Family Matters: How to future-proof your kids

even looks like. How do you help prepare them for jobs that in some cases don't even exist yet, or for workplaces which are so entirely different to the kind of workplace that you and I have inhabited through our working life. It could be a very difficult path to

help them navigate. And in fact, the answer lies not so much in getting fixed on what are you going to be what specific career are we preparing you for, but rather looking to the question of what skills are going to be highly valued in future, what personal attributes are going to be sought after, regardless of the environment you might be heading into, And to help us reflect on this, I'm delighted to recruit via Zoom Bryce Decker,

who is a Durban based organizational psychology just an educational planner who's really passionate about helping young people in particular to plan their pathway their study choices their next steps towards a professional career to plan it from a perspective of building a bouquet of skills that will take you forward regardless of which industry you end up in. And Bryce, it's lovely to have you joining us on the show today. Welcome to Cape Talk.

think they're going to need and value. For those who are not familiar with this report, it's an annual report that taps into labor markets and employers all over the world and gives insight into things like which jobs are fading away, which jobs are growing in demand, which skills are most in demand, what our employers look looking for

when they're recruiting. Right. I mean, it's very interesting to look at some of the big trends and influencing factors in this year's report about what the job market of the future might look like.

the next role. But I mean, certainly the big trends that kind of front of mind, digital access, I think that's obviously very topical for many of us. I think climate change mitigation is a big kind of focal point. And then I think the cost of living and the fact that I suppose you've got to show a little bit more return of investment, certainly from an educational perspective, is a big thing. And then quite topical Auto moments. Obviously, Generation Z kind of entering the labor market and their

perspectives to work and finding purpose around work. I think all have a big driving factor going forward and driving force.

to interact with the big data, the AI. So many people are scared of AI replacing jobs, but what this list is telling me is that a human ability to engage with AI and to analyze the information that is being produced and to massage it and repurpose it is still going to be absolutely crucial. So cyber security specialists, big data experts, robotics engineers. I mean, these are quite scary concepts for a parent who doesn't really even understand

what some of those mean. BRYCE. To then have to try and advise a child you might be taking on a role like that one day can be quite daunting, can't it.

controllables and what they can control. So I think when you look at that report closely, they define the top skills that are required by twenty thirty, and when you break it down at a skill micro level, I think it's a lot more easier to grapple with, and kind of the skills that they talk about is Sydney analytical thinking and developing some resilience and having a little bit of agility in terms of the way that you look at your future path, leadership, social influence and from my experience,

I mean when you look at those skills being developed and you look at the ecosystem at Mania of our children of privileged to be educated with a lot of those opportunities exist within a schooling and ecosystem. So I think sometimes to make it less daunting is to focus on building the skills required for those long term choices, often easier way of approaching it.

I'm offering to the world. In doing so, I think they'll build confidence in themselves with that, and once building some confidence, hopefully you kind of whatever they wherever they go, whatever they do after school, You're wanting your kids just to build a level of confidence in their own ability. And often once they start developing that confidence and the skills that emerge to them. So again probably it's a

little bit of a wish you wash it on. So, but I think just kind of go gain for the student, go back to the basics. Find it is what your unique mark is on the world, and you can take even your subjects. You know, thirteen grade ten advising a lot of my pupils going forward into the fet component

of the high school experience. You're wanting them to find subjects that they that they enjoy, that they're getting good reward for, and almost don't get too formulate with that kind of just just put your kind of one foot in front of another and just try and focus in on what subjects are I enjoying? You know, what subjects when I go to the class the time fliers buy and by the time I've looked up, the class is

finished and I'm receiving pretty good reward for it. And that should be a good indication of where your academic skills line. Once you can find that, you know, you don't have to be as direct and linear with developing those skills. An example like drama for example, at school, if a child loves you know, kind of that as a subject, you know they're getting good reward for it.

The skills that you can get from a subject like that might not be as obvious to the are, but you can by doing that, you're going to develop so much like great confidence with other people, you develop your leadership skills. So it's not always as directors what we think. But again I think just the big message is find what your strengths are, push into those, and through that journey and your skills will emerge.

being agile in your approach to work. That you might start out doing one thing, but being able to pivot into another aligned role and then find your way into an entirely new sector because of the skills you acquired in the previous job, that that is going to become sought after. It's not I'm thinking now in my parents' day, somebody with a CV that had jumped from one job to another to another and done all kinds of different things might have been viewed in a negative light as saying,

this person's flighty, they can't commit to anything. We take a quite different view of it, CD like that today, wouldn't we bryce?

have it all figured out to school. In fact, often my advice to students is you're kind of bolded from

the ground up. So instead of converging on a career from sixteen years old, just focus on what you can control, do the best you can in the subject you enjoy, and in finding those subjects that they're enjoying they're getting good reward for, you'll probably find that you'll dictate the Terstie journey that will again play to your unique experients and talents, and in that you're once we get the journey right, the hypothesis is always is that the career

will look after itself, but very often it's not a linear pathway. And again I think it just comes back to controlling the controllables and control that grade ten year for example, when you're choosing subjects, and if you get the pathway right, generally the outcomes look after themselves. You know.

