Preparing for a Great Future: Looking Beyond the Obvious and Gaining Skills to Become a Global Citizen

What is driving this change in perspective? One of the biggest reasons is industrialization, and the growth in the prospect of jobs. According to research by the McKinsey Global Institute, automation, AI and robotics are transforming the world of work and creating new occupations that require different skills. The need for manual and physical skills, as well as basic cognitive ones, will decline, but demand for technological, social and emotional, and higher cognitive skills will grow.

For example, a recent report by Linked-In identified some of the most in-demand jobs in 2021, such as digital marketer, data analyst, software developer, graphic designer, customer service specialist and project manager. These jobs require skills such as creativity, communication, data literacy, problem-solving and collaboration.

Another impactful change that can be highlighted is that students can no longer restrict their proficiency to academics alone. Soft skills such as teamwork, critical thinking, networking, collaboration and adaptability are among the few soft skills that will enable them to tackle challenges in life as well as at their workplaces. These are some of the 56 foundational skills that the McKinsey Global Institute identified as essential for future citizens.

 The biggest reason for this change in perspective has been industrialization and the growth in the prospect of jobs. There are eight different faculties of studies at Symbiosis International (Deemed University), and there are streams such as Fashion Communication too! Earlier, one could only think of Fashion Designing as a field worth studying. Still, nowadays, the study of communication in fashion has also become an important field that can support the fashion industry. Even areas such as medicine need the support of medical technology, and therefore, it has become a much sought-after field. Apart from these, even niche fields such as statistics, geo-informatics, AI, robotics etc. are gaining popularity as more and more jobs are becoming available in these domains.

As students pass out of school and are ready to choose the field of study that will help them build a career, they are advised to talk to alums of the college they want to select. Alongside their chosen field, they should also pursue another stream. For example, a commerce student can also follow Data Analytics, or a student studying English can take up a minor in Psychology. The New Education Policy (NEP) and multidisciplinary approach have opened up many possibilities.      

The NEP prescribes liberal education at the undergraduate level. This means that alongside STEM courses, students should also take courses from Liberal Arts. This will help the students to not only become employable but also entrepreneurs and employment guides.