Competencies of the future

WHAT ARE COMPETENCES OF THE FUTURE?

DO POLISH UNIVERSITIES TEACH THEM?

WHAT SHOULD THE UNIVERSITY OF THE FUTURE BE LIKE?

In the context of digital transformation, knowledge is becoming a key resource, and the key competence of people and organizations is the way and speed of its acquisition and use. In the labor market shaped by automation and platformization processes, employees who, based on advanced cognitive, social and technical competences (including digital ones), will be able to adapt their skill profile to the rapidly changing expectations of employers will find their place.

What role will universities play in acquiring the skills of the future? What do students themselves say about their studies and what are their expectations? This is discussed in the DELab UW report prepared for the Polish Entrepreneurship Fund and Google.

WHAT ARE COMPETENCES OF THE FUTURE?

Technical skills – engineering and digital – will be of great importance, but the key skills will be the ones that distinguish human work from the work of robots or artificial intelligence, such as the ability to make decisions and pass judgments, creation and empathy. Increasingly, tasks will be hybrid in nature, combining the skills of humans and machines. People will train machines (e.g. teach artificial intelligence), and machines will enhance the potential of humans, increasing their cognitive, communication and physical capabilities.

FUTURE COMPETENCES DIVIDED INTO THREE SKILL GROUPS: COGNITIVE, SOCIAL AND TECHNICAL

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE TOO FEW CLASSES IN THEIR COURSES

DO POLISH UNIVERSITIES TEACH THEM?

Studies broaden horizons, inspire and build social capital. The vast majority of students and graduates we surveyed (81%) agreed with the statement that studies ensure intellectual development. However, the results of the study show that workshop participants share the feeling that Polish universities are not the best place to develop skills of the future.

WHAT SHOULD THE UNIVERSITY OF THE FUTURE BE LIKE?

The University of the Future is actively involved in activities undertaken within the broader educational ecosystem. Modern solutions are moving towards increasing the flexibility of programs and changing the forms of student education: moving away from the rigid division into semesters and years of study, teaching and applying theory in practice, and greater emphasis on engaging students in practical project work.

PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE FOR WHO IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT STUDIES TEACH COMPETENCES IN THE FIELD OF

There has never been a better time to have workers with the right skills or education, those who can use technology to create value. And there has never been a worse time to have workers with only “ordinary” skills and abilities, as computers, robots, and other digital technologies gain them at an extraordinary rate.

E. Brynjolfsson, A. McAfee