Employers need to drive the education revolution
I attended the TEDxLondon conference 'Education Revolution' at the weekend. This ‘independently organised’ TED event, held at the Roundhouse in Camden, was a coming together of technologists, teachers, students, artists, campaigners, inventors, film-makers, musicians and cultural leaders.
Sir Ken Robinson introduced the event with his view that education needs to be personalised, rather than standardised, if society is to gain real benefits. Watch this video to find out more on this.
Some of the speakers were only tenuously connected to the theme of the day, but all were inspiring and it gave the audience plenty of discussion points and ideas to debate - how can schools make better use of technology to promote creativity, engagement and learning? What will be the impact on education strategy and policy?
The only thing missing was the employer's view, and with education the starting point for everyone’s journey into employment, it’s possibly the most important. Other than the individual and society as a whole, it is employers who really gain the intrinsic value of a well educated population. If businesses are to thrive, they need the right people, with the right skills, to run them.
How do we teach and train the workforce of tomorrow? How do we forecast the skills they’ll need to be productive and employable? Many of the jobs of the future don’t yet exist, so how can we support the next generation if we don’t yet know what they’ll need?
Likewise, should we also be predicting which jobs will not exist in the future, to steer children away from training for them? Think about the many jobs that existed 15 years ago, but have been automated or replaced by technology? Think about how many industries have been fundamentally changed by the digital revolution.
Yet how can we encourage students to learn on software and hardware which may be obsolete by the time they enter the world of work?
How do technology teachers teach, when their students already know more than they do?
Almost more important than knowing specific, limited skills, young people need to be equipped with the right attitude and thought processes to be able to learn and adapt in a constantly evolving world.
The rapid pace of change in technology is something that needs to be embraced by society as it prepares for the future. Education strategy needs to be central to this and shaped in partnership with businesses and employers.
Sir Ken Robinson introduced the event with his view that education needs to be personalised, rather than standardised, if society is to gain real benefits. Watch this video to find out more on this.
Some of the speakers were only tenuously connected to the theme of the day, but all were inspiring and it gave the audience plenty of discussion points and ideas to debate - how can schools make better use of technology to promote creativity, engagement and learning? What will be the impact on education strategy and policy?
The only thing missing was the employer's view, and with education the starting point for everyone’s journey into employment, it’s possibly the most important. Other than the individual and society as a whole, it is employers who really gain the intrinsic value of a well educated population. If businesses are to thrive, they need the right people, with the right skills, to run them.
How do we teach and train the workforce of tomorrow? How do we forecast the skills they’ll need to be productive and employable? Many of the jobs of the future don’t yet exist, so how can we support the next generation if we don’t yet know what they’ll need?
Likewise, should we also be predicting which jobs will not exist in the future, to steer children away from training for them? Think about the many jobs that existed 15 years ago, but have been automated or replaced by technology? Think about how many industries have been fundamentally changed by the digital revolution.
Yet how can we encourage students to learn on software and hardware which may be obsolete by the time they enter the world of work?
How do technology teachers teach, when their students already know more than they do?
Almost more important than knowing specific, limited skills, young people need to be equipped with the right attitude and thought processes to be able to learn and adapt in a constantly evolving world.
The rapid pace of change in technology is something that needs to be embraced by society as it prepares for the future. Education strategy needs to be central to this and shaped in partnership with businesses and employers.
Labels: education revolution, Education strategy, Sir Ken Robinson, technology, TED, TEDxLondon
posted by Jon
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