Edition: May 27th, 2021
Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
(Image Source: India Today)
Excerpts from article by Rustom Kerawalla, published in India Today
Schools in India have struggled to impart the desired knowledge and skills to students that are essential for global employability.
Reports say that future employers will not just expect their employees to be skilled, but also equipped with strong soft-skills, a sound technical knowledge, and analytical & critical-thinking abilities, for better engagement in cross-cultural and multi-lingual set-ups.
So, in India and across most developing countries, we need to rethink and reinvent the K12 framework – right from conception and research to delivery, democratisation and financing. The overall outcome of K12 education must focus on imparting the 21st century skills to students to enhance their chances of success as part of a global workforce.
Listed here are some unique skills to help make students future-ready:
1. Innovation
Today’s students will live in a world that will be far more complicated and often difficult. Creative thinking and innovative ideation are the core skills that will help them in providing futuristic, path-breaking solutions for this new world.
2. Entrepreneurship
Being enterprising is a thumb rule and the essence of entrepreneurship. Taking the initiative towards leading a new idea is a quality which will create the leaders of tomorrow. Promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship and providing all relevant assistance to future entrepreneurs should be a key priority of governments and policy-makers.
3. Scientific & research-focused approach
Nurturing scientific thinking into problem-solving right from school days will help children acquire a pragmatic approach to the challenges of life. This will enable them to inculcate a habit of asking the right questions and scientifically verifying facts through research.
4. Strong communication
The ability to communicate effectively is an imperative skill set today – and will continue to be so tomorrow. With work environments evolving, globalisation taking on a new meaning, and rapid digitisation impacting all facets of our lives, our children will be required to break the barriers of languages and cultures, and work seamlessly as a cross-cultural, coordinated team.
5. Capacity building
All future companies will require their employees to possess new skill sets and deeper knowledge about their field of work and beyond. Frequent re-skilling will be needed to keep pace with the dynamically changing ecosystems. This will necessitate constant learning, flexibility and the willingness to adopt new techniques while unlearning redundant ones.
6. Soft skills
Soft skills development is an integral part of preparing students to become successful in a competitive world. Teamwork, critical thinking, networking, collaboration and adaptability are skills that will enable them to tackle challenges – both in life and at the workplace.
7. Technological skills
Technology skills enable students to build global networking channels and prepare them to operate in a digitalised economy. Knowledge of latest technological tools and evolving processes is critical in enhancing an aspirant’s chances of employability in an ever-increasing digitalised and closely connected world.
8. Resource management
We live in times when most resources for our children are rapidly becoming sparse. In the future, when world population would be significantly higher than today, the sense and ability to utilise resources optimally and with focus on resource sharing will result in more humane solutions.
9. Gender & cultural sensitivity
People will have to work, thrive and sustain themselves as part of global communities comprising members from multiple races and ethnicities – often far away from their homelands. Hence, sensitising children to cultural and gender variations will impart humanitarian values to them and also improve their acceptance levels.
10. Positive emotional & mental health
There is a direct link between emotional well-being and mental health of children and the kind of personality they develop as adults. Focusing on building positive emotional and mental health from early childhood enables holistic growth and development.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
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