Highlight on SDG 4: Bridging the Gap
by Lindsay Nygren (AC Lyon)
SDG 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
Education is often regarded as the gateway to success and thought of as a necessity to gain opportunities and have a prosperous life, regardless of social standing. Education creates hope in youth and adults who are seeking to build a better future for themselves, their families and their communities. But in recent years there has been a disparity between education taught and skills gained. Both youth and adults entering and adapting to the workforce find that they are lacking practical training and employers are seeking higher-educated graduates with real-world experience. And the blame doesn’t solely fall on the universities, but is an all-around question: is the current education system supporting the demand for technical and vocational skills in today’s workplace?
I’ve always known that I was going to attend university. There was never any question on that; it just seemed to be the normal pathway to a career. But even going through secondary education I would often wonder when my classes would play into my chosen line of work. And when applying for jobs after graduating, my fellow peers and I would often joke that most employers were looking for a “graduate student for an entry-level position with 20 years relevant experience.” It may be slightly exaggerated, but it still hits home that perhaps the levels from education to employment are not aligned. But it still doesn’t take away from the fact that higher education is required for most jobs created today.
A recent article published by POLITICO examined whether the US education system was keeping up with the demand. The table illustrates how quickly jobs are being generated but also how essential tertiary education is.
As I dove deeper into understanding how an individual would obtain these relevant skills, I came across an article in Forbes which put a spotlight on the differences in opinion of being prepared for work and the growing skills gap.
This article highlighted the "Seven Survival Skills" by Dr. Tony Wagner (critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration, agility and adaptability, initiative and entrepreneurship, communication, curiosity and analysis) as necessary skills and that the use of unconventional partnerships should be fostered to instill them in youth and adults. To combat the growing gap there have been several programs formed across the globe to focus on developing these “survival” skills, especially in emerging markets and to fuel growing economies. Injaz Al-Arab in the Middle East and North Africa, Financially Sustainable Schools in Latin America, Finland’s Me and MyCity, Big Picture Learning in the United States, Studio Schools in the UK, the Minerva Schools, and the Thiel Program have been established to focus on work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. And this is not confined solely to emerging markets, but in a global context to develop forward-thinking individuals and provide long-term, adaptable skills. “The objective is clear: don’t just impart knowledge to learners; teach them what do to with it” (Forbes, 2016). Organizations and programs like this are working to fulfill the SDG 4.4. Bridging the Gap in that they “help(s) re-instate a sense of stability, confidence and most importantly…provide(s) hope and prospects” (Hahn, 2018). In the long-term it is the role of multiple stakeholders to meet the challenge and make a change to align education systems with workforce needs and make this education available for youth and adults for a prosperous and sustainable tomorrow.
Sources:
https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2019/01/16/education-policy-solutions-000866
