Learners’ Profile: Building skills of the future

According to World Economic Forum, 35% of skills deemed essential today will change. Hence, it goes without saying that in order to survive in the post COVID-19 world, there is only one way- evolving and adapting. There will be permanent change in the job market and skill requirements in the post pandemic world. Living with the virus and constantly adapting to it is the only way to survive.

The future skill matrix that can be predicted for now will comprise of Agility, Adaptability, Digital skills, Technical Quotient and Adversity Quotient. 

Learning agility has been defined by De Meuse et al. (2010) as:

“the willingness and ability to learn from experience, and subsequently, apply that learning to perform successfully under new or first-time conditions.”

This is applicable to all individuals including the learners, the parents and the teachers to adapt to the new normal. The combination of high TQ and digital skills will make us future ready for every adverse situation. And as we learnt during this pandemic, what matters the most, will be Adversity Quotient (AQ), which measures one’s ability to go through a rough path. Children with high adversity quotient are those with the following traits, which are not so different from the traits of resilient adults:

• have an active approach toward solving life’s problems
• tend to perceive their experiences constructively
• able to gain others’ positive attention
• use faith to maintain a positive outlook