It is very natural for us to reflect on what the world of tomorrow might be like and with that to contemplate the skills that our students may most require in their futures. Educators are not alone in this endeavour. Economists certainly have their ideas on these questions and although their perspective might be heavily biased towards an education system that supplies a business-ready workforce, it can be enlightening to observe the trends they identify.
A key part of the work carried out by the World Economic Forum (WEF) is this sort of prognosticating. They have developed a tool that aims to bring a wealth of resources together and to publish them in an easily accessible format. They call this tool “Strategic Intelligence”. It is most interesting to investigate the Education and Skills section. Upon loading and creating a free login you gain access to a circular web of interconnected ideas entering on Education and Skills. The WEF identifies six significant parameters; Lifelong Learning Pathways, Quality Basic Education, 21st Century Curricula, Relevant Specialised Education, Digital Fluency and STEM Skills and Education Innovation. Each of these is then connected to a mix of twenty-four related ideas that occur across multiple “Insight Areas”.
The site contains a great depth of information and links to a wide range of academic articles. For the educator seeking to go deep on a topic, this can be a great place to explore even if the articles under each heading are sometimes quite tangential to the main idea.
For the typical educator, the beauty of the site is found through exploring the connections it makes visible. The site's interactive map of topics makes visible some of the complexity involved in educational systems. We might for example have an interest in Quality Basic Education. Click on this topic and you discover that it is related to topics such as sustainable development, civic participation, human rights and ageing. If Educational Innovation interests you then you might also want to explore topics such as the fourth industrial revolution, development finance and the future of computing. If nothing else it is a site that will prompt questions and encourage a broader perspective on issues central to education.
Exploring the WEF site reminded me of a film by Jeremy Rifkin about the Third Industrial Revolution. In this economist and social theorist encourages us to consider how a radical new sharing economy might transform our economy and our daily lives. It is a provocative and expansive vision for the world of work.
The global economy is in crisis. The exponential exhaustion of natural resources, declining productivity, slow growth, rising unemployment, and steep inequality, forces us to rethink our economic models. Where do we go from here? In this feature-length documentary, social and economic theorist Jeremy Rifkin lays out a road map to usher in a new economic system. A Third Industrial Revolution is unfolding with the convergence of three pivotal technologies: an ultra-fast 5G communication internet, a renewable energy internet, and a driverless mobility internet, all connected to the Internet of Things embedded across society and the environment.
Rifkin’s vision for the future might not be your cup of tea and the relevance of any prediction made pre-COVID-19 needs to be questioned. Despite this qualification, “The Third Industrial Revolution” remains a film that will get you thinking and wondering if the world we might be heading towards is the world we want.
By Nigel Coutts