Nahla El-Zibawi

The accelerating changes that technology, globalization and innovation are having on work nowadays have led to a labor market where some employees are struggling to cope with the pace of transformations or have failed to develop the skills that are required by their employers. For instance, these rapid transformations have created new job roles that didn’t exist before, such as social media management, big data analyst, machinery learning experts, et cetera.

Consequently, a McKinsey projection on the future of work concluded that by the year 2055, a large percentage of today’s work activities could be automated. Moreover, the World Economic Forum stated that by the year 2020, around 35 percent of the required work skills among different industries will change.

But, how can employees avoid falling into the gap of outdated skills? What are the steps needed to ensure that the employees have the required skills?

Continuous learning is the answer for any skill gap that employees may face in these rapidly transforming working systems, but our schools’ educational systems, adult education and training systems are remaining mostly static and lagging behind.

Therefore, in order to survive the changes and the demands of the future, preparations for the future of work should start today. First, schools should start working on integrating soft skills into their educational curricula, such as goal setting, time management, communication, negotiation and conflict management. These skills go beyond the boundaries of passing or failing the school’s subjects, yet they work on the student’s personality and equip them with what is needed to face the upcoming challenges. In addition to these lifelong learning skills, educators should start looking to what is booming and equip their students with the needed skills in order to move with the flow. For instance, entrepreneurship is a very trendy subject nowadays, but students don’t learn anything about it until they reach university and mainly major in business.

A great example to face this challenge started to take place in the United States. “We Work,” one of the leading co-working companies, is trying to reshape American education by launching a private elementary school for “conscious entrepreneurship.” The school aims to make a shift in what education means but without compromising the academic standards of subjects such as math and science.

Second, adult education and training systems should act faster to close the gaps between employers’ needs and employee’s skills.

However, this can’t happen if the evolving industries and the employers do not project the needed skills. Once the skills needed are identified, training programs can be developed to fit the new needs of each industry.

Third, and most importantly, are the employees themselves. Employees should accept that in this continuously changing world, they should be lifelong learners. Employees should learn how to adapt to the transformations happening around them and be keen to keep on learning. They should transfer themselves from employees to discerning consumers of information.

Accordingly, the partnership between employers, educators and training experts is essential for the continuous success of the employee. The right projection that the employers will give about the future needed skills for each industry will shape the design of the programs that educators and training expert will develop.