‘School is boring’, ‘I don’t need to go to school’, ‘I don’t like the subject, so I don’t pay attention in class’ are the three common phrases I hear almost daily if not weekly from the teenagers I coach.
It hurts me to see our very bright and intelligent children not applying themselves to reach their full potential. They seem uninterested, unmotivated and uninspired in school and their life in general. Having integrated the technologies seamlessly into their life, they tend to be impatient, apathetic and disconnected from the real world.
As parents, we are also unprepared for the changes that emerging technology has brought to us. The screen addiction issue that many of our children are facing is just proof of how unprepared we are.
Many countries are piloting driverless cars, automated drug dispensing machines and 3D printed buildings with robot involvement and minimal human input. This is no longer science fiction – this is science fact.
What are the jobs left for our children? Will there be a job in their ideal field of study when they graduate?
Is there a way to better prepare our children?
The FYA New Work Reality 2018 reports that automation will reduce 70% of the entry-level jobs in Australia. This leaves most young people with less work to apply for; fighting for a limited pool of jobs that demand creativity and other enterprise skills. The question then becomes: are your children skilled with relevant future-oriented enterprise and technology-based skills that will allow them to participate in the workforce of the future? Do they think a standard degree-based education is sufficiently going to prepare them for a dynamic workplace of the future?
These are the only be three job cluster that are predicted to grow. Automation will replace routine, manual, administrative and repetitive jobs. The following areas are set for growth rather than decline because robots and artificial Intelligence cannot easily do them:
- The Technologists cluster comprises jobs that require skilled understanding and manipulation of digital technology. Programmers, Software Engineers, Web developers, Database administrators, Web designers, Software and Applications Programmers
- The Carers cluster comprises jobs that seek to improve the mental or physical health or well-being of others, including medical, care and personal support services. Examples are General Practitioners, Nurses, Podiatrists, Dental Technicians, Health Promotion, Pharmacists and Veterinarians.
- The Informers cluster comprises jobs that involve professionals providing information, education or business services. Examples are Policy analysts, Statisticians, Physicists, Gallery or museum curators, Laboratory managers, Human Resources.
72% of CEOs believe that enterprise skills are more important to the success of their business than hard skills. The FYA New Work Reality report asserts that training in enterprise skills accelerates candidates to transition to full time work by 17 months quicker than candidates without this training.
It is obvious that Enterprise Skills are the skills that will help our children to stand a greater chance of employment. The top 10 in demand enterprise skills based on research by Linked-In are:
1. Communication
2. Organisation
3. Teamwork
4. Punctuality
5. Critical-Thinking
6. Social Skills
7. Creativity
8. Interpersonal communication
9. Adaptability
10. Friendliness
This list shows that children will need to be prepared for the fast pace development that will affect their jobs and life. Adaptability and resilience to changes are key. The ability to learn a new skill with a positive mindset is also very important. The study also shows that stress levels increase due to change. Having the skill to remain calm and manage stress requires one to learn how to master their mind.
In the recent parent-teacher interviews, a teacher told me that many seemly smart and intelligent students break down when ‘push comes the shove’ as there were simply not prepared and equipped with the skills to manage stress.
As coaches, we have also noticed that the young and vibrant kids are fast learners and never short on ideas. As they lack real-working world experiences, they tend to underestimate things and be under-prepared. In the workshops that we run, we help children identify their strengths, build on them and work on their weakness. We also focus on self-mastery skills that help children to develop their full potential.
If you wish to find out more about how you can help your child develop these skills, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. You’re welcome to either ring/whatsapp +61487278285 or email us.
In order to help parents like yourself to understand the changes and developments that will affect our next generation better, I invite you and your friends to join the Epic Parent Community Group, where we keep each other updated of technology development, implications for education, job markets and how it affects our children.
We also aim to share helpful parenting tips, answer any queries that you may have and support each other in getting the best out for our kids and being their best coach.
This group is a CLOSED GROUP. It is normally open to Epic Intellect clients BUT now open to ALL for a LIMITED time only. All you need to do is to join is:
1. LIKE Epic Intellect’s Facebook Page and
2. Request to join the Epic Parents Group.