Solution to the education problem
What we really need is a lifelong, subscription-based, just-in-time system of learning. It specifically caters for a significantly different and ever-shifting business need and requirement in the shortest possible time.
It’s all about a challenge-based application of specific knowledge, not just head, just-in-case knowledge.
It’s also for specific time periods, in the right quantity to get the work done to the required standard to meet specific employer requirements.
As schools and universities have critical but important roles to play in equipping future generations with the requisite employable skills and competencies that will be in demand by employers in the future, the U.S. Secretary of Education once said that “the factory model of education is the wrong model for the 21st century”.
How true this is!
According to the World Economic Forum, 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types that don’t yet exist.
This also means that university students graduating four to five years later may also have different jobs to go to (that is if they can find a job!), requiring very different job skills and competencies.
Therefore, we really need to consider implementing just-in-time continuous training and development models where students and workers only learn what they specifically need to know at the right time and quantities to get their current job done effectively, building on their existing abilities, capabilities, skills, competencies, and experience.
Severe mismatch of supply and demand of skilled workers
It’s no surprise that the unintended consequence of automation, outdated education systems, and an aging and growing population is the increasing mismatch in the supply and demand for skilled workers.
There’s so much just-in-time demand for appropriately skilled workers who can immediately perform contemporary jobs and perform higher value or level tasks in our increasingly technologically-focused workplaces.
Just look at the rise of contracting, freelance and part-time roles. In no time, full-time employment will diminish all together in favor of short-term roles.
Unfortunately, the supply of skilled workers who can immediately perform these in-demand jobs has been significantly lagging.
Educational systems have not been able to produce or up-grade appropriately skilled workers in shorter timeframes to meet the ever-changing, ever-growing, employer demands for specific skills that are forced upon them by their ever-changing external competitive business and operating environments.
What’s more, workers are also facing other challenges like increasing population growth, decreasing full-time employment opportunities, stagnant salary and wage growth, higher under-employment rates, and increasing aging population.