What will your children be when they grow up? Maybe a quantum automotive programmer or a multi-phasic data sculptor.
OK, we made those jobs up. But consider this: just 10 years ago, ‘social media manager’ or ‘mobile app developer’ would have seemed like imaginary job titles to most. With the accelerating pace of social and technological change, the World Economic Forum estimates that 65 per cent of children today will end up in careers that don’t even exist yet.
It’s hard enough to get kids to do homework for known subjects. How can we prepare them for a future job market that we can’t predict? Our education system must give young people the necessary skills to adapt.
And those skills are not what you might think. Literacy, numeracy and scientific knowledge will always be critical. But recently, the World Economic Forum asked executives from some of the world’s leading companies what they thought the most important job skills would be in 2020.
Their No. 1 response? Complex problem solving. Other skills on their top 10 list included critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and emotional intelligence.
Their No. 1 response? Complex problem solving. Other skills on their top 10 list included critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and emotional intelligence.
Unfortunately, our school systems — built during the Industrial Revolution — are not well equipped to impart these skills, according to world-renowned education expert Ken Robinson.
“The emphasis on standard academic work is eroding the talents and abilities students need to face the future,” he says.
“We have become obsessed with two aspects of education — math and languages,” adds Peter Gamwell, co-author of The Wonder Wall: Leading Creative Schools and Organizations in an Age of Complexity.
Robinson and Gamwell agree: Our education system must shift to a student-centred, practical model of learning. Robinson points to Big Picture schools in the U.S. Small groups of 15 students work with an adviser and tailor their studies to their own interests.
A student who loves soccer could research physiotherapy and then, through partnerships with organizations and businesses in her community, apply her research to creating an injury-prevention program for local sports teams.
A student who loves soccer could research physiotherapy and then, through partnerships with organizations and businesses in her community, apply her research to creating an injury-prevention program for local sports teams.
Gamwell notes that schools across Canada are piloting the “Genius Hour.” Every few days, students get one hour, carte blanche, to take on any project that interests them, like developing a video game or learning to silkscreen T-shirts.
These initiatives ignite a passion for self-directed learning and create opportunities for creativity and problem-solving — skills easily adapted to changing times.
Robinson is also a strong advocate of service learning, incorporating social and environmental actions into core curriculum.
A class might look at the science behind global warming, and then take on a project to address it — from writing letters to politicians, to launching a local campaign to raise awareness about energy use.
In addition to creativity and problem solving, youth pick up better leadership, collaboration and emotional intelligence — the ability to handle interpersonal relationships with empathy.
These skills are timeless. Yesterday’s classroom won’t prepare our kids for tomorrow’s job market. It’s time to rethink education, teaching the lessons they’ll need for careers we can only imagine.
In addition to creativity and problem solving, youth pick up better leadership, collaboration and emotional intelligence — the ability to handle interpersonal relationships with empathy.
These skills are timeless. Yesterday’s classroom won’t prepare our kids for tomorrow’s job market. It’s time to rethink education, teaching the lessons they’ll need for careers we can only imagine.
Craig and Marc Kielburger are the co-founders of the WE movement, which includes WE Charity, ME to WE Social Enterprise and WE Day. For more dispatches from WE, check out WE Stories.
Oct. 12, 2018 "Are you living your best work life? Get paid to find your purpose": Today I found this article by Katie Hewitt in the Edmonton Journal:
I’m in the back of a rickshaw looking out over India’s oldest mountain range through a dusty windshield and marigold garlands. My driver, Laxman, is on delivery, bringing supplies to the local Anganwadi, a health resource centre in Kalthana, one of the WE Villages partner communities in Rajasthan.
On my ride-along, I’ll meet the families who’ll receive the nutrient packets currently stacked at my feet. It’s the world’s best work assignment—to witness this social impact firsthand, and to write about it for WE.
On my ride-along, I’ll meet the families who’ll receive the nutrient packets currently stacked at my feet. It’s the world’s best work assignment—to witness this social impact firsthand, and to write about it for WE.
Back at home, I tell a close friend about the trip.
“Great,” she deadpans, “I push paper around my desk.”
The vast majority of the global workforce is disengaged—at 85 per cent, according to Gallup. A sense of purpose in life is critical to well-being, and since we spend a good chunk of time on the clock—about 90,000 hours over a lifetime—meaningless jobs can leave us feeling unfulfilled.
But quitting your day job to find an ashram would be ludicrous. Keep the job security, health benefits, RRSP contribution and vacation package. Then, infuse more purpose into your nine-to-five. Frankly, your current employer should be paying you to bring more meaning to your work. It’s in their best interest.
A changing workforce now demands transparency and meaningful engagement. Millennials are willing to take a pay cut to work for a company with an authentic social mission—75 per cent of us, in fact.
Consumers are more likely to trust brands with stated values, and will pay a premium for responsible products. A strong corporate purpose, one that counts positive social impact among the core metrics for success, has been proven to boost employee engagement and woo customers.
Consumers are more likely to trust brands with stated values, and will pay a premium for responsible products. A strong corporate purpose, one that counts positive social impact among the core metrics for success, has been proven to boost employee engagement and woo customers.
WEconomy, by Craig Kielburger, Holly Branson and Marc Kielburger, is about this new way of doing business that fuses purpose and profit. It’s their hope and experience that more companies are doing the most they can to make a difference, instead of the least they can get away with.
They make a business case for doing good. For individual employees, that means it’s now possible to fashion your own meaningful career makeover. You can be bored at your desk, or you can find a way to bring your personal values to work, be at the forefront of this movement, and present a purposeful plan with a firm business strategy behind it.
They make a business case for doing good. For individual employees, that means it’s now possible to fashion your own meaningful career makeover. You can be bored at your desk, or you can find a way to bring your personal values to work, be at the forefront of this movement, and present a purposeful plan with a firm business strategy behind it.
On a large scale, entrepreneurs are founding companies to solve some of the world’s biggest problems. Sproxil is a digital labelling system that weeds out toxic formulas from real medicine.
Founder Ashifi Gogo read about the death of Nigerian babies after a batch of phony cough syrup made it to market in 2008, passed off by fraudsters to fool worried parents. Gogo’s market niche was a health epidemic. After a partnership with big pharma, his product solution saved lives.
Founder Ashifi Gogo read about the death of Nigerian babies after a batch of phony cough syrup made it to market in 2008, passed off by fraudsters to fool worried parents. Gogo’s market niche was a health epidemic. After a partnership with big pharma, his product solution saved lives.
On a smaller scale, HR reps are convincing companies to offer paid volunteer days, donate leftover food from meetings or partner with a reputable charity.
From inside big business, social intrapreneurs are moving the needle, using the resources and scalability of that business to give back. Bring a viable good deed to your boss and increase your social capital, get face time with the higher-ups when you need approvals and make yourself known. It’s better for the company and your career.
Don’t dread the office. Bring your values to work and make it a place you care about.
Katie Hewitt is an associate director at WE and editor of WEconomy: You can find meaning, make a living and change the world (Wiley 2018)
This article was provided by WE Day for commercial purposes.https://nationalpost.com/sponsored/life-sponsored/are-you-living-your-best-work-life-get-paid-to-find-your-purpose
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