Abstract
The world is rapidly changing, and the systemic shifts have the potential to affect the nature of work. To prepare the workforce, it is crucial to develop the skills that will be necessary for the unpredictable landscape of the future. Before these skills can be developed, however, they have to be identified and quantified through some form of valuation. It is important that the approach to skills valuation is empirically defensible. This article presents an approach to skills valuation that focuses on the extent to which a skill facilitates occupational transitions as its measure of value. This valuation metric is then developed using a graph-theoretic approach. Results show that this valuation reflects skills-importance that aligns with existing skills valuation in the literature. Limitations of this approach and its potential extensions are discussed.
Highlights
Studies that look at recent and predicted changes in the jobs landscape have consistently shown that disruptive changes are coming—ranging from a shift in skillsets that can adapt to changing work environments and demographics, to potential industry-level disruptions due to large-scale adoption of technology
The Future of Jobs Report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF, 2016) suggests that skills that are increasingly going to be important in the 5 to 10 years will almost exclusively be those classified as “21st century skills” by various frameworks (e.g., Dede, 2010; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2008; Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2009; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 2015)
The results show that the top skills based on their betweenness centrality reflect what would be generally considered important skills for the particular group of occupations (Tables 2–4)
Summary
Studies that look at recent and predicted changes in the jobs landscape have consistently shown that disruptive changes are coming—ranging from a shift in skillsets that can adapt to changing work environments and demographics, to potential industry-level disruptions due to large-scale adoption of technology (such as artificial intelligence [AI], deep machine learning, and automation/robotics). The term “21st century skills” (21CS, called transferable/ transversal or cross-functional/cross-cutting skills) is an umbrella term that encompasses a broad range of skill sets and competencies, such as critical thinking and problemsolving skills, that are deemed important in the current century (Ercikan & Oliveri, 2016; Rotherham & Willingham, 2010). These skills continue to gain attention and importance in the current and future educational environment, and yet education systems are only just beginning to formalize the frameworks for the teaching and learning of these skills (Care et al, 2019). If countries decide to embed these to their curriculum, the selection of which ones to focus on has to have empirical support based on some quantifiable metric of “value.”
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callSimilar Papers
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
