Youth need skills for a new world

AS THE breadth and depth of technological change has grown, there has been consternation not only about the kind of skills we’ll need, but how we’ll ensure that people have access to the training required to update their skill sets accordingly. More specifically, globalisation, technology, expanding webs of trade and commerce, automation and the rise of artificial intelligence are changing labour markets at a rapid, uneven pace. As concerned parents and communities, we need to ask some critical questions: Are we preparing our youth for this changing world of work? Are they getting the education and skills they need for the jobs that are available? And, crucially – Are they getting training they need for those jobs that have not been invented as yet? According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), there are 1.8 billion people aged between 10 and 24 on the planet. Every month, 10 million young people reach working age, ready to begin productive lives. Some will continue with education, others will enter the workforce. They will discover that the world is not creating 10 million new jobs every month. There are 71 million unemployed young people worldwide, and a further 156 million working young people live on less than R45 per day. The WEF further notes that these youth will find a dramatic mismatch between the skills they possess and the jobs that are available. In the poorest countries, they will find that the vast majority of opportunities are limited to the informal sector. In high-income countries, they will find that technology and low-cost production have erased jobs, closed factories and narrowed opportunities. These trends will require some fundamental changes to the approaches taken by our education systems, with much more attention paid to the years beyond the immediate period of higher education graduation. The future provisioning of education will have to focus not just on technical skills but also the kind of skills that will help people survive in such a fast-moving world. Things like resilience and the ability to constantly learn are areas likely to be important, as will an ability to manage one’s career. Not only do young people need the tools to learn, but they need the attitude to tackle the skills challenges they will face head-on. Research indicates that smart-learning systems will likely eliminate around 6% of today’s jobs, a trend consistent with previous industrial revolutions. It’s important to acknowledge that current job responsibilities will look very different as we progress in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Repetitive tasks will increasingly be performed by machines. Simultaneously, in order to compete in the new world of work, our youth will need digital skills to participate in the global economy, which is largely driven by information and communications technology and foundational skills, such as literacy and numeracy, as well as transferable skills, such as problem-solving, confidence-building, team-building and communication. Additionally they will increasingly need entrepreneurial skills, especially in low-income countries, where the informal sector is dominant. Without these skills, millions of young people will be either unemployed or trapped in low-skilled work. The Fourth Industrial Revolution will pass them by. Governments must invest in improving the quality, relevance and gender-responsiveness of education, so that young people can get the foundational and transferable skills they need before they enter the workforce. But we also need businesses and civil society to join the effort. In a future where technology seems to be taking the lead, “human skills” become increasingly important. Over the past few years, digital advancements have radically transformed the working world. With the emergence of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the Internet of Things, we are on the cusp of new technological revolutions that will require new skill sets for the workforce of tomorrow to thrive and be productive. Hence, it has become imperative for our youth to upgrade their knowledge and invest in skills that will help them to be relevant.