As the conversation about the fourth industrial revolution increases and concerns over technology taking over jobs continue, teaching strategies must evolve to prepare children for an increasingly digital world beyond the classroom. This is where life-long skills are becoming vital for students; now is the time to consider the skills that are essential for students to adapt and thrive in ever-evolving work environments. The viewpoint goes on to discuss how teaching life-long skills could be the answer to future-proofing children’s education.Technological developments continue to evolve and advance the futureproofing of children’s education. With this, however, comes uncertainty regarding potential risks, such as the suggested threat of AI taking over some jobs. This risk has led to a growing need to learn how to adapt to the growing digital era and understand the surrounding complexities.With the rapid development and evolution of workplaces and organisational structures, it is essential to focus on developing life-long skills to prepare children for an increasingly digital world beyond the classroom. Many educational institutions focus greatly on building a curriculum that is industry-specific and does not necessarily provide the knowledge and skills needed for the future. As career landscapes constantly develop and change, it forces students to reskill and upskill in order to work and develop in tandem. The conversation surrounding the fourth industrial revolution is increasing, highlighting the need for teaching strategies to develop in order to prepare children for the future. By teaching students life-long skills, allows students to become adaptable and enables them to thrive in environments beyond school, settings that require a body of values, knowledge and capabilities – are essential in adapting to complex global workplaces.It goes without saying that teachers are already incorporating digital skills into their daily curriculum, and such skills must be emphasised. In recent times, students have adapted to new ways of working, becoming accustomed to remote and digital learning. However, some students have become less familiar with remote working. As a result, it is necessary to reintroduce such skills and behaviours to give students the best chances of achieving academic success.Future-proofing children’s education by teaching them life-long skills.Future-proofing students are crucial, and education is a key component to achieving this – especially amongst universities where students are one step closer to entering their working life. Yet to prepare for the breadth of jobs students will eventually choose from, it is essential to acquire skills that coincide with new technologies at an early age, rather than avoid them overall. To put things into perspective, the World Economic Forum states that 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types that don’t yet exist. Whilst many people fear that the next industrial revolution will bring career uncertainty and new demands, there are ways in which students can develop the skills needed to become resilient in future complex landscapes.The Understanding Current and Future Skills Needs Policy Report states that in the future the demand for manual, physical and cognitive skills will decline. Importance will be placed on technological, social, and emotional skills – meaning that communication, digital, data, and people talents will become part of the necessary skillset needed for jobs, and many will require reskilling.How students’ skills and behaviours have been affected by COVID-19Adapting to new ways of communicating is nothing new, especially in the world of work. In recent times, students have had to adapt to a way of learning that has become remote and distanced from the usual face-to-face interaction. The consequence of this is that for many students, the increase of remote interaction has led to a decrease in social...

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