100 universities.
With more than 20 years of experience across public and private education systems in over 50 countries, Maria combines deep sectoral expertise with strategic foresight to help governments, universities, and companies design the future of learning. She holds a Doctorate in Higher Education from the University of Liverpool, where her award-winning thesis examined public–private partnerships in higher education, along with a Master of Adult Education, a Bachelor of Arts, and an Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation from MIT Sloan.
Dr. Spies serves on the International Advisory Board of the Graduate School at Luiss Guido Carli (Italy), is a member of the Network for Quality Digital Education (Australia), and is an Adjunct Faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (USA), where she teaches in the Global Education Entrepreneurship and Innovation program. A trusted voice on the future of learning, Maria is a frequent keynote speaker at global forums on education, innovation, and technology, shaping how systems and organizations worldwide navigate digital transformation and the evolving global learning economy.