College & Workforce Readiness

What Skills Are You Teaching Students to Prepare Them for Jobs of the Future?

By Madeline Will — July 31, 2017 1 min read
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A recent report found that almost 40 percent of U.S. jobs are at a high risk for automation by the early 2030s—when many current students will be entering the workforce. So how can teachers prepare students for jobs of the future?

In September, Education Week will publish a special report of stories about what workforce preparation looks like in schools in 2017 and beyond. That report will kick off a yearlong series of reporting on how the workforce is changing in an age of automation and artificial intelligence, and what that means for K-12 education. How do you prepare students for jobs that may look entirely different in 2040?

At the crux of the debate: Should we be focusing on preparing students for the high-skilled STEM, computer science, and data science jobs of today? Or should we be focusing on instilling broad 21st century skills in young people, like problem solving and digital literacy, so they can find their own way in a world that is constantly changing? In a recent Economist Intelligence Unit report, researchers wrote: “When information is available at the touch of a button, education is arguably less about filling students’ heads with knowledge and more about teaching them how to become effective, lifelong learners capable of responding to a fast-paced world of relentless change.”

But before we start reporting, we want to hear from teachers themselves. What skills do schools need to teach students to prepare them for jobs of the future?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments, on Twitter using #SkillsforFutureJobs, or by email.

And in the meantime, check out some of our previous reporting on this issue:

A version of this news article first appeared in the Teaching Now blog.