Often people also say to my students, like protecting grade like sixteen year olds, it's kind of hold your grade ten year as touch as you can with your hands, hold your career option very loosely in your hand, because I find sometimes the danger in choosing a career too early is that kids grapple onto it, and you know, for example, let's say I want to be a VET, but I don't even know yet whether I like you know, physical science and biology, you know, and it's too early

often and there's too much pressure in the student. So generally that advice is to hold those career options, don't not explore, but hold them loosely in your hand, but hold your academic performance certain grade ten in it even as touch as you can.

next steps into a professional future. Talking about the concept of future proofing our kids and helping them map out pathways to success in the future that don't necessarily have to be hung to the concept of I am going to be a profession x, Y or z and making that decision at fourteen and being expected to stick with it for the rest of your high school career and beyond. Now, our listener, Amanda just emailing me saying, please, won't we repeat what that Future of Jobs reports said, We're going

to be the most in demand skills in the future. Briefly, Amanda, Analytical thinking and problem solving top the list, AI and big data literacy, cybersecurity, digital literacy. See. But then come what some would perceive as the softer skills. But it's really fascinating to me that they are still on this list. Creativity, innovation, flexibility, social influence and leadership, environmental stewardship, emotional intelligence and empathy, and then programming and coding as well. Bryce that that

fascinating to me. Emotional intelligence and empathy in a world where so much of the focus is on the digital being able to work with the computers, you might think that that would fall almost off the list of in demand skills. But do you want to comment on the fact that emotional intelligence and empathy is still appearing on that list of absolutely crucial skills.

Kind of those types of subjects. On magic to develop a little bit of an emotional intelligence component to you and your profile, and you are Sertney working in the workplace, you can never kind of escape those skills, so it's so important. You know, it's often you can be the cleverest person in the world, but it's how you convey that message to others and how you read people and how you influence them in a positive way that's such a powerful impact on not any your own career directory,

but the people around you. And you can yes the legs that you can gain from developing that skill, So it's massively important for whatever you're going.

this point when you're making these plans. But outside the school environment, are there activities, whether there are social groups like scouts, or sporting activities or musical activities, things outside of the immediate academic classroom which offer opportunities to start developing some of these crucial skills that you think are worth encouraging youngsters to stay involved in and not just

focus on the academics. Do you want to maybe speak a little bit about what we learn outside of the classroom that's still going to be valuable.

non you know, disadvantage communities, things like toastmasters. You know, all those skills that you can embark upon to enhance yourself and your self worth and confidence or just so massively important for life. And I was so interesting though, like kind of reading that article. I don't know if

it struck you a bit. Like also when you talk about like, you know, the skills that they develop around is some interdisciplinary skills and being able to kind of come away from school or tertiary education as a well rounded individual. And it's so massively important for whatever you're

going to do. Enough, and it's particularly you know, when you start to look at propose some of those inter faculty degree choices that are after the university now, and I think that's such a great way of developing transferable skills and a bit of agility, you know, kind of you know, degrees like your philosophy, politics, economics, with an eclectic mix of different subjects from different faculties so important to kind of develop a well rounded and thought provoking

person you try to come up with you when you leave both secondary and tersie educational opportunities.

of advise the youngster on the way forward. What are the sort of core things to hold on to, particularly if we're talking to that final phase of high school where we're making and being forced to make these decisions about subject choices and vasty applications or TVED applications, et cetera, which sometimes you know we're not ready to make at that age. What's the most important thing to sort of hold on to you? In your view?

be aspiring towards might very well change. Have flexibility in your thoughts, you know, focus on both your academics and as well, does your extracurricular activity, Enjoy school and optimately whatever you're going to do, make sure that you build your confidence in your journey towards getting to where you want to go. All we really want, I suppose, in life, is to develop a well rounded individual that's going to

contribute positively to the greater good. And I think more and more prevalently that's going to become incredibly important for whatever we do is to have a little bit of moral consciousness. And I think if you can develop focusing on your strengths, focusing on one year of time, don't not dream, but know that those gems will come through small, little micro steps that you can take. And I think that Chinese probably said that the longest journey started a

single step. The only thing you can really control is to control what's in front of you. Do the best that you can, and in doing so, hopefully you develop some confidence in that journey.