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If it feels like the pace of life has increased lately, it’s probably just a taste of things to come. According to a report written by the Institute of the Future (IFTF) – and published by Dell Technologies – the speed at which our planet is developing is set to accelerate so much that 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet.
According to a statement released by Dell: “The pace of change will be so rapid that people will learn ‘at the moment’ using new technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality. The ability to gain new knowledge will be more valuable than the knowledge itself.
Pace is not the only thing that’s set to change. According to the report, the nature of people’s work will transform too, with “work chasing people, rather than people pursuing jobs. As something of an expansion on today’s “gig economy”, businesses will probably set out tasks and then use information technology to match them with the ideal international candidates and technology.
“Instead of expecting workers to bear the brunt of finding work, work will compete for the best resource to complete the job,” Dell’s report explains. “By loosening the ties between work and geography, it will be possible to chip away at the misalignment of global talent that exists today.”
The report does add, however, that this shift from traditional full-time work to a “gig economy” could come with challenges, like social disruption. “Businesses will need to manage this shift carefully,” the report suggests. “Upon first glance, any reduction in full-time employment could seem perilous for the economic stability of individuals and families.” On the plus side though, the transformation in the nature of work “will unleash novel opportunities for a diverse pool of truly global talent.”
According to Dina El Gammal, Centre Manager at Ora, early-year education must adapt to ensure that today’s young people are not only able to merge into a faster-paced working world but are also able to design and lead it. She says: “Most of today’s education programs introduce children to the world as we know it today, not as it will be tomorrow. Aside from preparing today’s young people to engage with the future, we have to foster in them a desire to actually create and lead it. Our forward-thinking Zayed Early-Learning Framework – a programme guided by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai – aims to do just that. Through child-initiated learning methods that use age-appropriate developmental-and-skills-based techniques, interactive and immersive classrooms, and child-safe technology, we give young people the chance to visualize the future they will lead.
Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is also launching future-thinking initiatives that embrace new styles of learning, moving away from the centuries-old education systems the world still uses today. One of KHDA’s new programmes, Rahhal, is a “flexible and accessible education model providing knowledge, skills and experiences to the community at any age”. It recognises “all the learning that takes place [both in and outside of a classroom], enabling learners to build upon their experiences and present those to employers as attested, official proof of their learning history”. Under the Rahhal system, even hobbies are considered legitimate learning, and they are as valid as traditional examinations. Interestingly, students won’t need to go to one school, but will be able to study part-time at two, three or even four different mainstream schools.
Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, KHDA’s Director General says: “We are now putting the prototypes and processes in place to pilot the programme by September 2018. This is in consideration with the beginning of the 2018/19 academic year. In May 2019, we’re going to bring our partners and stakeholders together to review what went well and what could have gone better. At that point, we’ll be ready to put together future recommendations and roll out Rahhal to all residents in Dubai.