IMPERATIVE SKILLS AND VALUES FOR THE FUTURE

Here are five key skills and values that will become imperative in the near future, besides technical skills.

1. Creativity

There is no substitute for this quality in age of AI (artificial intelligence), ML and automation.

With most mundane and routine jobs automated, the only way humans can retain their employ ability will be by their innovative and creative thinking.

The ability to think into the future, create new ideas and implement them will require out of the box thinking.

AI driven machines may well learn to think, but that is based on past experiences and data, whereas creativity requires one to use information of the present, imagine a future and then develop products and technologies to get there.

2. Emotional Intelligence

EQ refers to the ability to be aware of, control and express one’s emotions and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetic.

When robots and machines take on jobs that have traditionally required human judgement, like doctors and healthcare givers, and other customer facing roles such as in banks or hospitality industry, emotional intelligence would perhaps be distinguishing factor for retaining humans in these job roles.

3. Critical thinking

The ability to analyse information objectively and make a logical judgement has become one of the key abilities being sought by employers.

Candidates with critical thinking capability can be trusted to make decisions independently, after rational analysis of facts and information, without being influenced by extraneous circumstances and opinions.

This ability needs to be inculcated in young people either as part of their formal education or through suitable training programmes at different stages of their life.

4. Integrity in approach

The industrial era saw the gradual erosion of ethical values and practices, which also led to widespread erosion of integrity in approach, whether to acquisition of knowledge or to its application, undermining the problem-solving capabilities, thereby having an adverse effect on technological and economic development.

Only with proper understanding of their subject matter, along with the ability and desire to put this knowledge to solve current and future problems, can the individual, industry and society benefit.

5. Social skills

Skills such as people management, coordination and negotiations are and will remain out of purview of robots and automation for some time to come.

Hence, these skills will become increasingly relevant.

Co-ordination and negotiations require the ability to interact with each other, keeping in view the thoughts, ideas, and emotions of others, things difficult for robots to handle.