Building the necessary blocks for employability

WE live in a world in which new products, new markets and new models of organisations emerge on a quasi-continuous basis. In such a world, new functions need to be performed, and skill sets are constantly evolving. No individual should, hence, consider that their formal education will suffice to enable them to perform efficiently, or even to remain employable without continuous re-skilling and up-skilling. The 20th century model of 20 years of generalist education followed by 40 years of work does not fit well with the fast changing needs of the 21st century.

The need for lifelong learning

In all parts of the world, labour markets are affected by a combination of factors that transform deeply the kind of jobs offered, the ways in which they are offered, and the kind of skills that are needed to fill them. Two of these changes are technological change and global competition.