The world is changing at a rapid pace, there’s no doubt about that. Tasks that used to be performed by humans are becoming automated. The digital age is changing the world we used to know. The fourth industrial revolution is here and it is essential for all ages to understand and develop skills for the future of work, and to understand new technologies and complex processes. But first, we need to take a step back to the core foundational skills that will enable us to be successful in the world of work, both today and in the future. McKinsey recently identified a set of skills needed for our future workplace and jobs, and the way that these skills are developed is through active learning. Adjustments to the traditional educational system can be used to the advantage of those looking to future-proof themselves.
Skills Necessary for the Future of Work
There are plenty of skills that are necessary for the 21st century and future of work. Through our approach to learning, we incorporate active learning into everything we do. From day one, students are collaborating with other students and developing skills for the future of work. As mentioned in the McKinsey article, “Some work will, of course, be specialized. But in a labor market that is more automated, digital, and dynamic, all citizens will benefit from having a set of foundational skills that help them fulfill the following three criteria, no matter the sector in which they work or their occupation: add value beyond what can be done by automated systems and intelligent machines, operate in a digital environment, and continually adapt to new ways of working and new occupations.”
McKinsey identifies 56 skills for the future of work that are broken down into subcategories. The four subcategories include cognitive, interpersonal, self-leadership, and digital. These areas help target the different, but essential skills for the future. Within each subcategory, the skills are further broken down into secondary subcategories to be more specific. As shown in the image above, the cognitive skills include critical thinking, planning and ways of working, communication, and mental flexibility. These are crucial to the future of work as the world is changing by the day and being able to communicate and think critically will be so important to future careers.
Also, having these skills will prevent future conflicts and avoid unnecessary wasted time in certain processes. Within interpersonal skills are mobilizing systems, developing relationships, and teamwork effectiveness. No matter where you work in the future, there is a persistent need for strong interpersonal skills. Whether you are directly working for a team or within a team, you need to be capable of interacting with your teammates in order to achieve an end result. For self-leadership skills, self-awareness and self-management, entrepreneurship, and goals achievement are of the utmost importance. In order to be successful and prepare for the future of work, being a leader and being self-aware are a top priority. By being aware of yourself and your own emotions and capabilities, you can further develop relationships and be more effective in projects. Lastly, within digital skills are digital fluency and citizenship, software use and development, and understanding digital systems. As a tech talent training program, these are most directly correlated to everything we strive for. Being ethical and knowledgeable in all things digital is mandatory for the future of work. With all that is being developed in the digital world and created for the future of work, digital skills are essential.
Active Learning to Develop skills
As mentioned in a previous blog, active learning is a “method of learning that enables students to be more responsible and flexible with their learning. Not only does it allow students to try and fail different approaches, but it enables them to understand concepts by doing rather than by hearing. Taking notes on a lecture will never compare to actively learning the concept and putting it to the test in the real world.”
By practicing these skills every day and repetitively reinforcing the need to keep going and keep trying and failing, students ultimately achieve results and are better prepared for the needs of the 21st century.
Some of the skills that are highly correlated with education are:
- Digital Literacy
- Programming literacy
- Data analysis and statistics
- Motivating different personalities
- Inspiring trust
- Drive change and innovation
- Energy, passion, and optimism
- Collaboration
- Digital learning
- Humility
How Skill Development Happens in Learning Programs
For interpersonal skills, we use a combination of teamwork, systems, and relationship building. During our stand-ups, students are engaged in conversation with one another as well as program managers. They are asked questions about their weekend, share fun facts about their favorites, give updates on their projects, ask questions about their blockers, and connect with others who are at similar points in the program. Our students come from diverse backgrounds with different personalities and we celebrate that. Our programs are entirely inclusive to every student that wants to join regardless of gender, age, race, sexual orientation, location, educational level, etc. We foster an atmosphere of inclusivity and a zero tolerance for discrimination. Students are engaged in multiple team scenarios through small group sessions and breakout rooms. They are able to work through problems and conflicts while working with different people in a team. Each student is empowered to take chances, answer difficult questions, apply for dream jobs, and impress interviewers.
For cognitive skills, a lot of responsibility is placed on the students to think critically, communicate effectively, and self-manage. With the self-paced and remote nature of our online programs, students have flexibility to complete projects and learn without sacrificing other important commitments in their life. They are able to develop ways of learning that work for them individually. The projects are engaging and require out of the box thinking. This helps students in the long run for future employment and careers. Students are often asked to explain their thinking and reasoning to an external source, which helps them better understand how they solve the problem. Through coding collaboration and live coding sessions, students are given opportunities to translate their knowledge, ask questions, and work on communication techniques of public speaking. Structured problem solving is involved in our approach from the first day through each and every quest a learner completes.
For self-leadership skills, our students are given instances to develop their own self-management skills, self-awareness, entrepreneurship, and goal achievement. Each meeting they are building their self-confidence emotionally as well as confidence in their code quality. They are energized by the work and progress of others in their cohort. They take risks and submit exercises to Gandalf. They have ownership of their own projects and passion to keep pursuing that programming language. The self-development is a natural component of this process and is seen at the completion of their track when they accept job offers at amazing companies.
For digital skills, this is the core of what we do. Our lives are digital and so is our learning. We offer a variety of tracks and programs for students to learn the programming languages, platforms, and systems necessary for the 21st century. We believe in methods that promote these four areas of skills for the future of work. We are consistently encouraging our students to be stronger each day in their code and personally. We take pride in the quality of our graduates and celebrate their successes when they gain employment.
The Underestimated Impact on Higher Education Programs
Programs that develop skills for adult learners are increasingly affected by the need for skills for the future of the world. As McKinsey published in the above quadrant, these skills are extensive and detailed, but also important for where the world is going. This quadrant is an enormous shift from what learners currently cover in degrees. Traditional educational institutions, including colleges and universities do not teach to the level of understanding needed in graduates for today’s jobs. There is a skills and achievement gap between these programs and what employers are demanding for jobs. Most universities haven’t adapted their curriculum let alone their entire learning model. The entire structure from start to finish needs an overhaul to be effective for today’s learners as well as prepare for the future.
The skills as described above are only learned through hands-on practice. Knowledge transmission doesn’t even come close to being enough for students to learn what is required. Learning skills such as mental flexibility will demand being put in positions where flexibility is pushed and learners are outside their comfort zone. That doesn’t happen in a lecture where they’re not actually engaged in the emotional or mental part of learning these skills. People don't like being outside of their comfort zone and will think they have learned more via lectures but the science of skill development holds: experiential learning is far more effective whether learners like it or not. It is hard to accept change and establish new ways, but the sooner you are able to, the sooner you can learn new skills and be prepared for the future of work.
Conclusion
In the new digital age, no one wants to get left behind. Everyone wants job security, competency, and ability to remain current. Humans are capable of so much alongside machines and these skills are essential for success. In order to learn these skills, you need to invest your time and resources in an active learning environment. By allowing students in our programs to work together in a cohort and collaborate, they are able to learn from new perspectives and test our theories. This activates a new level of thinking and learning which is crucial.
