Today’s world is completely different from what it was sometimes ago. years back, it was difficult to imagine the kind of technology, work environment and gadget-enabled interactions we have today. This is called progress, and any civilization that isn’t progressing fast enough runs the risk of obsolescence and eventual extinction. Progress is driven by mankind, and at every stage of evolution, be it biological or technological, certain set of skills are required to propel the change.
This is the burden on the hands of employers, parents and academia. Graduates, especially those in developing countries like Ghana, are not being equipped adequately and fast enough to become relevant in today’s workplace. The gap between the skills people learn in schools and the skills they need to succeed at work is becoming more obvious, as traditional learning falls short of equipping students with the knowledge they need to get employed. Today’s students will graduate into a world where the demands of our professional, personal and public lives grow more complicated every year. Graduates will be rewarded in the job market for their creativity, complex problem-solving skills, quick on-the-job learning and comfort with technology
Today’s graduates will work with colleagues right in their city or across the globe. They must develop competencies in online collaboration tools. Online tools and technologies are blurring national and international borders, and being citizens of a global community will require strong multicultural work ethics and development of the right social and emotional learning skills. People and companies now transact in two dimensions; online and physical. The 21st Century graduate must develop skill-sets that enable a seamless transition into both realms, and to engage in meaningful interaction or proper functioning.
Why are these skills important for you
In the future, complex problems that we cannot conceive of right now will be everywhere. Think of virtual reality, machine assisted learning, advanced robotic, self-driving cars, personal flying objects, wireless electricity transmission etc. This list is not the least exhaustive. Can you even begin to image the opportunities as well as the complexities involved in managing complex interconnected systems all around the globe, just from your computer? The potential and opportunities of the future of work are overwhelming. Through these technology-enabled applications, hundreds of thousands of new job roles, previously unimagined, have sprung up and opened up opportunities for wealth creation. Those working in technology startup business are already having a brush with the potential impact of technology to work. Unfortunately, our educational system is stuck in the pre-colonial method of imparting knowledge, and the few institutions pushing forward in catching modern trends are still far from being on the brink of technology. This is not to say that learning classical's at the University for instance is a complete waste of time, but the overarching impact that education must have on the immediate environment should rank prime in the curricular of institutions, especially the universities.
With the proliferation of internet, the doors to unlimited knowledge acquisition are eternally open. There are a couple of websites dedicated to providing in-depth knowledge on these skills and the required modules of study to acquire them. There are websites, apps and games that offer brain exercises targeted at developing critical thinking, cognitive and complex problem solving skills, among others. Every graduate must make the conscious effort to acquire at least 5 of these skills. By taking one skill at a time and developing it very well, you will be way ahead of your peers in a relatively short period of time, and your chances of landing a job.