It's very rare that I sit down and read a report (I learn far more through my observations, conversations, and interactions with people), but this report by McCrindle Research Pty Ltd, caught my eye. In part, this blog post is a way to process my own learning, but I also hope my key takeaways are valuable for those who are reading it too.

1) Young people are hungry for purpose in their work.

The career development side-of-me loved the six "catalysts" for the rapidly changing world of work.

These six "catalysts" include society moving from:

• Manual to machine learning;
• Technology to human skills;
• Fixed to flex (work environments);
• Profit to people;
• Generational divide to intergenerational connection;
• Security to purpose.

Of course, it was the security to purpose "catalyst" that really got my attention.

I'm someone who is on the cusp of Gen Y & Gen Z (1996 baby) so it makes sense that this really jumped out to me because I so deeply resonate with this shift of choosing work that is purposeful vs. merely secure... and, so does the next generation of workers (a.k.a. the current students and youth of today's society).

According to the report, the #1 desire that students consider to be extremely or very important as they consider their career is "having purpose and meaning in their work" (72%). This was closely followed by "work [that] aligns with their values" (68%). It's not enough to expose this next generation to career opportunities, we need to equip them with finding purpose in these opportunities to really help them to thrive!

2) Self-awareness is a superpower.

Due to the shift from fixed work environments to flexible work environments, the ability to manage one's learning and work is going to be a crucial skill for young people to develop.

How does one develop the skill of self-management? They cultivate self-awareness.

When individuals are aware of where, when and how they work best, they'll be far better equipped to not only make decisions about their future, but manage themselves, especially in learning and work environments that are becoming increasingly flexible.

3) Self-directed learning is on the rise.

This is not new information, but some of the statistics in the report really solidified this.

"76% of students see it solely or largely their responsibility with some support from their education provider to achieve their education and learning outcomes", which suggests that:

a) Young people are aware that there are other ways of learning outside of their 'official' education provider.

b) Young people are willing to take action to drive their learning outside their 'official' education provider.

Whilst teachers are still the #1 go-to for students when it comes to learning new skills daily (50%), websites (48%) and Tik Tok (42%) aren't too far behind. In fact, Tik Tok actually ranked higher than parents (39%). This made me nervous to begin with (because despite being on the cusp of Gen Y & Gen Z, I'm not across Tik Tok)... However, I now see it as an indication of young people's willingness to take ownership of their learning, as well as a key insight into how they like to learn too.

Stay tuned for a myDESIGN Tik Tok account...

And, in the meantime, check out our new 'Unlocking myPOTENTIAL' self-paced course!

If you work in the field of education, I also really recommend checking out the full Education Insights: Preparing Students for the New World of Work report - it was worth the investment.
 

- Kirstene Ciappara, Co-Founder & Head of Education at myDESIGN Education