6 Skills Students Need for Jobs in the Future

Technology is rapidly growing in every field, including how we work. Most tasks are being automated and old industries are fast becoming obsolete. While this may be true, technology is also providing graduates with the necessary tools to find solutions to modern problems. This goes to show that new industries are constantly being born, meaning they will open up a world of new career opportunities in the future. In fact, a recent report estimates that over 50% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet. This leaves us with a crucial question: What skill sets will students need to thrive in technology-driven, globalised, competitive job markets?

1. Effective Communication

Although most people claim to have communication skills, modern effective communication isn’t all about the proper use of language and grammar. It’s actually an extension of clear thinking. You may have the most innovative idea but if you can’t communicate it to others, it will be lost. Can you promote yourself/product, inspire others, and present your point persuasively? You’ll also be required to be able to effectively communicate via modern methods. Given how easily we can now communicate with people all around the world, cross-cultural communication will also be necessary for the future workplace.

2. Emotional Intelligence

There’s a common misconception that successful people have to be cold and emotionless. Emotions make people who they are; as such, instead of cutting them off, it’s important to learn how to control them so they are expressed appropriately in a workplace setting. Students will have to exhibit qualities that relate to emotional intelligence such as curiosity, empathy, self-awareness, self-control, and so on. This is to ensure they’re well-equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to communicate successfully and foster interpersonal relationships.

3. Creativity & Business Sense

AI can do a lot of things, but it still can’t create original content. This means that the need for people who can seek out the newest ideas, technologies, advancements, strategies, and opportunities will continue to be on the rise. Having such entrepreneurial skills doesn’t necessarily mean you have to start your own business. They equip students with the right skills and knowledge to navigate the business world through innovation, adaptability, and a strong knowledge of the market/industry.

4. Problem-solving

The future is bound to present some challenging problems. We’ve already determined that computers can’t come up with new ideas, yet. So, individuals who can solve multi-dimensional problems in complex, real-world settings will be required. Think poverty, climate change, terrorism, and so on. Note that before you can solve a problem you have to critically analyse it and what’s causing it. This is where critical thinking comes in; it goes hand in hand with problem-solving.

5. STEM

There’s no doubt that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are and will continue to be the drivers of innovation. Future jobs will increasingly be tied to STEM knowledge. Therefore, students preparing for employment need education and training in a variety of technologies, including computational thinking, cloud computing, coding, AI, virtual reality, as well as familiarity with technology devices such as smartphones, computers, tablets, virtual assistants, and those that are up-and-coming. STEM gives you the ability to adapt in the workplace as the pace of discovery accelerates.

6. Resilience

In your personal life, resilience means overcoming problems. But in a work environment, it helps you to transform problems and obstacles into opportunities and solutions. Employees with such traits are indispensable since they drive a culture of innovation in the workplace. The business environment is becoming more and more competitive, and future employees will have to learn how to deal with both strong and disloyal competition. One way to build up your resilience is to keep negative things from having a huge effect on the positive possibilities in any given situation.

As technology helps industries empower their workforce, today’s students need to take these skills into consideration if they truly want to succeed in the future job market. If you’ve recently graduated, you can access jobactive services at yourtown here (click here learn more about yourtown) to help you get into employment.