Skills that will shape future professionals

We live in a world where only one thing is certain - constant change. Every industry is getting influenced by technology. Education, being the foundation of every industry, has felt the waves of this disruption the most. The use of technology is being adopted within pedagogy and learning and it has been growing. Institutions and educators are rapidly learning to adapt to change.

With technology dominating the workplace, future trends are sure to be exciting. The new employment paradigms and digital disruption are putting pressure on traditional educational setups to provide more relevant experience-driven learning, something that can help students prepare for the future job landscape.

Certain skills are the need of the hour as they would enable learners to be in sync with the skill in the demand model. A survey conducted by the World Economic Forum spanning 9 industries and 15 regions identified these key skills which will be indispensable in the future. These include the four Cs of future skills that are communication, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. These soft skills are highly valued in today's world by employers in addition to the competencies and capabilities of individuals.

These four Cs have been heralded as the 21st-century skills as they help strengthen the learners' ability to be able to succeed not only professionally but also socially in today's rapidly changing world.

Communication represents the ability to be able to connect and encourage clear exchange of views and information between individuals and groups. Communication is not just about conveying thoughts but understanding the other parties and being able to make healthy discussions and avoiding conflict. It is considered a golden skill because it is very important for students to learn how to convey their thoughts in a way that others can understand them and be able to communicate effectively. Communication remains one of the most important professional and social skills for an individual.

Collaboration is an essential skill for individuals to learn as it enables people to work together to achieve a common goal or objective. Collaboration also allows the individual to be able to engage in teamwork. Practicing collaboration helps individuals work with each other, understand collectively how to address a problem, and work on the best course of action. It encourages trust and criticism and allows everyone to look through via a second lens.

Creativity enables thinking about fresh ideas and opinions and bringing forth new perspectives. In plain terms, it means looking at a scenario from multiple perspectives and then sharing innovative and new solutions to approach the scenario. It is a much-needed skill that helps people be more proactive and be more non-conventional, healthy and productive. Solutions need not be run of the mill and thus, creative thinking allows for syncretization of information in different ways to come up with newer and different ways to solve problems.

Critical thinking is about solving problems. It also empowers students to discover the truth, separating fact from opinion. Students get to learn to interpret facts and figures and use them to prepare themselves for a more powerful and application-based aptitude. Technology is now an inherent part of problem-solving and it is important for professionals to be well versed with the latest developments.

Currently, when digital movement is driving massive changes in our lives, the 4Cs are the power skills that would help a student become a thorough and thought through professional. It is essential that these skills are indicated in the curriculum and more so into the K12 education system, something that the students can learn right from the start. Educators and curriculum developers need to rethink strategies and stress the importance of the "Four Cs," and include them in the classroom for practice.