The future of jobs and skills, your UCAS nomination, and the importance of learning how to learn.
😊 Welcome
This week our main article steps away directly from the university application process. For better or for worse, most people view university as a route to a better job. And jobs need skills. So what could be more important than understanding exactly what skills employers are looking for so you can make sure you develop them at university?
We then look at a small hack in the UCAS application form that might just help if things go wrong.
And finally a simple quote about what it really means to be educated.
✍️ The world is changing. What does that mean for jobs and the skills you need?
It won’t have escaped your attention that the world moves and changes over time.
Sure, the younger you are, the less you notice change, but no one over the age of about twelve can have failed to notice the impact that the COVID pandemic has on all our lives. Nor can you have missed the rise of AI technology, apps and digital personalisation changing the way we learn and take on new challenges. And the existential threat of climate change will be obvious to everyone but the most closed-minded.
Each of these things has an impact on our lives, and of course our future careers.
And every couple of years, the World Economic Forum publishes their Future of Jobs report, which looks at the impact of these world-wide issues on jobs and the skills needed. The latest version came out in May this year. It’s quite a piece of work, the fourth of its type in a decade, and based on a large-scale, world-wide survey of employers.
It is an absolute gold-mine of information, data and insight into the future of careers, and as you make important decisions about your future studies and career, you are going to want to know about it!
However, it’s 300 pages long, so you’ll be delighted to know that I’ve read it, so you don’t have to.
💡 Did You Know?
In your UCAS application you get to nominate someone who can speak to UCAS on your behalf. This is really important, because if things go even a little bit wrong during the process, you might need someone to make a call to UCAS on your behalf. The only person who will be able to do this will be the person you put on the form.
Most students put either a parent OR a trusted teacher.
However, a little known hack is that you can actually include two people and simply put a “/” or an “&” in between their names.
This way you can nominate a parent as well as a teacher.
📢 Quote of the week
“The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn … and change.”
Carl Rogers, Psychologist
In today’s article, we saw that the latest report from the World Economic Forum had ‘curiosity and lifelong learning’ as the number five most in demand skill by employers. I’d agree that it’s important, but in fact, I’d put it right at the top of the pile if you are someone who wants to be able to move between jobs, industries and careers over a lifetime!
To my mind, there is nothing more important than learning how to learn, and learning how to change as a result.
Thanks for reading!
Jonathan
🎯 In case you missed it
Things to see, do and ask at a University Open Day
📅 Next week
Next week we’ll go right back in to university admissions with an article all about university interviews: what they are for, what they might include, and how to prepare for them!
