SKILLS FOR 2025-2030

“The more we give importance to skill development, the more competent will be our youth”

Skills are the ability and capacity to carry out processes and use one’s knowledge in a responsible way to achieve a goal.  

As we move into the Digital Evaluation the skills you need to thrive are changing, as well.

The World Economic Forum’s leading thinkers predict that four categories of 21st-century skills will be the most important over the next few years. They are characterized as self-management skills, interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, and technology usage and development abilities. Skills in 2025 will undoubtedly come under one of these four categories. 

Also, there’s a very clear mix of hard and soft skills. 

So, what are the skills students would most benefit from?

Critical Thinking and analysis (problem-solving)

In this era of fake news, social media bubbles, and information overload, critical thinking is at the top of the list of the most vital skills to cultivate for success. Thinking critically means analyzing issues and situations based on evidence rather than hearsay, personal opinions, or biases. When you are practising critical thinking, you can question the validity of information presented to you.  

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to express and control our emotions. An emotionally intelligent person is aware of how their emotions influence their behaviors and impact others around them and can manage those emotions accordingly. 

Empathy – the ability to see the world from someone else’s perspective – is a key component of emotional intelligence.

For everything that digital technologies and artificial intelligence can replace, emotional and social intelligence remain innately human. 

Creativity, originality, and initiative (problem-solving)

Have you ever wondered what creativity is ?

One way to define it is “the act of turning imaginative ideas into reality.” Creative thinking, like coming up with new ideas, problem-solving, imagining beyond the status quo, and implementing ideas to fix issues and make things better, will be critical in the future.

Collaboration

The nature of collaboration and teamwork is changing as teams evolve to include hybrid workers, fully remote workers, contractors, and other employees who work between projects and teams. 

In this era, where the idea of work and workplaces is evolving all the time, you will need to be able to effectively collaborate and communicate with a variety of coworkers.

Employees with collaborative ability are more likely to engage better with team members and achieve objectives.

Leadership Skills and social influence (working with people)

Do you think leadership skills are only necessary for those at the top of the ladder? 

Think again.

Good leadership is about bringing the best out of the team members and making sure they can thrive. Factors like distributed teams, increasing diversity, the gig economy, and more fluid organizational structures mean that leadership skills will be important for every individual throughout the company – whether they are leading a project, a team, or an entire department.

Exemplary leadership skills that can steer a team to success by leading with example is the need of the hour.

Time Management

Whether you work from home, work full-time in an office, run your own business, or work for an organization, the ability to manage your time effectively is essential for your workplace performance. 

Remember that time management is about working smarter rather than harder

When you can manage your time effectively, you create a better work/life balance to ensure you have room in your life for the things that are most important to you.

Curiosity and Continuous Learning (self-management)

Whatever your age or industry, adopting a mindset of continuous learning is critical to thriving in today’s workplace. Curiosity and continual learning will help you stay flexible and embrace change. 

Want to give yourself the best chance at building a successful, fulfilling life?

Adopt a growth mindset and spark your desire to learn.

Resilience, stress tolerance, and flexibility (self-management)

Are you open to change?

In the workplace of the future, change is going to be even more of a driving factor than it is today. 

We’ll have to continually contend with new technologies, rising automation, the rapidly evolving pace of work, and vast business disruptions. 

We must all develop the mental resilience to thrive in times of constant change. 

Adaptability – the ability to adjust to new conditions – is key to developing flexibility. Adaptable people are open-minded, curious, and willing to learn new things because they focus on opportunities, not obstacles.

Problem solving

“We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them”

People with problem-solving skills are more likely to autonomously carry out their responsibilities and surmount challenges intelligently, quickly, and efficiently. 

Technology use and development (monitoring, and control) (design and programming)

Technology has played a major part in our lives for many years now, and this will only continue to grow at an even faster pace by 2025. 

Data science, digital literacy, AI, machine learning, and deep learning are important skills for jobs that will become increasingly common in the future. 

But it’s not only about having programming skills, it’s also about understanding the power of technology, its use, and how to control it. 

“Never chase opportunities. Let it come to you by creating value and building skillsets.”

                                                                                                                  – Johannes Larsson

The world is evolving, and so too are the competencies required to work and thrive in it. 

Ultimately, keeping up with the changes to come will require a willingness to constantly reinvent yourself, while regularly adapting your approach to work and people, and a commitment to cultivating your own uniquely human capability while having a positive attitude towards lifelong learning and curiosity.

Written by Mr. Vikram Soni – Jitin Chawla Team

Subscribe to our Newsletter