Are Life Skills Really Crucial?!

Each skill is unique in how it helps students, but they all have one quality in common. They’re essential in the age of the Internet.

Are Life Skills Really Crucial?!

Education should prepare our students for the future, whether that involves going on to further study, joining the world of work or becoming an engaged member of society.

21st Century skills are the abilities that today’s students need to succeed in their careers during the Information Age. These skills are intended to help students keep up with the lightning-pace of today’s modern markets. Each skill is unique in how it helps students, but they all have one quality in common. They’re essential in the age of the Internet.

According to Harvard University, all youth need to develop a set of core life skills to manage school, work, outside interests, and social relationships successfully. No one is born with these skills, but everyone can learn them through practice.

Adolescence is also a vital “window of opportunity” for building core life skills — and for practitioners/ teachers to provide support. During this period, the brain strengthens its most-used connections, making them faster and more efficient, and “prunes” away less-used ones.

No one is born with these skills, but everyone can learn them through practice.

As the different areas of the brain mature during adolescence, their ability to function as an interconnected system improves. Practicing core life skills during adolescence helps the brain build the most efficient pathways to support these skills throughout life. 

Shawn VanDerziel, Executive Director at National Association of Colleges and Employers, has pointed out 3 important concerns,

1. Communication, critical thinking, and teamwork are the most important competencies to have when entering the workforce.
   
2. Career centers alone cannot fix this.
   
3. Incorporating career readiness and career competencies into curricular and co-curricular activities is required - which should help narrow this perceived skills gap.

As per International Youth Foundation,

Life skills—like critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and conflict management to name only a few—are needed for success in life and work. We call them 'life skills' to encompass the ways this set of skills is transferable across a day, career, and lifetime. They are as necessary to navigating the relationships and day-to-day decisions that determine success in a family as they are on the job, at school, and within a community. Life skills training is a standard part of many youth employment programs because life skills are considered essential to the modern workplace and are expected to make youth more employable.

To paraphrase, renowned author Steve Taylore-Knowles:

"Education should prepare our students for the future, whether that involves going on to further study, joining the world of work or becoming an engaged member of society. Education is a process that enables students to take their place in society as effective learners, as effective professionals and as effective citizens. We need to equip our students with the kind of skills that will enable them to meet those challenges. These are skills that you, as a successful, effective #professional, probably use every day without too much thought. You go into a meeting and put forward your point of view while listening and absorbing the views of your colleagues. You make decisions, solve problems and communicate with others. And you use the same skills in many different aspects of your life."

******