Preparing for the Future

It’s difficult to prepare for something that is uncertain, unclear and unpredictable.  But that is precisely what our education system is tasked with doing as it strives to equip young people with the skills and knowledge needed for a rapidly changing world. 

We have just posted on our website the first of a series of essays that provides different viewpoints on this theme.  It’s from Richard Reeves, the commentator on the future workplace. 

Richard argues that the debate on the merits of academic qualifications over vocational learning misses the point. Instead he asserts that what is important is that young people are supported in developing the characteristics and attitudes necessary to support lifelong learning. 

Research that we commissioned found that young people concur with this view believing that their own passion, motivation and personal attributes will be more important in helping them pursue the career of their choice than qualifications.

We will be posting one of these essays every week on our website and we welcome your ideas on this subject. 

A recurring theme in these articles is how different the workplace of the future will be and how the nature of work itself is altering.  This, together with globalisation, demographic shifts, and challenges such as environmental sustainability, means that the demands on today’s young people will be very high. 

I can’t help agreeing with the French philosopher Paul Valery when he declared “The future isn’t what it used to be.”

So how do you best prepare young people for this?  I’m keen to hear your views.

Comments

[Roland Harwood]

Thanks for this. Looks very interesting. I think traditional education is too focussed upon 'learning/regurgitating old stuff' rather than 'learning/creating new stuff'. I think there is a balance to be struck between creating a safe learning environment, and shielding our children from dealing with change. I changed school several times growing up due to my parents work which was tough but it worked out fine and I believe has been beneficial in later life dealing with change.

[Gerard Darby]

That's an interesting observation and raises the question about what is the most conducive environment for fostering the skills for innovation - one that is relatively stable and 'safe' or one that is more dynamic and changeable where new experiences are encountered. My guess is the latter is the most favourable, but I would be interested to hear what others think.