By Annika Giering
Demographic developments and megatrends such as digitalization and globalization are shaping and changing almost all areas of life, work, and employment worldwide. Social challenges and technical innovations are further driving these increasingly complex and rapid developments. As a result, individuals and organizations are constantly faced with new tasks. This has led to new fields of activity and changed competence and qualification requirements.
Adaptability and flexibility are essential in order to cope with a changing world. Lifelong learning can be attributed central importance in this context. It describes “all learning throughout life that serves to improve knowledge, skills, and competencies […] within a personal, civic, […] or employment-related perspective” (European Commission 2002, p. 17).
As the main providers of continuing education, organizations are primarily called upon to create the conditions for continuous learning (and further education) in the context of work. Establishing sustainable and future-proof training and continuing education is thus becoming a key corporate task.
Buzzword Future Skills – What’s behind it?
A large number of current initiatives, studies, and articles are attempting to answer the question of what specific skills, knowledge, and attitudes will be needed for the future (of work). There is repeated talk of “future skills.” But what is behind this buzzword?
Basically, skills can be understood as “abilities” (Hallmann, 2020). Originally, they were understood as a sub-area of competence, which is “generally understood [as] the combination of knowledge and ability in coping with action requirements” (BIBB, n.d.) and, more specifically, as “internal dispositions and representations of knowledge, abilities, and skills that can be learned and taught and that reflect basic requirements for action within a subject or occupational field” (BIBB, n.d.). Nowadays, both terms are mostly used synonymously and can no longer be clearly distinguished from one another.
In the context of future skills, the work of Stifterverband e. V. is particularly noteworthy. In collaboration with McKinsey & Company, it developed the Future Skills Framework, which identifies necessary future competencies and defines future skills as “cross-industry abilities, skills, and characteristics that will become more important in all areas of professional life and beyond in the next five years” (Stifterverband e. V. and McKinsey & Company, 2021, p. 13). Future skills are therefore those competencies that enable individuals and organizations to act sustainably.
The concept is based on a survey conducted in 2021 of 500 representatives from the business and scientific communities in German companies and public authorities, which was expanded through ongoing dialogue with relevant experts and other skill frameworks (e.g., Federal Employment Agency, OECD, UN).
In total, the Future Skills Framework 2021 comprises 21 future skills, which are divided into four skill areas: “Classic skills,” “Key digital skills,” “Transformative skills,” and “Technological skills”:
Future Skills Framework 2021 (Own representation based on Stifterverband der Deutschen Wissenschaft e. V. and McKinsey & Company, 2021, p. 5)
Traditional skills
Classic skills form the basis for the ability of individuals and organizations to act as fundamental non-digital key competencies. These include, for example, problem-solving skills, creativity, and resilience.
Digital key competencies
Digital key competencies represent an extension of traditional key competencies, relating to the competent handling of an increasingly digitalized environment. The decisive factors here are both the handling and active shaping of digital data, media, and environments, for example in the context of digital collaboration or digital learning.
Transformative skills
As their name suggests, transformative skills focus on transformation and are intended to enable not only a response to current developments, but also active shaping of future developments. These skills include, for example, judgment, dialogue, and conflict management skills.
Technological expertise
While the previous skill categories are relevant for the general public, the category of technological skills mainly applies to tech specialists. It encompasses those skills that enable the design and efficient use of established and new technologies. Examples include software and hardware development, data analytics, and artificial intelligence.
How can future skills be (further) developed in education and training?
Contrary to what the term “future skills” might initially suggest, the skills mentioned are not only relevant in the future, but are already crucial for the ability to act and participate in society today. In order to ensure the long-term adaptability and employability of employees and the innovation and competitiveness of organizations, strong, goal-oriented training and continuing education in the workplace is and will remain a decisive factor for success.
Companies must therefore consciously promote the teaching of future skills in the context of work in order to be able to confidently face current and future challenges. Two factors are of central importance here. On the one hand, a company’s own strategically integrated competence management system, which enables organizations to identify company-specific competence requirements and meet them through targeted further training and qualification. On the other hand, a well-organized network and broad-based cooperation with companies, universities, and private education providers are needed to build a holistic and future-oriented continuing education system.
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Sources:
Berlitz (2022): Future Skills: Fit for tomorrow’s world of work. https://www.berlitz.com/de-de/blog/future-skills
Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) (n.d.): Definition and contextualization of the term “competence.” https://www.bibb.de/de/8570.php
Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) (2021): Adult Education Survey (AES). https://www.bibb.de/de/1656.php
Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) & Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (2019): National Continuing Education Strategy. https://www.bmbf.de/de/nationale-weiterbildungsstrategie-8853.html
Hallmann, J. (2020). Life skills and skills development. In: Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) (ed.). Key terms in health promotion and prevention. Glossary of concepts, strategies, and methods. https://doi.org/10.17623/BZGA:Q4-i070-2.0
Competence Center for Securing Skilled Labor (KOFA) (2023): Future Skills. https://www.kofa.de/personalarbeit/weiterbildung/bedarfe-erkennen-und-planen/future-skills/
Koprek, M. (2022): New studies: These skills are now in high demand. https://www.kodekonzept.com/blog/neue-studien-diese-kompetenzen-sind-jetzt-besonders-gefragt/
McKinsey & Company (2021): Defining the skills citizens will need in the future world of work. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-sector/our-insights/defining-the-skills-citizens-will-need-in-the-future-world-of-work
Stifterverband der Deutschen Wissenschaft e. V. and McKinsey & Company (2021): Future Skills 2021: 21 Competencies for a Changing World. Discussion Paper No. 3. https://www.stifterverband.org/medien/future-skills-2021
Suessenbach, F. (2023): Future Skills: Digital Competencies in Times of Crisis. https://www.haufe.de/personal/neues-lernen/future-skills-digitale-kompetenzen-in-zeiten-der-krise_589614_585610.html
