Jobs of the Future: Skills Needed for Success

By Carol K. Kennedy, Ph.D.

Jobs of the Future: Skills needed for success

What kinds of skills will my child need to get a job in the post-Covid world and in the future?

We all wonder what kinds of jobs will be available and what kinds of skills will our young people need in the coming future.  Recently there was a survey put out to several top US companies as to what they are looking for in their employees and how our schools can train young people to fill these jobs.  How can we prepare our children to develop the skills to compete for these jobs?

Skills needed: According to the executives and CEO's who were interviewed, digital and social/emotional skills are a top priority.  This includes effective teamwork, the ability to collaborate.  We need to ask our schools to focus on teaching coaching, collaboration, motivating different types of workers and allow for their different personalities, promote inclusiveness and the ability to resolve conflict.

So our children need to be able to adapt to change, be resilient, have a sense of self-awareness and personal well-being.  There is an emphasis on being grounded and centered, be able to show empathy, be open to on-going growth and be self-motivated. Having good communications skills, including being able to express yourself in person and digitally are very important. Schools must be able to integrate technology and creativity to develop much-needed skills.  Finally, our young people must have the ability to learn, acquire new skills and knowledge, and anticipate change in their environment.

This is a tall order, especially for those young people with disabilities and on the Autism Spectrum, but certainly not unattainable. Our schools should be focusing on developing these skills.  You should be demanding this as parents to ensure your child's future.  We at KBS hope to be able to provide your child the tools they need to succeed in all of these areas.