The rapid advancement of technology has transformed every aspect of our lives, including how we work, live, and learn. With automation, artificial intelligence, and digitalization shaping the job market at an unprecedented pace, students must acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for the jobs of tomorrow. This is where education technology, or EdTech, emerges as a powerful tool in ensuring student success in the workplace.
How to prepare students for jobs that are yet to be created?
Preparing students for jobs that don’t exist may seem daunting, but the key lies in understanding the changing landscape of skill requirements in an increasingly technology-driven world. Instead of a linear approach focused on specialized skills, employers are now seeking individuals who possess flexible thinking abilities, specifically in computational thinking. This entails breaking down problems into manageable parts, developing algorithms, and swiftly adapting to new solutions, even in unrelated fields.
Examining the Future of Jobs Report reveals crucial skills vital in the workplace: critical thinking, problem-solving, people management, and creativity. By nurturing elastic thinkers who embrace computational thinking, we can equip students to navigate the uncertainties of future job markets.
In an ever-changing job landscape, where emerging professions like data scientists and blockchain experts once surprised us, uncertainty prevails about the subsequent booming occupation.
One prominent edtech player contributing to skill development is AISECT Group. With a network of over 28,000 Skill Development Centers and 6 Universities spanning India, it spearheading an edtech revolution in education technology, transforming skill development and education across the nation. At the forefront of this educational shift is AISECT Learn, the biggest phygital E-Learning platform offering an entire spectrum of skill development and industry-oriented courses. As an emerging leader in the field of Ed-Tech, AISECT Learn specializes in offering upskilling courses with placement guarantees in streams such as Digital Marketing, Data Science, Cyber Security, Foreign Languages, and more, empowering the youth with relevant job-ready skills for today’s dynamic workforce.
AISECT Learn NEP-LEAP bridges the gap between academia and the professional world through skill development by forging partnerships with academic institutions and Industry Experts. This allows students to participate in workshops, internships, and real-world projects, gaining invaluable hands-on experience that enhances their employability. This transformative partnership between AISECT Learn and NCSDE marks a significant milestone in the journey towards a future-ready, skills-based education landscape. The NCSDE NEP-LEAP works with over 160+ government and private educational institutions throughout India. These partnerships aim to enhance student skill development, facilitate internships, and support the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
How is AISECT Learn forging skill development?
AISECT Learn offers NEP-LEAP Packages as a one-stop solution for NEP implementation at institutions. It empowers students and institutions with the NEP-LEAP partnership, seamlessly integrating credit-based skill courses aligned with NEP standards. NEP-LEAP offers the following packages:
- Training & Development Package: This comprehensive package offers over 200 NCrF/NEP-aligned courses in self-paced, live, and blended formats, cost-effectively addressing diverse institutional needs. It allows students and institutions to choose from various courses in Data Science, Digital Marketing, Cyber Security, Blockchain Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, and Soft Skills.
- Placement Package: It provides robust support for placements through career counselling, interview preparation sessions, resume-making workshops, expert talks, and placement drives. The package ensures holistic placement support, including free registration on Rojgarmantra.com, which has partnered with 1500+ registered employers & organizations and conducted 500+ placement drives in 17+ states covering 80+ districts and 1.15 Lac+ candidates were shortlisted.
- Internship and Project Package: AISECT Learn partners with industries to provide valuable UGC and AICTE-aligned internships. It offers online project-based internships in Cyber Security, Digital Marketing, Python, Microsoft Azure, Flutter App development, communication skills & Entrepreneurship Skills. AISECT Learn has also partnered with AWS Academy to offer internships in Cloud Foundations, Machine Learning Foundations, Cloud Security Foundations, and Cloud Architecting. Over 500+ internships have been offered to both technical and non-technical students.
- Prep Test (Government Exams Preparation) Package: AISECT Learn offers a Prep Test package covering major government exams, such as Banking, SSC, Railways, Defence, and Police.
- Content Development Package: AISECT Learn provides content development services tailored to institutional requirements. With a pool of 1000+ subject matter experts and state-of-the-art studios, they offer ready-to-use self-learning material, videos/SCORM files (PDF, Word), and various assessment formats such as MCQs, drag-and-drop, fill-in-the-blanks, and Subjective questions.
