Skills of the future: Preparing young people for an uncertain future.

Abstract

Background. Young people need to be prepared for an uncertain future. They will need skills that they can use for the future of work. This study contributed to find the most valid conceptual framework for skills development in the context of Oxfam Novib. Method. For this study, semi-structured interviews are done with members of Oxfam Novib’s youth team and employees of partner organizations in different countries that Oxfam Novib works with for two different projects. These countries include Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Somalia. Results. Four skills are chosen to be the most important according to the youth team, those are: soft skills, social skills, entrepreneurial skills and designer skills. Furthermore, the vision of the youth team was more based on a more recent approach within Oxfam Novib, namely the goal for youth to be active citizens instead of increasing youth employment. The projects involved in this study are mostly aimed at youth employment, what led to a different vision on what skills are needed in the future and what skills are implemented now. Discussion. This study gave an insight in what skills youth in developing countries may need for the future of work. The outcome is a new formed skills framework that is based on the context of Oxfam Novib’s projects. Discussed is, to use life skills instead of soft skills in further research since the skills that are chosen are useful for everyday life.