Toward the Future of Work: A new Education Paradigm for a new Reality

We are living amazing times worldwide. Never in history have we seen several massive and disruptive revolutions happening at the same time. Globalization and breakthroughs in technology are creating a new source of wealth and development accessible to any region, culture or people that have the right skills. On top of that, the digital and cognitive revolutions are affecting how people interact and are opening more opportunities to foster the growth and development of countries.

In this context, global leaders have a unique opportunity to promote people’s development, so it is imperative to re-think the global approach to education and employment that will enable societies to stay ahead of the ever-changing present. We should make no mistake: the effects of capitalizing on this opportunity could be as profound and as far-reaching as the restructuring of the regions’ societies and the democratization of youth participation and leadership in commerce, technology, and industries.

By paying specific attention to promote the right education and employment approach, we can prepare our countries for the future.

We have to encourage persons to continuously adapt. It’s key to develop a “learning to learn” model that will help population stay open to the future. On top of that, new fast-growing sectors, such as the Knowledge-based Services (KBS), are now seeking a huge amount of talent capable of making it grow and scale. Data reveals that the Services Sector has more employment generation potential than many traditional sectors and KBS specifically can profoundly impact a country’s economy promoting technology, design and innovation development, thus propelling industries and agriculture as well. We need to pay special attention to the development of new education models to prepare people for these new forms of opportunities. In this sense, it’s important to focus on training our young people in core competencies such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines.

A new education and employment approach will also prepare our societies for an inclusive future of work. It is important to create the necessary conditions that will help bring more job opportunities for everyone, avoiding informality through appropriate legislation, and fostering job positions regardless of gender, race, religion or disabilities. This includes implementing awareness-raising initiatives to challenge gender stereotypes and social norms, which act as a barrier for female employment.  

But it’s not just a matter of working with the business statu-quo. It’s also about fostering the creation of more job opportunities by opening doors to new players. This is where entrepreneurship plays a key part. Entrepreneurs take risks, create companies that have the potential to produce high impact in employment and in countries. They invest and distribute opportunities, and by doing so they help to transform countries and train talent in the latest trends. Governments should work together with these new entrepreneurs, facilitating the initial startup conditions to help them set up and grow their businesses.

We are experiencing unique moments in history. It is up to us to make this present become a fantastic future for all, generating a virtuous circle of education, talent, and development, bringing more economic evolution to our entire world.