The rapid development of technology these days is indeed impressive - stunning even. Our future is shaped by the things invented now, from robots to artificial intelligence (AI). The question is whether we are ready for this future?

And this is especially important when it’s our children we’re talking about. According to Mark Scott, the secretary of the NSW Department of Education, modern children face a more uncertain future than any child since the Industrial Revolution did.

Karen Hardy, a reporter at The Canberra Times, explains why she believes the job market in 2030 will be very different from the one we have now and from the one we expect it to become. It’s hard to predict something very specific at this point, but there’s one thing we can say for sure: if we want our children to succeed in the 2030 job market, we need to start investing into their education right now, changing it and making it more modern.

How could the development of AI shape the education?

Let’s face it: the modern educational system doesn’t simply meet the needs of the students - it also doesn’t differ much from the one that existed decades ago. Sure, these days teachers start using smart boards, online presentations, and other things to aid their work - but the real problem lies not in the tools they use and not in the teachers themselves. What matters the most (and what desperately needs to be changed) is the skill set that is built into the educational process.

While we can only assume how the job market will look in 10, 15, 20 years, there’s one thing we can say for sure: a lot of processes that could be automatized will be automatized with the help of the AI. So the jobs that were focused on such processes will slowly become unnecessary.

On the other hand, people will still need to work with the AI - and that’s where new challenges lie. These days we work with laptops and smartphones, which are actually a more advanced tech than before. And while this isn’t a struggle to many of us, some people do find mastering new technology difficult - moreover, robots would be indeed much more complex than smartphones.

That’s why modern education should adjust to that. The easiest way to do so is to focus on helping students build STEM skills along with the soft people skills like communication, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking — also known as the 4Cs.  According to the Education Commission of The States, between 2017 and 2027 the number of STEM jobs will increase 13 percent, compared to 9 percent for non-STEM ones. Therefore, focusing on building this skills is very important - just as teaching students advanced computing and the basics of communication with AI. Not only they would help to communicate and collaborate with AI effectively - building them also would help adjust to the changing job market effectively

Why it’s important? Because while AI will be able to solve certain tasks more effectively than human, they still lack the human component and don’t have the same flexibility of thinking as well as the same level of imagination. That’s why it’s so important to maximize those skills that make us human and unique.

Summing this up, the modern educational system needs to adjust to better prepare our children for success in the future workforce. By focusing on building our students’ STEM skills and 4Cs, we better prepare them to communicate effectively not only with each other but also the AI of the future.  I, as an experienced marketer and essaywriter, wish you good luck with your education!