Life skills and workforce preparation

Why do you think that so many schools are shifting their focus toward making their students workplace-ready?

In the past, it might have been reasonable to expect that if you finished your studies, either secondary or tertiary, you got a job. You were workplace-ready. But the world of work looks very different to what it did previously. Technology is changing the tasks that we do at work and therefore the skills that we require to perform our jobs. A 15 year-old today is more likely to have 17 different jobs over five careers in their lifetime. The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) New Work Order report series revealed that it takes young people in Australia an average of 2.6 years to gain full-time employment after completing full-time study compared to just one year in the 1980s. This highlights that schools, university and vocational education urgently need to change how they are preparing young people for the future of work, if they’re not already.

What are you seeing today with how schools approach workplace readiness compared to five years ago?

With the uptake of programmes like our own $20 Boss, we’re seeing a commitment by many educators across Australia to ensuring that students are prepared for the world of work. The programme provides students with $20 of start-up capital to create, launch and operate a business venture over the course of a school term, and it is all about putting skills development at the forefront of learning. While there is more to be done, what this tells us is that many educators are seeing not just the benefit, but the necessity, of providing opportunities for their students to get prepared for the future of work. However, there is still much work to be done to ensure that all students across Australia are made workplace-ready, and system-wide change is essential. It cannot be the sole responsibility of teachers and urgent, cross-sector redress is required.

How do you see the idea of ‘life skills’ evolving in the next 10 years?

Life skills will likely evolve to reflect the ongoing impacts if automation and technology on our jobs and workplaces. As such, skills like digital literacy and communication will be of critical importance for young people seeking and securing work in the next decade. Research from our New Basics report shows that the demand for digital skills has increased by more than 200%, critical thinking by more than 150%, creativity by more than 60%, and presentation skills by 25%. This demand is likely to continue rising, particularly as younger Australians will need to fill the gaps created by the large number of older Australians leaving the workforce.

However the evolution of life skills has really already begun. Our applied research project in South West Victoria, the New Work Mindset in Action, proved that skills are far more portable than first thought, and when people are trained and work in one job, they acquire skills that will help them potentially secure 13 other jobs. This new understanding of skill portability is relevant now, and will definitely shift the idea and importance of life skills for the remainder of the decade.