Thinking outside the box - improving employability

I'll start off straight away by saying this post is not a link to a specific resource for you to use - this is more about reminding you about how important the job you are doing in the classroom is for the future employability of your students. Whilst doing some research into the classroom of the future I came across an article which reminded me of a statistic I had already heard - according to the Department of Labor in the United States 65% of current school children will end up in jobs that haven't been created yet.

This is a strikingly high percentage and I guess it is the equivalent of saying that 10 years ago we might not have understood the importance of developing apps for mobile technology and how this would generate jobs in the future. Well, whatever becomes a pattern in the US is likely to be repeated over here so we should recognise how education plays an important part in preparing young people for an ever-changing world.

A common question I have always got from both prospective students and their parents is 'what kind of job does a qualification in Economics lead to?' My stock answer is to list off the careers of students who have been through my classes and this list includes jobs such as accountancy, financial services, estate agents along with many others. Rarely, however, have many of my ex-students gone on to become Economists. In fact, very few of my university peers used their degree to become Economists either. So what does Economics bring to the table (other than the sheer joy of learning a subject that interweaves the very fabric of our behaviour and society!)? A good student of Economics needs to do more then just learn theories and manipulate data to illustrate a point - Economics pushes students to question the validity of everything. It gets them to think critically and to evaluate the consequences of decisions. It teaches them that there are few universal truths - that most suppositions come from opinion but that hard data and facts can assist with formulating a plan.

So in the brave new world facing the young people of today, their ability to think laterally and with a critical eye will be paramount in helping them get the job of the future. Assisting the development of these skills is critical in promoting economic growth in the UK and that's where you come in.

If you would like to read the article that reminded me of this statistic please follow this link, which you might find interesting in itself as it promotes the greater use of technology in the classroom.