In the last few weeks young, and not so young, students reached an important milestone in their lives when they graduated after years of study at the University. Some have already been offered jobs as their skills and knowledge are in great demand in Malta’s growing economy.

Others with qualifications that are less in demand will be knocking on the doors of employers hoping that their years of study will help them progress in the career they always dreamed of having.

It would be indeed unrealistic to argue that for the majority of people, tertiary education is not mainly about acquiring the skills to become employable and hopefully earn enough money to support the lifestyle that one aspires for.

Yet the big skills gap that we are experiencing in our economy indicates that there is still so much to be done to help young people make the right choices on what academic or vocational field to follow after leaving secondary school.

I dread to see the time when our economic growth will increasingly depend on imported labour while thousands of our young people struggle to find productive jobs in the private sector and go knocking on the doors of politicians to secure a low-paid unproductive job in the public service.

Of course, I am not referring to the public sector jobs that are often unappreciated by many but that add value to our society.

Teachers, medical and paramedical professionals, the police and armed forces as well as those working in the caring professions are the often unsung heroes on our public service.

Parents worry about the choices that their children make when it is time to start their tertiary education. Middle class families often have the right approach when they advise their children to research what skills will be in demand when they graduate and where job growth is likely to be strongest.

Other families who are constantly struggling to put bread on the table may have other priorities and their children can often make the wrong decision either by abandoning their education or choose the wrong academic or vocational courses.

As jobs for life become more scarce, lifelong learning will be a lifestyle option that this and future generations will have to embrace with more commitment

Devin Fidler is the research director of the US-based Institute of the Future, a non-profit research centre focused on long-term forecasting. In the report The Future of Jobs he says that ‘There are some overarching shifts poised to change the nature of work itself over the next decade’.

The Bureau of Labour Statistics of the US gives credence to Fidler’s comment and defines some of the skills that employers will be looking for in the next decade.

Ability in technology and computational thinking is probably the best way to land a good job in industries that are offering the best job growth potential.

Of course, this skill is so generic that one needs to zoom on the specific area of technology that has the best prospect of growth. Many argue that the management of the vast amount of data that tomorrow’s industries possess will be the most valued by employers.

Jobs that fall in this specialise area of IT include software development, systems analysts, and market research analysis.

The next most important area of job-growth will be that of caregiving. The western world’s aging population is an almost irreversible trend.

With people living longer, the increases in physical and mental limitations that prevent many older people from living an independent life will create a strong demand of caregiving services.

This is one area where robotics will have very little impact. It is going to take a very long time for robots to acquire the soft skills and the social and emotional intelligence to care for vulnerable people. Medical technicians, physical therapists, workplace ergonomics experts as well as medical secretaries will be in greater demand.

Fidler predicts that new media literacy will also be in greater demand in future. He argues: “Ability to understand various media platforms and how to best communicate effectively in them will be valuable skills that robots are unlikely to match any time soon.”

As jobs for life become more scarce, lifelong learning will be a lifestyle option that this and future generations will have to embrace with more commitment than their parents. Teachers and adult education trainers will be in demand as employers try to outsource this important functions.

Teaching will hopefully become a better appreciated vocation as so far this profession has not been properly valued.

I will further discuss the importance of project-based work in another article.

johncassarwhite@yahoo.com