Our current educational system is unfitting and outdated. This system is often referred to as “factory model” education. It basically prepares students to be identically programmed in their development and pushes out identical products. Although it may have been useful in Victorian times, when it was created to train civil servants with a specific skill set, it is not suitable for children working in the fourth industrial revolution and beyond.
The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Industrial Revolutions were marked by isolation. However, the 4th Industrial Revolution could be called a “foundational Revolution” that will open up new possibilities for technology in the world. These technologies will not evolve in a linear manner, but they will start to converge, with AI being the most prominent example.
What does this mean for our future work and our children’s future?
This means that most of the jobs our education system prepares our children for in primary school will not be relevant when they reach adulthood. One estimate is that up to 65% of children in primary school will work in jobs that aren’t yet available. [1] They won’t enjoy the security and stability that we used to have in our careers. These trends are evident now with 21% reporting that they have changed jobs in the past year, according to a Gallup report. According to The Muse, 58% of its mostly millennial users planned to change jobs in the coming year according to a survey.
This generation has a declining loyalty to their employers and is constantly looking for learning opportunities, growth, flexibility, and other options. A 2017 Upwork “Freelancing In America” study found that freelancers will make up the majority of the U.S. workforce in the next ten years. Because of their adaptability to new technologies and the changing job landscape, millennials and the generations that follow will have a different professional life than we had.
This leads to the question: What can parents do to prepare their children for these changes in life?
To help our children face these challenges, we identified four areas that must be developed and encouraged. We call them the four Cs: creativity, coding and communication.
Creativity
Our generation has always under-valued and discouraged creativity. Entrepreneurship is all about creativity. With the rise of the Gig Economy, freelancers will make up a larger portion of the workforce. There will also be more “free-stack freelancers” (people who are able to work in multiple capacities for different companies). To be able to compete in a future that will see machines taking over more of our mundane tasks, it is essential that we nurture our children’s creativity. Encourage children to read and encourage them to think outside the box.
Coding
Coding allows children to interact more constructively with computers and machines, and helps them understand the relationship between technology and humans. This is a very different approach to allowing children more access to technology. Children will be more skilled in handling technology and will have more job opportunities. A healthy relationship with technology and working knowledge will allow them to see it as an opportunity to improve their quality of life and not as a threat. You can enroll your child in coding classes early, or even better, you can teach them!
Communication
Communication is one of the most important tools we can give our children. It allows them to communicate clearly and effectively. Unfortunately, their environment today doesn’t allow for this. The ease of using mobile phones, social media platforms, applications, and email allows us to avoid eye-to-eye contact. This often helps us escape from uncomfortable but necessary situations. Many young people lack the ability to send simple emails, let alone make polite and articulate requests. Professional success is dependent on the ability to read and listen, problem-solve with others, and use verbal cues. Better emotional fitness is also dependent on the ability to communicate verbally. Encourage your children and their parents to have open conversations with each other. If they are wronged, do not send them to bed with their phones or consoles. Instead, encourage them to write down their feelings and then share them with you. Encourage them to learn a foreign language. This will open up new ways for them to express themselves and help them see the world in a different way.
Confidence
We must instill confidence in our children. Children must believe that they can control their destiny as we all move toward a new future. They can make their own decisions and not be afraid to make mistakes. This attitude can be promoted by encouraging them to take chances and to become active decision-makers in everyday life. You can let them choose whether they want to eat asparagus or broccoli for dinner. Celebrate when they try something new even if it doesn’t work out as planned. Let them know that there are many wins after many defeats.
While no one knows what the future will bring, it is clear that the modern education system is failing to prepare our children for a technological-driven world. Parents must instill the right attitudes and skills that will allow kids to succeed until this system changes. We can give our children the tools they need to succeed in a future that is unpredictable and highly competitive by focusing less on SAT scores or GPAs and encouraging the four Cs.
