What Skills Should Children Have for the Global Economy?

The global economy has changed and so has how we think about education. It is, of course, difficult to predict the future, but it is quite clear that the marketplace has become global in nature and more competitive. This means that flexibility in approach and thinking is becoming increasingly important. Here are some things your child should be able to do in order to be competitive for the global economy!

Apply Information in a Flexible and Creative Way
In the past, a great deal of what was deemed to be successful educational outcomes depended on the ability of students to memorize and regurgitate facts. There will always be a need for children to know certain information. But in the future, being able to apply what is learned in a flexible and creative way will become more important. Solutions come from creativity and flexible thinking, and so expect them to take on an even higher level of importance. 

Be Able to Adapt
Another important skill for the global economy is adaptability. Being able to quickly adapt to new realities is of paramount importance. As the global marketplace changes quickly, workers will need to be able to adjust to a faster pace of change than past generations. A key contributing factor to this is our rapidly evolving technology. We are rapidly becoming a tech-obsessed world and will likely become even more tech focused in the next few decades. Do your child a favor and make sure that they are tech savvy.

Be Social
Dealing with people from different cultures around the world has never played a greater role in the economy than it does today. People are moving to different countries for work, and this means that your child will likely find themselves not just working with someone from the other side of the country, but also from the other side of the world. An inability to deal with, relate to, and respect people from different cultures and backgrounds will kill your child's career before it even starts. 

At the heart of all three of these factors is change. The leaders of tomorrow will be the ones that are most comfortable with change and who can adapt quickly. Helping children become comfortable with our evolving world is one of the key steps that teachers and parents can take to ensure that children are both happy and successful in the future.