Future skills

It is reassuring to see the link between our endeavours as primary school teachers and ‘real life’.  Whilst I agree with the notion that school IS real life and not a dress rehearsal, there is no doubt our job is to try to equip our students to be able to handle the world beyond school.    This is getting increasingly difficult as our ability to forecast what that will look like is harder and harder with the ever increasing pace of change.  The Drivers for change and Future work skills listed in the infographic below are interesting and I think provide a good point for discussion.

I have a university graduate daughter who is currently applying for a variety of jobs.  I watched with great interest as she was recently put through the hoops of an application process and wondered how our education system is preparing our students for this .  The recent process involved:

  1. An online application form.  These included a cover letter and  a current resume
  2. Participate in a video or phone interview
  3. A group interview participating in both group and individual activities
  4. Complete a behavioural based interview and 10 minute oral presentation.

This process is rigorous and demanding but not unusual in today’s competitive job market.  I obviously think about the young students we are working with, and the experiences that we give them and believe we are on the right track.

Our students are experiencing the opportunity of working collaboratively toward common goals, working independently, interacting in online spaces, presenting their findings in a variety of methods including oral presentations.  I believe that many if not most, would not be daunted by the process, even if there would be obvious levels of capability.

According to Future Work Skills 2020  Institute for the Future for the University of Phoenix Research Institute

To be successful in the next decade, individuals will need to demonstrate foresight in navigating a rapidly shifting landscape of organizational forms and skill requirements. They will increasingly be called upon to continually reassess the skills they need, and quickly put together the right resources to develop and update these. Workers in the future will need to be adaptable lifelong learners.

Are we preparing these lifelong learners ?  How ?  Could we be doing it better?

Important Work Skills for 2020
Source: Top10OnlineColleges.org

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