1 in 5 work in professions that are shrinking globally - study
A recent study by Pearson, titled The Future of Skills: Employment in 2030, has forecast that one in five workers are in professions today that will shrink worldwide. This means today more than ever before students need to make the right decision when it comes to selecting a course to study.
To ensure the youth are selecting a career that offers longevity, the study indicates that jobs involving knowledge, creation, and innovation are what to search for. While machines get down to the nitty-gritty manual tasks, this will mean people are freed up to explore, knowledge share, and find interesting solutions collaboratively to some of the world’s complex problems.
Managing director for Pearson South Africa, Ebrahim Matthews says, “The study highlighted that while many jobs today will still be in demand by 2030 - the skills required for success in these roles are changing. When it comes to the daunting topic of ‘Jobs of the Future’, we are already doing the research to prepare our students for careers that don’t yet exist! There will be jobs that require certain human skills in the future, these cannot be replaced by the automated world – human skill, and experience that ultimately matter to learning.”
Tertiary career options need to be taken seriously, for example institutions should forge close ties with various South African corporates and they should become involved in the induction and readiness workshops for students. Mid-year intakes are also a great option for students who didn’t quite know what to study straight after school. The first six months of the year could have solidified a career path, and given them more time to save toward studying.
Matthews concludes, “Everything we do, we do with employability in mind. All our academic programmes are focused on getting our students ready for the world of work. Our courses have been carefully selected to include academic fields that will give students the opportunity to exit with a qualification that is highly desirable in the market.”
View the full The Future of Skills: Employment in 2030 report here.