- LMS Package: The Learning Management System package helps institutions plan, implement, and assess their learning processes. It includes brand customization, Zoom integration, White Label LMS, and 24/7 technical support.
Also, see this video on Education: Preparing Students for Jobs that Don’t Yet Exist.
Decades ago, who would have predicted that blogging and content creation, alongside traditional degrees, would yield impressive earnings? Embracing these versatile skills is imperative to adapt and thrive in a dynamic and unpredictable job market.
Additionally, firms are more eager to see and hire emerging professionals who understand how to make hard decisions and showcase their leadership abilities than those who just have a degree to justify why they are a good fit for a job.
The demand for unique human soft skills like effective communication, empathy, leadership, and collaborative work is rising in the fourth industrial revolution as machines take over monotonous duties. However, human soft skills are still vital, even if machines are pretty good at work.
Furthermore, technology’s widespread influence—particularly in AI and machine learning—will revolutionize every organization in the coming decade. Therefore, students must prepare for successful employment in a mainly automated world.
Experts estimate that 85% of college students’ future employment does not exist now. To prepare for these unidentified professions, learners should concentrate on soft skills indispensable to machines. Student opinion is beginning to reflect this viewpoint, with 81% of respondents saying that rather than emphasizing academic speciality, schools should emphasize practical skills like problem-solving and teamwork to prepare learners for an uncertain future.
The primary catalysts for this transformation will be the teachers—individuals students trust the most. However, burdening an already stressed and overloaded group without offering a considerate solution that addresses their needs is unjust. The optimal approach lies in finding a solution that meets everyone at their current stage, ensuring the transition feels seamless and effortless. If technology is the future, students should begin experiencing it in the classroom. Nevertheless, its implementation must not be designed to overwhelm teachers with additional responsibilities but should be tailored to the classroom environment.
Since many ed-tech tools are emerging to introduce specific solutions in the classroom, leveraging social tools – already prevalent on most students’ phones – is an excellent starting point. Researchers at the University of California discovered that teachers who incorporated social tools like Snapchat could establish quicker connections with their students. It was observed that almost all students are active Snapchat users. Since students typically begin using these apps during middle or high school, meeting them where they already facilitate instantaneous conversation can be a great starting point. To keep up with the changing communication landscape, it is important to incorporate technology that students are already familiar with into the classroom.
We can also not deny that the social media revolution over the last decade has changed how people communicate in all aspects of life, including the workplace. Many companies use Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom to make digital communication seamless and synchronous. Similarly, students use parallel technologies like GroupMe, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to communicate daily. Despite this, email remains the standard mode of communication within the classroom, even though better options, such as ClassDojo, Remind, Bloomz, etc., are available.
Observing the usage of these types of technology will only grow as time passes, so we need to build digital literacy into the classroom as early as possible. Students need to learn from an early age how to communicate effectively online in a professional and social environment.
According to research on Facebook integration in the classroom conducted by the Canadian Center of Science and Education, students take more ownership of the content they publish on social media platforms used in the classroom. The reason for this increased sense of accountability is the wider audience they reach through social media. This will empower them, resulting in self-directed learning and an enhanced quality of work. The same study also noted that instructors may find it time-consuming or frustrating to find the correct technology. Still, the benefits for both parties ultimately outweigh the time costs.
Communication infrastructure built into the classroom and the campus can solve many issues: Students learn how to collaborate online, create solutions within a team setting, engage with others to build their network and be digitally literate relative to today’s standards. Students must be exposed to them from an early age.
How can we prepare them for future jobs?
Now, the question arises: how can we prepare them for future jobs?
The most common educational technologies, such as learning management systems (LMS), are primarily used to facilitate communication between teachers and students. Still, they are not as effective at promoting peer-to-peer contact. This restriction could make it more difficult for students to acquire the critical communication skills needed for the industry, impacting their performance. Students need to become literate in in-group collaboration to understand working in a team.
Not only does implementing modern collaboration tools give them real-life skills for the workforce, but it also has compound effects on their education. In these class group chats, students should be encouraged to ask and answer each other questions just like they would in a Slack chat for work, which then takes much of the burden of the instructors to be omni-available. The aim is to transform students from passive consumers of knowledge to active producers of knowledge for one another, similar to what they will inevitably have to do in their careers.
