McKinsey is a global consulting company that has for years been decrying the mismatch between what employees know and what industry wants and needs when hiring. A wave of disruptive technologies – artificial intelligence, machine learning, mobile internet, 3D printing, genetic engineering – are, McKinsey claims, remarking entire industries. According to McKinsey global chief learning officer Nicholas Van Dam, “human or soft skills help workers think creatively, collaboratively, future-proofing themselves from disruption…..it is the worst time in history for those with ordinary skills and education”:
Here are the 10 key skills needed for the 21st C., according to McKinsey: Complex problem-solving; critical thinking; creativity; people management; coordinating with others; emotional intelligence (the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways); judgment and decision-making; service orientation (focus on the client being served); negotiation; cognitive flexibility.
There is evidence that the school skills gap is not closed even in leading universities. Lavi, Tal and Dori studied 1,600 Technion graduates and final-year undergraduates. They found that “participants’ soft skills, including collaboration, creativity, entrepreneurship, intercultural understanding and communication (oral and written)… were underdeveloped during their studies. But active learning methods (research projects, design projects, lab lessons, and complex assignments) helped develop soft skills.”