Bic hosted a transformative masterclass tagged ‘Canvas of Change to educate future generations on how the workforce skills are shifting to require more creativity.
In a constantly evolving world, education has had to move with the tides, necessitating a switch from stringent traditional methods and techniques of teaching to flexible, out-of-box methodologies. This switch, as exemplified by data reported over the years, is crucial to the employability of young people in today’s job market.
According to the Managing Director of Trace Academy, Femi Taiwo, at the latest Masterclass held by BIC for teachers in Nigeria (under the Canvas of Change initiative), workforce skills are shifting to require more creativity.
“This incorporates complex information processing and interpretation, advanced IT skills, and an increasing ability to lead and manage others. Top recruiters in today’s Nigerian job market are increasingly searching for such skills.
According to a survey referenced during Taiwo’s session on ‘Developing Future-Ready Teenagers’, 90.9 per cent of recruiters stated that they prioritize problem-solving skills, 86.4 per cent prioritize communication skills, 77.3 per cent analytical skills, 54.5 per cent writing skills, 50 cent presentation skills, and 59.1 per cent digital literacy skills.
Mirroring these figures, a recent list of top in-demand skills curated and published by global business and employment platform LinkedIn reveals management, communication and leadership skills as highly sought after by employers and recruiters today.
The need for such skills has rippled into a necessity to prepare students for the future of work and social life. In Femi Taiwo’s words “Teachers today need to be better equipped to shape the attitudes, aspirations, and skills of students, positioning them to harness the opportunities presented by the increasingly digitized and flexible nature of every nation’s socio-economic fabric.”
Soon, navigating any socio-economic scene will require a penchant for lifelong learning as well as an adeptness with effective communication and collaboration skills – the backbone of any organization. Data from Forbes Advisor reveals that ineffective communication is the bane of any organisation.
A survey conducted by Forbes Advisor reported that 49 percent of respondents stated that ineffective communication impacted their productivity; 50 percent mentioned it affected job satisfaction; 42 percent stated that it affected their stress levels; and 40 percent reported that it adversely affected their trust in leadership and their team. Accordingly, students must be trained to communicate effectively.
At the same event, Olasunkanmi Opeifa, Teacher and Program Coordinator for Olusunkanmi Opeifa Educational Foundation, focused on putting this into practice and held a training session around the importance of communicating with impact.
In his session, Olusunkanmi stressed the fundamental pillars of effective communication: assessment, feedback, and feedforward that prepare students to be forward thinking, goal-driven, and agile in today’s fast-paced professional environment. Stressing on the importance of feedback and feedforward in developing students’ mindsets and attitudes, Olusunkanmi said “These twin engines foster minds that are predisposed to setting goals and facilitate dexterity by developing effective strategies and approaches to navigate complex situations.
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