Lessons Earned Podcast, featuring Michelle Weise

Key Takeaways

Michelle Weise, advisor to the Personal Workplace Success Skills Library and author of Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs That Don’t Even Exist Yet, explains why human skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence, will be increasingly important to prepare for the future of work. Futurists predict that the first people to live 150 years have already been born and that, with extended life expectancy, adults will make 20–30 career pivots over a span of 60–80 working years. While technical skills and content expertise are important, curiosity, agile and interdisciplinary thinking, and critical thinking are the skills that will enable us to learn and adapt to new roles and professional challenges that we can’t imagine now. Even without futurists’ forecasts, these human skills are in high demand, as evidenced by current labor market fluctuations and job postings across a range of occupational sectors and professions. Weise concludes that educational institutions need to recognize the value of these portable human skills, develop better methods of assessment, and provide ample opportunities for learners to acquire and apply the skills in workplace scenarios. A transcript of the conversation is also available.

Tags: Adaptability & Flexibility, Communication, Critical & Creative Thinking, Digital Literacy, Emotional Intelligence, Leadership & Initiative, Teamwork & Collaboration, Research, Audio / Video, Free, Adult Education, Higher Education, Workforce Development