The economy of tomorrow is emerging: What does it mean for education?

Change on a broad scale is needed in order not to let those who have already been left behind today fall even further behind. What has McKinsey revealed as the consequences for education?

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People aren’t good at thinking about the future and about the collective. When an individual worker makes a decision, he doesn’t take these perspectives into account. Social engineers will probably provide recommendations how to nudge people into making lifelong learning a reality. It probably can't be left to people themselves.

They need to be helped in order to learn and advance. Be it the state or companies, some support will likely be needed. There will probably be a race to develop institutions that offer this kind of support. The number of people who need to learn fast are high: in Greece and Spain, 50% of people aged between 20-30 are unemployed.

Current students will need new skills

Adaptive challenges will be omnipresent. Human workers will do what AI and robots won't be good at. A growth mind-set will be a necessity. It's not necessarily true that people will change their employers, but they will shift multiple times in their lives when it comes to their own growth. The employer might be the same or different, that isn't very important.

Nowadays, students are taught to approach AI as a team member rather than as threat. Analytical jobs are being removed by machines, and thanks to that, MBA graduates can move into higher-skilled jobs.

If you're human, you still have a competitive advantage. Things are changing fast and also the rate of change is increasing. Students should be taught what tools people need and what skills people must possess. They also need to learn how to lead an organization and manage its employee talent properly.

-jk-

Article source McKinsey & Company - global management consulting firm
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