Employability Skills to Thrive during Fourth Industrial Revolution:Upskilling Secondary School Learners

Abstract

The workplace of the future promises to be quite different from present days. The technological strides of recent years including digitalization, block-chains, artificial intelligence and other forms of technology would herald a new VUCA world. This would usher in new job opportunities on one hand while wiping out thousands of present day jobs. India aspires to be among top three economic superpowers by 2030 with a USD 5 trillioneconomy by 2025. However, the future workforce seems woefully unprepared for being industry-ready to meet the challenges of Industry 4.0. Recent reports suggest that half of the 310 million school graduates that would form the next generation workforce will lack required job skills to lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Hence, it is imperative for the Indian education system to make a shift in teaching-learning process at secondary school level to mitigate the impending challenge. Defining the new models of education thus becomes important to dole-out firms that are struggling to stay competitive. The current paper attempts to present an integrated model of general and vocational education at secondary level to dramatically transform the skill landscape. It would facilitate designing new models of education that reimagines the existing eco-system to embed the new-age skills among young learners. This seminal work attempts to foster a comprehensive and unified approach to close the skill-gap and aid multiple socio-economic outcomes to bridge the staggering income divide and inequality among society.