In a recent article, Allan E. Goodman, President and CEO of the Institute of International Education (IIE), argued that amid recent technological and globalisation disruptions reshaping the world of work, educators and employers are well positioned to prepare today’s students to succeed in the 21st-century workforce.
Mr Goodman emphasised the correlation between mobility and employability, whereby “individuals who have international experience are best prepared to contribute to the workforce of the future.” Mobility opportunities enable students to acquire important skills for the future workforce such as cross-cultural communication and understanding alongside “the ability to bring global thinking skills to bear on complex issues.”
Today’s international education has expanded notably – beyond traditional student and staff mobility – to enable “intellectual and cultural engagement” across borders. Within this context, Mr Goodman highlighted that “international education has a powerful role to play in bridging the global skills divide to develop the future workforce.”
He went on to highlight the role of international experience in developing skills for the future – an opportunity, which should be nurtured by both governments and employers:
“As governments and employers in both developed and emerging economies look to the future, we urge them to consider providing the kind of international education experiences that will enable a new generation of professionals to meet their workforce needs.”