In a few months time Grade 9 learners will be required to make important decisions about which combination of subjects they will pursue through to their final matric exams.
This is an important first milestone on the road to building a career, an education expert says, adding that while the decision would normally be left until later in the year, the world has changed so dramatically that Grade 9 learners should start thinking about this significant decision sooner rather than later.
Natasha Madhav, Senior Head of Programme: Faculty of ICT at The Independent Institute of Education says the world changed last year, not just because schooling and work were disrupted and not just because both had to happen from home in ways never imagined before. “The world changed because we are unlikely to go back to what we experienced in 2019,” she says.
“Even if we go back fully to school or work in buildings, the way we work, teach, and learn will always be different as we face the possibility of future disruptions or changes in skills that are in demand.”
Madhav adds that it has long been said that one needs to prepare young people for jobs that do not exist, but this has never been a concept that has been crystallised in a way that really helped one make decisions. “Perhaps it is clearer now to focus on preparing for a world of work that is changed and focusing on industries and skill sets that are and will be in demand, rather than on jobs with names that are familiar to us.
“So, for instance, law has not vanished as a field, but most lawyers now need to consult online as easily as they do in person, and they can collaborate in real time with colleagues all over the place. They also need to advise people on both physical and digital implications of what they do. Unfortunately, those giving career advice may not have made the transitions.”
One report notes: “The top skills and skill groups which employers see as rising in prominence in the lead-up to 2025 include groups such as critical thinking and analysis as well as problem solving, and skills in self-management such as active learning, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility. On average, companies estimate that around 40% of workers will require re-skilling of six months or less, and 94% of business leaders report they expect employees to pick up new skills on the job, a sharp uptake from 65% in 2018.”
So where to start researching which careers will exist when you matriculate, and which of them might interest you?
Madhav advises that a good place to start, on top of doing online research, is to find a higher education institution that has already demonstrated it produces technically proficient and in-demand graduates, whose skills are aligned with what is required in the workplace because of their close industry connections.
“By speaking to a student advisor at such an institution, which crucially must also be able to demonstrate that meaningful learning continued during lockdown, learners will be able to discuss their current interests and strengths, and then get advice and insight into which fields will be in high demand in future, and which subjects they can choose later this year, which will give them access to these fields.”
