To thrive in the future workforce, both employers and employees need to get comfortable with uncertainty. Rapidly changing technology is shifting the way we work and the skills required to achieve success.
Today’s economy calls for us to embrace flexibility, to commit to a lifetime of learning, and to creatively approach problem-solving. Simply put, today’s economy pushes us to be agile; the economy of the future demands it.
Unfortunately, our education system is behind the curve in preparing students for the new Age of Agility. Without profound and rapid changes to how we educate our children, this nation faces the real possibility of falling behind countries with more nimble and more innovative education systems. It is time for our communities – business leaders, education experts, and policymakers – to confront the skills gap and help reshape education-to-employment pathways. It is going to take all of us, working together, to successfully navigate the future of work.
“(Education needs to be) preparing students for jobs that don’t exist and to use technologies, sciences, and methods that we haven’t even discovered yet, to solve problems that we haven’t identified.”
Jamie Casap
Education Evangelist
“We need to make sure our schools are educating kids and their parents on what is driving our economy, and their future opportunities, and prepare them for that.”
Brad Rhorer
Human Resource Assistant Senior Manager, Subaru of Indiana Automotive
“We have not solved the technical training problem of the last generation, even as we are very quickly moving into this new AI and robotics space.”
Mark Osowick
Vice President for Human Resources Operations
“Lifelong learning is the key to the future. At Walmart, we are investing in training and education to equip and ready our associates for the changing nature of work and to further our associates’ education, we have introduced a debt-free college degree for just $1 a day. Policymakers, businesses, education and workforce institutions, and community leaders must work together to share ideas and implement policies that help prepare us for the future.”
Sean Thurman
Director of Global Public Policy
“High schools and colleges in the U.S. are not turning out graduates with the mix of technical expertise, soft skills, problem- solving ability and communication skills that companies like Toyota need.”
Dennis Parker
Assistant Manager, Toyota North American Production Support Center
“We need to hire people who can maintain and work on this high-tech equipment we’re putting into the factories to keep up with growing worldwide demand for our products.”
Dan Moore
Training Specialist
“There used to be a more or less steady state. Now it is just constant change. The ability to adapt and change is the key to the future.”
Alexis Sgouros
Vice President and Business Information Officer
“Revolutionary advances in technology have translated to amazing new products in our businesses, which highlights the need for changes to the education and training of our future workforce. We need these changes to start earlier and to include both technical and soft skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving and working with diverse teams.”
David P. Eddy
Site Director of Boeing Colorado
“In the coming years, pressure to reexamine the ways in which companies identify and develop talent will only accelerate as forces like AI and automation reshape entire industries and professions.”
Jake Schwartz
CEO and Co-Founder, General Assembly
“We are committed to investing in the development of our team members because a skilled and trained workforce is critical to the success of Tyson Foods. In the same way we add value to our product, we strive to add value to our team members and offer training to help them succeed in the workplace.”
Mike Rogers
Senior Director of Maintenance & Refrigeration, Tyson Foods
“We’re looking for candidates who are passionate and driven to succeed in their particular area, who learn new concepts and technology quickly, who are curious and innovative and who have a strong sense of integrity.”
Shannon Garcia
Senior Vice President of Recruiting and Human Relations
Age of Agility Initiative
The Age of Agility is an initiative of America Succeeds. Our goal is to build more responsive and agile education systems across the country.
The Age of Agility means resilience, a comfortableness with change, and real curiosity to be a life-long learner.
The Age of Agility means a workforce that not only has the technical skills that industry needs, but also the 21st-century skills—such as critical and creative thinking, collaboration, and teamwork.
The Age of Agility means looking at challenges and opportunities as the same thing.