THE SKILLS NEEDED FOR THE FUTURE
Background
Our society is constantly changing. Digitisation and mobility are becoming increasingly important to our society and will play an even greater role in the world economy in the future. This requires us to innovate with education playing an important role. In this changing economy, there is a strong connection between education and the professional work environment and to continue to respond to changes across the globe, this important partnership must design education strategy in an innovative way that responds to industry need.
How to determine the skills teachers will need in the future?
By being in constant communication with our stakeholders: business; students; government; other schools and educationalists, we keep up to date with the developments in and around the economy and skills gaps. These conversations will then help us to define what skills our teachers will need in the future. Examples of these skills are: motivating our young people; self-reflection and improvement; entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial behaviour; and continuous development of digital skills. This strategy mainly concerns the development of the softer, transversal skills.
In addition to discussions with these stakeholders, developments are also taking place at national and European level. For example, future skills needs are reflected in national and European governance. One suggestion to further determine what skills teachers will need in the future is to create more "future labs" in each country to identify and discuss these skills needs in a global context.
How do we include skills needed for the future in formal teacher training?
Formal teacher education/training is only the beginning. Future skills training mainly concerns the type of professional development a teacher will need to undertake following completion of formal teacher training or their teacher qualifications. The College’s own faculties/schools will play an important role in the continuous professional development of their teaching staff and other support staff within the faculty/school. In addition to structured professional development, sharing knowledge and peer learning are also important alongside mentoring and observation. However, it is vital on a whole College basis, to stay in touch with teacher training programs, to align as much as possible to the learning needs of our future teachers.
How do we ensure teachers are aware of the skills they will need in the future?
An appropriate curriculum offering to meet the demands from the labour market requires a more flexible vocational education structure. Regular and meaningful cooperation with stakeholders is critical in supporting this approach. Certainly, we must work closely with industry stakeholders who will clearly identify the skills shortage and areas of weakness. Our approach to lifelong learning must be in response to industry need and upskilling staff in specific areas is critical to success. Teachers must realise that the job role can no longer remain unchanged throughout their entire career, they must engage in and take responsibility for their own continuous professional development to ensure a curriculum that is current and reflects industry need. By working intensively with companies and institutions from various professional sectors, educators will quickly understand what changes are happening and what changes are needed to staff skills. However, non-teaching staff can also benefit from lifelong learning and the College must make consideration of this in professional development plans. Teachers must be facilitated, as much as is practically possible, to engage in continuous professional development opportunities. Professional development strategy needs to be driven by the College management team and actioned across the College to ensure parity of opportunity with activities being easily accessible and attractive to potential participants. An example of this from Albeda is the annual Learning & Innovation Conference. This is an event for, by and with teachers. Students are also increasingly involved in this to consult and identify their opinions regarding the College’s education provision. During this conference, teachers share best practice through a series of workshops on the innovations they use in daily educational practice.