The 21st century is typified by the VUCA acronym that has crossed over from military vernacular into everyday business use to describe the inherent volatility of modern life. It’s a world in which we’re told that the shelf life of skills is getting ever shorter, and therefore we must all learn continuously in order to have the skills required to thrive in whatever life throws at us.

There have been various attempts to explore just what these skills might be, and perhaps understandably, many of these have concluded that softer, more general skills are solid foundations upon which we can learn the various technical skills our circumstances require. This is largely the case too with a new paper from the Oxford University Press, which identifies what it refers to as ‘global skills’ that underpin lifelong learning and success in the future of work. These skills fall into five broad buckets:

• Communication and collaboration
• Creativity and critical thinking
• Intercultural competence and citizenship
• Emotional self-regulation and wellbeing
• Digital literacy

“21st century life is characterized by rapid change. With advances in digital technologies, rising global economic competition, and greater diversity and mobility, our communities are in constant flux and a corresponding pace of change can be observed in the workplace,” the authors say. “It is increasingly recognized that education needs to cover more than traditional subjects if learners are to be equipped to flourish now and in the future. Students of all ages need to learn the skills that are critical for lifelong learning and success.”

Growing global skills

I’ve written previously about a more generalist education, and the authors believe that there is a growing consensus that such an education is vital for the future of work. The paper explores how such global skills can be integrated into English language teaching.

Whether it’s UNESCO’s four pillars of education (learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be) or the OECD PISA Global Competence Framework, which highlights the global competence of skills, attitudes and attitudes, the various frameworks that aim to isolate crucial skills for the 4th industrial revolution have much in common.

These allowed the OUP team to formulate the five categories of skills identified above.  The researchers argue that these skills are vital to empower people to succeed in our complex and rapidly changing world.  They believe it’s vital therefore that these skills are embedded into the modern classroom.

“In the 21st century, there have been significant cultural, social and technological developments,” the authors say. “These have resulted in a notable shift in the skills which people are acknowledged to need in order to flourish in their professional and personal lives.”

The authors believe that language teachers are uniquely placed to provide teaching in this area, not least because language learning requires students to gain the socio-emotional, intercultural and communication skills that allow them to communicate effectively with others.

“The paper recognises the importance of teaching Global Skills and offers ways of embedding them successfully into English language learning,” the authors conclude.  “These skills are highly transferable and key to life beyond the classroom. They prepare students to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world and to become active participants in our 21st century societies.”