Crucial 21st century skills
Published Jul 20, 2022 12:05 am
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL
Dr. Jun Ynares
“Do you think they have what it takes to succeed?”
That was the question my wife, Andeng asked me recently.
We were watching the replay of the livestreaming of a university graduation ceremony, and she had earlier been admiring “the wonderful look of hope and optimism” in the bright, young faces of the members of the Class of 2022.
She was recalling how it felt to be young and to be so excited about the future and what it holds. Her joyful mood turned into a worried moment as she wondered aloud whether or not there are enough job opportunities for the fresh graduates and if our education system had given them enough knowledge and skills to ensure that they make it in the professional world.
The question stayed with me. As part of the local government sector, I am aware that education is one of our responsibilities. Local governments do not only provide classrooms; they also answer to their constituents for the quality of education in the schools within their jurisdiction. The question made me realize that “quality education” also has to do with helping our young earn their place in the profession or industry they choose.
Have our schools given them the skills that the profession or industry of their choice are looking for?
The question made me recall a recent conversation I had with a professional leadership coach.
In that conversation, the topic of “21st century skills” came up.
My coach-friend echoed what we have been hearing lately: that these so-called 21st century skills are the game-changer. They are what gives a person the so-called “competitive edge” when applying for a job or vying for a promotion.
The skills fall under three categories: learning skills, life skills and literacy skills.
The “learning skills” appear to be most in-demand in the big corporations today. These include critical thinking, creativity, collaborating and communicating. Simply put, the applicant for hiring or promotion stands a better chance of landing the job or the higher position if he or she can prove that they possess these skills.
“Critical thinking” refers to the ability of a person to inquire; to process information and make sense of them; to organize the information into patterns and frameworks and find good use for such in the real world. “Creativity” means being able to generate ideas; to think out of the box; to innovate and find new solutions.
“Collaborating” refers to the ability to work with others and create “interdependence;” to share a purpose and help others pursue their goals. “Communicating” refers to the ability to convey meaning to others and create understanding.
The presumption here is that applicants are at par with each other when it comes to the technical skills that the job or position requires. Since not everyone who possesses the said technical skills can be hired, the prospecting organization looks for and gives the job to the one with the highest level of 21st century skills.
It is interesting that companies have now given these skills recognition and respect.
We recall that a few decades ago, these were referred to as “soft skills” and were considered “good to have” but not essential and were not seen as “competitive edge.”
We surmise that companies have seen these skills are crucial as their operating environments changed. Today, businesses need to be able to quickly adapt to rapid changes. They also need to compete harder for customers. The support of their stakeholders matters today more than ever. So, companies need to be able to think quickly and creatively, to come up with solutions to new challenges, and to communicate well with a distracted, multi-tasking, and skeptical market.
We recall that we were not taught these skills in school. Of course, there were efforts by our teachers to create interaction among students. We did not interpret the interaction as part of learning important skills.
We learned these 21st century skills in the school called life.
We learned them in the arena of public service.
These skills are crucial if an elective official is to have the ability to understand and solve the complex problems of society. He needs them to rally his constituents behind a program or a policy. These skills are badly needed because leadership in the public arena requires consensus and the collaboration of interests which oftentimes clash.
We are pleased to note that these abilities are now being sought after by the business sector.
We hope that our education sector would find a way to integrate the acquisition of these crucial skills into the curriculum of our schools at all levels.
These are now important to our young people’s ability to make it in the real world.
*For feedback, please email it to [email protected] or send it to Block 6 Lot 10 Sta. Barbara 1 cor. Bradley St., Mission Hills Subd., Brgy. San Roque, Antipolo City, Rizal.
Dr. Jun Ynares
“Do you think they have what it takes to succeed?”
That was the question my wife, Andeng asked me recently.
We were watching the replay of the livestreaming of a university graduation ceremony, and she had earlier been admiring “the wonderful look of hope and optimism” in the bright, young faces of the members of the Class of 2022.
She was recalling how it felt to be young and to be so excited about the future and what it holds. Her joyful mood turned into a worried moment as she wondered aloud whether or not there are enough job opportunities for the fresh graduates and if our education system had given them enough knowledge and skills to ensure that they make it in the professional world.
The question stayed with me. As part of the local government sector, I am aware that education is one of our responsibilities. Local governments do not only provide classrooms; they also answer to their constituents for the quality of education in the schools within their jurisdiction. The question made me realize that “quality education” also has to do with helping our young earn their place in the profession or industry they choose.
Have our schools given them the skills that the profession or industry of their choice are looking for?
The question made me recall a recent conversation I had with a professional leadership coach.
In that conversation, the topic of “21st century skills” came up.
My coach-friend echoed what we have been hearing lately: that these so-called 21st century skills are the game-changer. They are what gives a person the so-called “competitive edge” when applying for a job or vying for a promotion.
The skills fall under three categories: learning skills, life skills and literacy skills.
The “learning skills” appear to be most in-demand in the big corporations today. These include critical thinking, creativity, collaborating and communicating. Simply put, the applicant for hiring or promotion stands a better chance of landing the job or the higher position if he or she can prove that they possess these skills.
“Critical thinking” refers to the ability of a person to inquire; to process information and make sense of them; to organize the information into patterns and frameworks and find good use for such in the real world. “Creativity” means being able to generate ideas; to think out of the box; to innovate and find new solutions.
“Collaborating” refers to the ability to work with others and create “interdependence;” to share a purpose and help others pursue their goals. “Communicating” refers to the ability to convey meaning to others and create understanding.
The presumption here is that applicants are at par with each other when it comes to the technical skills that the job or position requires. Since not everyone who possesses the said technical skills can be hired, the prospecting organization looks for and gives the job to the one with the highest level of 21st century skills.
It is interesting that companies have now given these skills recognition and respect.
We recall that a few decades ago, these were referred to as “soft skills” and were considered “good to have” but not essential and were not seen as “competitive edge.”
We surmise that companies have seen these skills are crucial as their operating environments changed. Today, businesses need to be able to quickly adapt to rapid changes. They also need to compete harder for customers. The support of their stakeholders matters today more than ever. So, companies need to be able to think quickly and creatively, to come up with solutions to new challenges, and to communicate well with a distracted, multi-tasking, and skeptical market.
We recall that we were not taught these skills in school. Of course, there were efforts by our teachers to create interaction among students. We did not interpret the interaction as part of learning important skills.
We learned these 21st century skills in the school called life.
We learned them in the arena of public service.
These skills are crucial if an elective official is to have the ability to understand and solve the complex problems of society. He needs them to rally his constituents behind a program or a policy. These skills are badly needed because leadership in the public arena requires consensus and the collaboration of interests which oftentimes clash.
We are pleased to note that these abilities are now being sought after by the business sector.
We hope that our education sector would find a way to integrate the acquisition of these crucial skills into the curriculum of our schools at all levels.
These are now important to our young people’s ability to make it in the real world.
*For feedback, please email it to [email protected] or send it to Block 6 Lot 10 Sta. Barbara 1 cor. Bradley St., Mission Hills Subd., Brgy. San Roque, Antipolo City, Rizal.