Providing Students with the Skills Necessary to Succeed
We must introduce and educate students on the changes happening in the workplace. Providing this insight at a young age will provide ample time to prepare them for the future.
My sister is currently a senior in high school and I asked her several questions relating to her preparedness for the future. The high school is small, limiting resources to teachers and classrooms. A few business courses are offered, one course being entrepreneurship. Aside from the couple business courses available, there are not many opportunities for students to work on gaining knowledge about the future of work.
The following chart depicts skills that students should develop:
A major problem with the education system is that educators focus only on foundational literacies. However, while researching, I found that there are not measures for competencies or character qualities. This poses difficulty for the educators trying to teach and instill these skills in their students.
I found that critical thinking and problem-solving skills are practiced more so in AP courses. Exercising these skills to evaluate and convey knowledge to others is an essential piece contributing to the future workforce.
The teaching of communication and collaboration skills are lacking at the high school. My sister stated that she occasionally works with others for group projects. Usually, she ends up doing most of the work. In addition, she has noticed that many students have a difficult time communicating their thoughts and feelings with other and/or with the teacher. This provides evidence that students are not taught how to work effectively with others. This also shows that many students need assistance and encouragement to communicate with others as well as to a group of students. These skills must be worked on because the workplace will demand strong communication skills and the ability to work with teams.
Introducing these skills at a young age will ensure preparedness for the employees of the future. Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go and some schools are very limited to the necessary resources needed to succeed.
