As the jobs market continues to evolve as a result of changing economic conditions, some are being left confused as to what the future might hold. Employment analysts are referring to the current situation as a sort of jobs reshuffle, where companies are suddenly forced to review their hiring practices. Some of the largest employers in Israel and abroad are now evaluating their prospects more on whether or not they have the right set of skills rather than what sort of academic diplomas they might happen to hold.
It's likely that firms like Teva Pharmaceuticals and Check Point Software Technologies will soon be hiring candidates that may not have all that much academic experience but prove they have the skills to do whatever is asked of them. Considering the current construction boom in Jerusalem, it's equally likely that a number of firms out of the biomedical and technology sectors are going to adjust their hiring practices in a similar way. While that might make some concerned about their futures, it's proving to be a big opportunity for others.
The Future of Talent Acquisition
HR department staffers are often told to look for a specific set of academic documents when hiring somebody new. They might be told that they need candidates with four year degrees. Eventually, they might narrow their choices down by only looking at those with degrees in specific fields. Unfortunately, academic diplomas tell a human resources director relatively little about whether the individual in question is actually prepared for the job that they're looking to fill.
Aptitude tests helped to make up for this to some degree, but they're often deemed unfair. Worst of all, they're potentially more subjective than objective, which should be more than enough to discourage HR department staffers from ever rolling them out. Interviewing candidates by asking the right questions is generally the best way to see if someone is prepared to actually take a job.
The fact that so many companies have finally figured this out is starting to put pressure on educators to change the way they currently impart skills in the hopes of preparing students for a future career.
Impacts Felt in the Education Sector
Proponents of these new paradigms are also proposing some pretty big changes to the education landscape as well. Several industrial commentators have suggested that skills-based hiring presents an opportunity to create a new type of career pathway where young people are prepared for the future by mastering certain skills rather than trying to meet traditional academic rubrics. The most radical advocates for this kind of change have gone on to suggest that students learn best when they're doing something that they love, so it makes sense to give them the freedom to study as they wish.
This would hearken back to some of Maria Montessori's experiments in early 20th century Italy, but few people have been willing to embrace this kind of change. However, it does seem that a majority of those in the education sector agree that there needs to be some alterations made in order to escape from old-school vocational programs that aren't flexible enough to prepare students for the kinds of skills they'll need to excel in the emerging jobs market.
It's also likely that some of the skills future employers are going to need simply haven't been discovered yet. Ironically, this could encourage a return to some types of traditional education. According to school ranking site Authority.org, trade schools continue to serve a very valuable purpose in the economy. These institutions prepare young people to work in specialized trades while also offering existing professionals the chance to hone their skills and learn new ones.
Those who might have been planning on going to college could end up making a very different choice as a result.
Starting Jobs without Traditional Education
In many cases, students may start to see traditional college as something of a leftover from a previous era and either enter trade school or start out in a career and work their way up the ladder. Others may work with groups like the Joint Cyber Defense Division, which is currently helping to change the face of cybersecurity inside of Israel while working with other organizations outside of the country.
Those who decide to simply start jobs may get in touch with a contact center or other entity and begin working from there. Once they've acquired a certain set of skills, they'll be able to either move up or apply for work elsewhere. The current job market has provided for a great deal of upward mobility, especially for those working in urban markets like Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Perhaps the biggest source of irony in all this, however, is that those who move up the quickest will probably end up working from home. Remote work opportunities are likely to expand, and some are even hopeful that it could help to reach out to communities who currently would be unlikely to work for businesses in the technology sector.
Individuals who elect to work remotely are also free to provide their skills for firms around the word. While it could be difficult for any educators to prepare them for this degree of freedom, those who want to excel in careers that provide these opportunities probably won't be worried about that.
They'll be too busy earning the skills that will help them get ahead in their current career path.