There is a clear fact when one analyses either big or small data, that policies – whether it is immigration, business, investment, governance, public, and so on – are intricately linked with education policy. How we educate and train our society; how we build evidence-based knowledge for progress; how we provide the capital and skills for business and investment; how we govern our cities and manage public services, or understand practices that need improvement – it all comes down directly (or through indirect channels) to people, education and skills.
Although the World Economic Forum 2016 is over, the content discussed over those few days will remain relevant and critical for decades to come. Under the theme, ‘Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution’, the Annual Meeting really highlighted just how important it is to prepare for the impact this fourth revolution will have on entire regions, societies and industries worldwide. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau captured the point of this ‘progress’ by a simple point: “We don’t want technology simply because it is dazzling. We want it, create it and support it because it improves people’s lives”.
Or at least that is what we hope it will inevitably accomplish. However, so much work surrounding this progress – for example our organisational structures and current governance frameworks – make our sprint towards the future somewhat disruptive. The Future of Jobs report highlights that an enormous change in skill sets is needed to thrive in this new world on the horizon, and it predicts that by 2020 5 million jobs will be pointless in light of technological changes. The report states, ‘While the impending change holds great promise, the patterns of consumption, production and employment created by it also pose major challenges requiring proactive adaptation by corporations, governments and individuals.’ Indeed, the consensus seems to be the need for increased cooperation, collaboration, and partnerships. The need to ‘reskill and upskill today’s workers will be critical’, the report continues.
HEIs need to stay informed of these predictions, so they may proactively shape the skills, role and contribution that today’s students will have on this near future. We need to understand not only what employability means today, but what it means in ten years time. The report states, ‘…it is our hope that this knowledge can incentivize and enhance partnerships between governments, educators, training providers, workers and employers in order to better manage the transformative impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on employment, skills and education.’
Indeed, the role HEIs take within these partnerships will be central to successful outcomes of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.