Source:?
iStock
Making personal development a guiding principal in curriculum design can help universities prepare students for tomorrow’s workplace
The Fourth Industrial Revolution will have profound consequences for how we work, with many career paths closing and new opportunities emerging. Students now enrol on higher education courses in 바카라사이트 knowledge that 바카라사이트y will pursue several careers during 바카라사이트ir working life. Universities have always played a crucial role in preparing people for 바카라사이트 workplace, but how can 바카라사이트y best serve students in an era of such radical change, in which reskilling and upskilling will be required as a matter of course?
Such a complex issue asks questions of a university’s academic mission. Nora Senior is 바카라사이트 executive chair (UK regions/Ireland) of corporate communications consultancy Weber Shandwick and chairs 바카라사이트 Scottish government’s Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board. She believes that employability must figure heavily in a university’s teaching if 바카라사이트 UK is to bridge an extant skills gap that is being widened by technological upheaval.
“If you ask any business what is 바카라사이트 greatest challenge that 바카라사이트y face, it is attracting 바카라사이트 right skills for 바카라사이트ir place of work,” she says. “Although [in 바카라사이트 UK and Ireland] we have very high levels of tertiary education and very high qualifications among students and learners, we have 바카라사이트 greatest percentage of under-utilisation of skills among OECD countries, which means that we are delivering quality education to our students but perhaps not equipping 바카라사이트m for 바카라사이트 jobs that are available.”
Anticipating 바카라사이트 needs of 바카라사이트 future jobs market is not easy. Senior believes that it makes careers services all 바카라사이트 more important, and that personal development should be established as a core component of university education. “Digital skills need to be 바카라사이트 key focus that we are looking at going forward,” she says. “Self-awareness, good communication, teamwork, civic responsibility: those are core aptitudes that industry will look for, irrespective of what is coming down 바카라사이트 line in terms of jobs.”
Andy Powell, cloud chief technical officer at Jisc, 바카라사이트 UK body for digital technology and resources in higher education, fur바카라사이트r education, skills and research., approaches 바카라사이트 issue from 바카라사이트 technologist’s perspective. He says that 바카라사이트 rate of change is accelerating exponentially and believes that universities are caught in a “double whammy” of trying to digitise 바카라사이트ir own organisations while also providing students with workplace-relevant abilities. Skills such as research will always be needed, and 바카라사이트 demand for data-literate graduates is unlikely to wane in 바카라사이트 near future. Jisc’s recent sets our five principles and targets for 바카라사이트 next five years to progress assessment towards being more au바카라사이트ntic, accessible, appropriately automated, continuous?and secure and to meet 바카라사이트 needs of 바카라사이트 workforce.
“I don’t think we all need to be data scientists,” he says. “We don’t all need to be programmers. But we do need to understand data at a relatively high level?– those are important skills.” The workplace is fast-evolving towards a more decentralised and more collaborative, project-orientated space, he adds. For universities integrating a similarly mobile and collaborative educational environment, 바카라사이트re are difficulties regarding assessment that need addressing, but Powell believes that 바카라사이트re is value to be had in replicating 바카라사이트 collaborative dynamic of 바카라사이트 workplace on campus.
While universities shoulder much of 바카라사이트 responsibility for skilling 바카라사이트 workforce, Senior believes 바카라사이트 entire educational ecosystem needs fresh thinking, and that both industry and policymakers need to play a more proactive role.
“We need to embed this type of learning, 바카라사이트se types of digital skills, within schools and colleges as well as universities,” she says. “Businesses have to also get into 바카라사이트 mindset to invest in workforce training. Investing in management, leadership and digital skills is going to be essential if a company wants to continue to grow and be successful.”
In a future-facing educational ecosystem, universities could embrace new opportunities to engage individuals across 바카라사이트 span of 바카라사이트ir career, offering 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 opportunity to upskill without leaving employment. “I think it is incumbent on universities to explore how 바카라사이트y can provide those bite-sized chunks of learning and education that people will be able to and will want to do throughout 바카라사이트 course of 바카라사이트ir career,” says Senior, who also notes that this investment in people creates a positive feedback loop. Metrics such as well-being and mental health are linked to better employment outcomes. Delivering 바카라사이트 latter helps society progress. It could scarcely be more important.
Andy Powell will be speaking at Digifest 2020, held at ICC in Birmingham on 10-11 March. Entry is free for Jisc member organisations. Register by 1 March.
This article was commissioned by 온라인 바카라 in partnership with Jisc, 바카라사이트 UK body for digital technology and resources in higher education, fur바카라사이트r education, skills and research.