Also, to help students succeed in their careers in the era of AI, extending the digital curriculum is one effective way to help students develop the soft skills that AI cannot simply replace while enhancing their digital literacy.
Colleges and universities may help students survive and succeed by supporting them in acquiring skills applicable to the modern workplace. While classroom knowledge-based learning is still crucial, a Gallup survey shows that career-relevant learning is increasingly essential for students’ well-being and future professional success.
Working alongside AI, machine learning, and robotics is one of the essential talents necessary for future professional success. Future workplaces will eventually establish close working partnerships with AI technology regardless of industry—a trend that is already well-established in several industries.
Methods to Assist Students for the Jobs of Tomorrow
Here are some reliable methods to assist students to thrive in their careers in the age of AI and prepare for the jobs of tomorrow:
Digitally Coupled Academic Programs
Teachers must create a variety of digitally integrated academic programmes, such as EdTech, FinTech, BioTech, MedTech, HealthTech, or LegalTech, in response to the industry’s rapid changes and the growing use of smart technologies, such as AI, machine learning, deep learning, or robotics, to improve business operations and efficiencies. The developing industry frequently provides high-paying positions and promising growth for those with the expertise and abilities to combine digital academic programmes and smart technologies.
Technology Curriculum
In today’s digital era, having a sound knowledge of how to use MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, emails, an internet search, or social media no longer qualifies as digital fluency. Children proficient with various tech tools and a broad understanding of computers will do well in their future careers. It is crucial to provide thorough computer curricula and technical resources that cover well-known software like Python or R and everyday digital applications like Bloomberg Terminal or ArcGIS. Students will benefit from this by developing digital fluency to enhance their studies and research.
Data Analytics Training
Big data and analytics are prevalent in today’s world. Also, there is a pressing need to support data-driven decision-making by encouraging students to build data analytics skills and learn how to access and analyze information utilizing tools to gain valuable insights, spot patterns, forecast trends, and promote these talents. To do so, you must inject data analytics training into students’ courses of study to help them master the skill.
Data Analytics Training equips students with crucial skills for the future. It enhances data literacy, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Students learn to make informed decisions, adapt to evolving technologies, and address real-world challenges. The training also instils a strong sense of data ethics and privacy considerations. This comprehensive preparation ensures students are well-equipped to excel in an increasingly data-driven world.
Programs for Digital Credentials
To encourage ongoing learning and up-skilling for students of various ages, backgrounds, and skill levels, develop digital certificate programmes and tech add-ons, such as a FinTech or an EdTech boot camp. The modern workforce must regularly upgrade their digital skills to keep up with the rapid rate of technological change. Companies can desire to help their staff members upgrade and reskill. With new digital capabilities, employees may desire to develop and stay competitive. It’s essential to offer digital certificate programmes for upskilling and reskilling to assist students of all types in keeping up with the latest technology trends.
Partner with Career Service Professionals
Students must build a partnership with Career Service Professionals to succeed in the future. These professionals help with job searches, prepare candidates for interviews, and provide individualized career counselling. These experts also provide networking opportunities and industry trends insights, as well as assist students in identifying and filling in skill gaps so they are ready for the workforce. All things considered, career service professionals are essential in preparing students for prosperous futures.
Soft Skills and EQ
To safeguard their roles from AI automation, students must cultivate robust emotional intelligence (EQ – emotional quotient) and nurture a range of soft talents that remain beyond the reach of machines and AI. While assisting students in developing their digital literacy is essential, colleges and universities must also support students in developing their creativity, critical thinking, collaboration skills, communication, resilience, self-regulation, self-awareness, leadership, motivation, empathy, and the ability to apply what they have learned to new situations.
When all other factors are equal, students with higher EQs and soft skills will be competitive in the job market.
We are heading to times that are tech-dominated. To thrive in the coming age, it’s imperative that we instil a culture of skill development and continuous learning at every age. Young professionals who don’t want their jobs taken over by machines in the age of AI must constantly improve their digital and soft skills to future-proof their employment. With AI, the modern workplace is undergoing significant change. Colleges and universities must embrace digital transformation and change the educational system from knowledge-based to career-relevant learning by providing more digital elements and soft skill development to equip students for jobs in 2030.
